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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2b6d0d4 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68325 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68325) diff --git a/old/68325-0.txt b/old/68325-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1024247..0000000 --- a/old/68325-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11379 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Nomad, by Wesley Long - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Nomad - -Author: Wesley Long - -Illustrator: Orban - -Release Date: June 16, 2022 [eBook #68325] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOMAD *** - - - - - - Nomad - - By WESLEY LONG - - Illustrated by Orban - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Science-Fiction, December 1944, January, February 1945. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - I. - - -Guy Maynard left the Bureau of Exploration Building at Sahara Base and -walked right into trouble. It came more or less of a surprise; not the -trouble as a condition but the manner and place of its coming was the -shocking quality. Guy Maynard was used to trouble but like all men who -hold commissions in the Terran Space Patrol, he was used to trouble in -the proper places and in the proper doses. - -But to find trouble in the middle of Sahara Base was definitely -stunning. Sahara Base was as restricted an area as had ever been -guarded and yet trouble had come for Guy. - -The trouble was a MacMillan held in the clawlike hand of a Martian. The -bad business end was dead-center for the pit of Guy's stomach and the -steadiness of the weapon's aim indicated that the Martian who held the -opposite end of the ugly weapon knew his MacMillans. - -Maynard's stomach crawled, not because of the aim on said midriff, but -at the idea of a MacMillan being aimed at any portion of the anatomy. -His mind raced through several possibilities as he recalled previous -mental theories on what he would do if and when such a thing happened. - -In his mind's eye, Guy Maynard had met MacMillan-holding Martians -before and in that mental playlet, Guy had gone into swift action using -his physical prowess to best the weapon-holding enemy. In all of his -thoughts, Guy had succeeded in erasing the menace though at one time -it ended in death to the enemy and at other times Guy had used the -enemy's own weapon to march him swiftly to the Intelligence Bureau -for questioning. The latter always resulted in the uncovering of some -malignant plot for which Maynard received plaudits, decorations, and an -increase in rank. - -Now Guy Maynard was no youngster. He was twenty-four, and well -educated. He had seen action before this and had come through the -Martio-Terran incident unscathed. Openly he admitted that he had been -lucky during those weeks of trouble but in his own mind, Maynard -secretly believed that it was his ability and his brain that brought -him through without a scratch. - -His dreaming of action above and beyond the call of duty was normal for -any young man of intelligence and imagination. - -But as his mind raced on and on, it also came to the conclusion that -the law of survival was higher than the desire to die for a theory. - -Therefore it was with inward sickness that Guy Maynard stopped short on -the sidewalk before the Bureau of Exploration Building and did nothing. -He did not look around because the fact that this Martian was able to -stand before him in Sahara Base with a MacMillan pointed at his stomach -was evidence enough that they were alone on the street. Had anyone -seen them, the Martian would have been literally torn to bits by the -semi-permanent MacMillan mounts that lined the roof tops. - -The Martian had everything his own way, and so Maynard waited. It was -the Martian's move. - -"Guy Maynard?" - -Maynard did not feel that such an unnecessary question required an -answer. The Martian would not have been menacing him if he hadn't known -whom he wanted. - -"Guy Maynard, I advise that you do nothing," said the Martian. -His voice was flat and metallic like all Martian voices, and the -sharply-chiseled features were expressionless as are all Martian faces. -"You are to come with me," finished the Martian needlessly. He had not -concluded the last bit of information when invisible tractor beams -lashed down and caught the pair in their field of focus and lifted -them straight up. - -The velocity was terrific, and the only thing that saved them -suffocation in the extreme upper stratosphere was the entrapped air -that went along with the field of focus. - -The sky went dark and the stars winked in the same sky as the flaming -sun. - -And then they entered the space lock of an almost invisible spaceship. -The door slammed behind them and air rushed into the confines of the -lock just as the tractors were snuffed. - -Maynard arose from the floor to face once more that rigidly held -MacMillan. Before he could move, the door behind him flashed open and -three Martians swarmed in upon him and trussed him with straps. They -carried him to a small room and strapped him to a surgeon's table. - -The one with the MacMillan holstered the weapon as the ship started off -at 3-G. - -"Now, Guy Maynard, we may talk." - -Maynard glared. - -"It is regrettable that this should be necessary," apologized the -Martian. "I am Kregon. Your being restrained is but a physical -necessity; I happen to know that you are the match for any two of us. -Therefore we have strapped you down until we have had a chance to speak -our mind. After which you may be freed--depending upon your reception -of the proposition we have to offer." - -Maynard merely waited. It was very unsatisfactory, this glaring, -for the Martian went on as though Maynard were beaming in glee and -anxiously awaiting for the "Proposition." He recalled training which -indicated that the first thing to do when confronted by captors is to -remain silent at all cost. To merely admit that your name was correctly -expressed by the captor was to break the ice. Once the verbal ice was -broken, the more leading information was easier to extract; a dead and -stony silence was hard to break. - - * * * * * - -"Guy Maynard, we would like to know where the _Orionad_ is," said -Kregon. "We have here fifty thousand reasons why you should tell. Fifty -thousand, silver-backed reasons, legal for trade in any part of the -inhabited Solar System and possibly some not-inhabited places." - -No answer. - -"You know where the _Orionad_ is," went on Kregon. "You are the aide -to Space Marshal Greggor of the Bureau of Exploration who sent the -_Orionad_ off on her present mission. The orders were secret, that we -know. We want to know those orders." - -No answer. - -"We of Mars feel that the _Orionad_ may be operating against the -best interests of Mars. Your continued silence is enhancing that -belief. Could it be that we have captured the first prisoner in a new -Terra-Martian fracas? Or if the _Orionad_ is not operating against -Mars, I can see no reason for continued silence on your part." - -No answer, though Maynard knew that the _Orionad_ was not menacing -anything Martian. He realized the trap they were laying for him and -since he could not avoid it, he walked into it. - -Kregon paused. Then he started off on a new track. "You are probably -immunized against iso-dinilamine. Most officials are, and their -aides are also, especially the aide to such an important official as -Space Marshal Greggor. That is too bad, Guy Maynard. Terra is still -behind the times. Haven't they heard that the immunization given by -anti-lamine is good except when anti-lamine is decomposed by a low -voltage, low frequency electric current? They must know that," said -Kregon with as close to a smile as any Martian could get. It was also -cynically inclined. "After all, it was Dr. Frederich of the Terran -Medical Corps who discovered it." - -Maynard knew what was coming and he wanted desperately to squirm and -wriggle enough to scratch his spine. The little beads of sweat that had -come along his backbone at Kregon's cool explanation were beginning to -itch. But he controlled the impulse. - -"We are not given to torture," explained the Martian. "Otherwise we -could devise something definitely tongue-loosening. For instance, -we could have you observe some surgical experiments on--say--Laura -Greggor." - -The beads of sweat broke out over Maynard's face. It was a harsh -thought and very close to home. And yet there was a separate section -of his mind that told him that Laura would undergo that treatment -without talking and that he would have to suffer mentally while he -watched, because she would hold nothing but contempt for a man who -would talk to save her from what she would go through herself. He -wondered whether they had Laura Greggor already and were going to do as -they said. That was a hard thing to reason out. He feared that he would -speak freely to save Laura disfigurement and torture; knowing as he -spoke that Laura would forever afterward hate him for being a weakling. -Did they have her--? - -"Unfortunately for us, we have not had the opportunity of getting the -daughter of the Space Marshal. But there are other things. They are far -superior, too. I was against the torture method just described because -I know that Mars would never have peace again if we destroyed the -daughter of Space Marshal Greggor. Your disappearance will be explained -by evidence. A wrecked spaceship or flier, will take care of the -question of Guy Maynard, whereas Laura Greggor is forbidden to travel -in military vehicles." - -Kregon turned and called through the open door. His confederates came -with a portable cart upon which was an equipment case, complete with -plug-in cords, electrodes, and controls. - -"You will find that low frequency, low voltage electricity is very -excruciating. It will not kill nor maim nor impair. But it will offer -you an insight on the torture of the damned. Ultimately, we will have -decomposed the anti-lamine in your system and then you will speak -freely under the influence of iso-dinilamine. Oh yes, Guy Maynard, we -will give you respite. The current will be turned off periodically. -Five minutes on and five minutes off. This is in order for you to rest." - -"--_to rest!_" said Maynard's mind. Irony. For the mind would count the -seconds during the five free minutes, awaiting with horror the next -period of current. And during the five minutes of electrical horror, -the mind would be counting the seconds that remain before the period of -quiet, knowing that the peaceful period only preceded more torture. - -Kregon's helpers tied electrodes to feet, hands, and the back of his -head. Then Kregon approached with a syringe and with an apologetic -gesture slid the needle into Maynard's arm and discharged the -hypodermic. - -"Now," he asked, "before we start this painful process, would you care -to do this the easy way? After all, Maynard, we are going to have the -answer anyway. For your own sake, why not give it without pain. That -offer of fifty thousand solars will be withdrawn upon the instant that -the switch is closed." - -Maynard glared and broke his silence. "And have to go through it -anyway? Just so that you will be certain that I'm not lying? No!" - -Kregon shook his head. "That possibility hadn't really occurred to -us. You aren't that kind of man, Maynard. I think that the best kind -of individual is the man who knows when to tell a lie and when not -to tell. Too bad that you will never have the opportunity of trying -that philosophy, but I think it best for the individual, though often -not best for society in general. Accept the apology of a warrior, Guy -Maynard, that this is necessary, and try to understand that if the -cases were reversed, you would be in my place and I in yours. I salute -you and say good-by with regrets." - -Maynard strained against the straps in futility. He felt that sense of -failure overwhelm him again, and he fought against his fate in spite of -the fact that there was nothing he could do about it. Another man would -have resigned himself, realizing futility when it presented itself, and -possibly would have made some sort of prayer. But Guy Maynard fought-- - -And the surge of low frequency, low voltage electricity raced into his -body, removing everything but the torture of jerking muscle and the -pain of twitching nerves. It was terrible torture. He felt that he -could count each reversal of the low frequency, and yet he could do -nothing of his own free will. The clock upon the wall danced before his -jerking eyeballs so that he could not see the hands no matter how hard -he tried. Ironically, it was a Martian clock and not calibrated into -Terran time; it would have had no bearing on the five-minute periods of -sheer hell. - -Ben Williamson raced across the sand of Sahara Base, raising a curling -cloud of dust behind him. The little command car rocketed and careened -as Williamson approached his destroyer, and then the long, curling -cloud of dust took on the appearance of a huge exclamation point as -the brakes locked and the command car slid to a stop beside the space -lock. Williamson leaped from the command car and inside with three long -strides. - -He caught the auxiliary switch on his way past, and the space lock -whirred shut. "Executive to pilot," he yelled. "Take her up at six." - -The floor surged, throwing Williamson to his knees. Defiantly, -Ben crawled to the executive's chair and rolled into the padded, -body-supporting seat. He lay there for some seconds, breathing heavily. -Then from the communicator there came the query: - -"Pilot to executive: Received. What's doing?" - -"Executive to crew: Martian of the _Mardinex_ class snatched Guy -Maynard on a tractor. We're to pursue and destroy." - -"Golly!" breathed the pilot. "Maynard!" - -"That's right," said Williamson. "They grabbed him right in front of -the BuEx and that's that." - -"But to destroy them--?" - -"We're running under TSI orders, you know," reminded Williamson. - -"Yeah, I know. But killing off one of our own people doesn't sound good -to me. Makes me feel like a murderer." - -"I know," said Ben. "But remember, Maynard was grabbed by a Martian. -Being an aide to Greggor, he was filled to the eyebrows with -anti-lamine. That means the electro-treatment for him, plus a good shot -of iso-dinilamine. All we're doing is giving peace to a man who is -suffering the tortures of hell. After all, would any of you care to go -on living after that combination was finished?" - -"No, I guess not. Must be worse than death not to have a mind." - -"What's worse is what happens. You haven't a mind--and yet you have -enough mind to realize that fact. Strange psychological tangle, but -there it is. Tough as it is, we've got to go through with it." - -"They're after some information on the _Orionad_?" - -"Probably. That's why we're taking out after them. It's the only reason -why Guy Maynard was covered under the TSI order." - -"Too bad," said the pilot. - -"It is," agreed Williamson. "But--prepare for action. Check all -ordnance." - -It was almost an hour later that the communicator buzzed again. -"Observer to executive: Martian of _Mardinex_ class spotted." - -"Certain identification?" - -"Only from the cardex file. Can't see her yet, but the spotters have -picked up a ship having the characteristics of the _Mardinex_ class. -It's the _Mardinex_ herself, Ben, because she's the only one left in -that class. Old tub, not much good for anything except a fool's errand -like this." - -"Turretman to executive: Have we got a chance, tackling a first-line -ship like the _Mardinex_ in a destroyer?" - -"Only one chance. They probably didn't staff it too well. On an -abortive attempt like this, they'd put only those men they could -afford to lose aboard. Probably a skeleton crew. Also the knowledge -that detection meant extermination, therefore go fast and light and as -frugal as possible on crewmen. That's our one chance." - -"One more chance," interrupted the technician. "We have the drive -pattern of the _Mardinex_ in the cardex. We can bollix their drive. -That's one more item in our favor." - -"Right," said Ben. "What's our velocity with respect to theirs?" - -"Forty miles per second." - -"Tim, launch two torpedoes immediately. Pete, continue course above -_Mardinex_ and cross their apex at two hundred miles. Tim, as we cross -their apex, drop a case of interferers. Once that is done, Pete, drop -back and give Tim a chance to say hello with the AutoMacs." - -"Giving them the whole thing at once?" - -"Yes. And one thing more, Jimmy?" - -"Technician to executive," answered Jimmy. "I'm here." - -"Can you rig your drive-pattern interferer?" - -"In about a minute. I've been setting up the constants from the cardex -file." - -"And hoping they've not been changed?" asked Ben with a smile. - -"Right." - - * * * * * - -The little destroyer lurched imperceptibly as the torpedoes were -launched, and then continued on its course a hundred miles to the south -of the Martian ship, passing quickly above the _Mardinex_ and across -the apex of the Martian's nose. The turretman was busy for several -seconds dropping his case of interferers from the discharge lock. The -little metal boxes spread out in space and began to emit signals. - -Then the destroyer dropped back, and from the turret there came the -angry buzz of the AutoMacs. On the driving fin of the _Mardinex_ -appeared an incandescent spot that grew quickly and trailed a fine line -of luminous gas behind it. Then the turrets of the _Mardinex_ whipped -around and Tim shouted: "Look out!" - -His shout was not soon enough. On the turret of the Martian ship there -appeared two spots of light that were just above the threshold of -vision against the black sky. The destroyer bucked dangerously, and the -acceleration fell sharply. - -"Hulled us." - -On the pilot's panel there appeared a number of winking pilot lights. -"We'll get along," said he, studying the lights and interpreting their -warning. - -"Got him!" said the turretman. The top turret of the _Mardinex_ erupted -in a flare of white flame blown outward by the air inside of the ship. - -"Can we catch him for another shot?" asked Ben pleadingly. - -"Not a chance," answered Pete. "We're out of this fight." - -"No, we're not," said Ben. "Look!" - -Before the _Mardinex_ there began to erupt a myriad of tiny, winking -spots. The meteor spotting equipment and projectile intercepting -equipment were flashing the interferers one after the other with huge -bolts from the secondary battery of the _Mardinex_. - -Ben counted the flashes and then asked the technician: "How many -spotters has the _Mardinex_?" - -"Thirty." - -"Good. The torps have a chance then." The nonradiating torpedoes -would be ignored by the spotting equipment since the emission of -the interferers made them appear gigantic and dangerously close to -the nonthinking equipment. The torpedoes, on the other hand, would -be approaching the _Mardinex_ from below and slowly enough to be -considered not dangerous to the integrating equipment. If they arrived -before the spotting circuits destroyed the entire case of interferers-- - -The lower dome of the _Mardinex_ suddenly sported a jagged hole. And -almost immediately there was a flash of explosive inside of the lower -portion of the Martian ship. The lower observation dome split like a -cracked egg, and the glass shattered and flew out. Portholes blew out -in long streamers of fire around the lower third of the _Mardinex_ and -a series of shattering cracks started up the flank of the ship. - -"There goes number two--a clean miss," swore Ben. - -"Number one did a fine job." - -"I know but--" - -"This'll polish 'em off," came Jimmy's voice. "Here goes the drive -scrambler." - -"Hey! No--!" started Ben, but the whining of the generators and the -dimming of the lights told him he was too late. - -The _Mardinex_ staggered and then leaped forward until six full -gravities. Bits of broken hull and fractured insides trailed out behind -the _Mardinex_ as the derelict's added acceleration tore them loose. -Within seconds, the stricken Martian warship was out of the sight of -the Terrans. - -"No reprimand, Jimmy," said Ben Williamson soberly. "I did hope to -recover Guy's body." - - - - - II. - - -Thomakein, the Ertinian, stopped the recorder as the Terran ship -reversed itself painfully and began to decelerate for the trip back to -home. He nodded to himself and made a verbal addition to the recording, -stating that the smaller ship had been satisfied as to the destruction -of the larger, otherwise a continuance of the fight would have been -inevitable. Then Thomakein placed the recording in a can and placed it -on a shelf containing other recordings. He forgot about it then, for -there was something more interesting in view. - -That derelict warship would be a veritable mine of information about -the culture of this system. All warships are gold mines of information -concerning the technical abilities, the culture, the beliefs, and the -people themselves. - -Could he assume the destruction of the crew in the derelict? - -The smaller ship had--unless they were out of the battle and forced -to withdraw due to lack of fighting contact. That didn't seem right -to Thomakein. For the smaller ship to attack the larger ship meant a -dogged determination. There would have been a last-try stand on the -part of the smaller ship no matter how much faster the larger ship -were. At worst, the determination seemed to indicate that ramming the -larger ship was not out of order. - -But the smaller ship had not rammed the larger. Hadn't even tried. In -fact, the smaller ship had turned and started to decelerate as soon as -the larger ship had doubled her speed. - -Thomakein couldn't read either of the name plates of the two fighting -ships. He had no idea as to the origin of the two. As an Ertinian, -Thomakein couldn't even recognize the characters let alone read them. -He was forced to go once more on deduction. - -The course of the larger vessel. It was obviously fleeing from the -smaller ship. Thomakein played with his computer for a bit and came to -two possibilities, one of which was remote, the other pointing to the -fourth planet. - -A carefully collected table of masses and other physical constants of -the planets of Sol was consulted. - -Thomakein retrieved his recording, set it up and added: - -"The smaller ship, noticing the increased acceleration of the larger, -assumed--probably--that the larger ship's crew was killed by the -increased gravity-apparent. Since the larger ship was fleeing, it -would in all probability have used every bit of acceleration that the -crew could stand. Its course was dead-center for the fourth planet's -position if integrated for a course based on the larger ship's velocity -and direction and acceleration at and prior to the engagement. - -"This fourth planet has a surface gravity of approximately one-eighth -of the acceleration of the larger ship. Doubling this means that the -crew must withstand sixteen gravities. The chances of any being of -intelligent size withstanding sixteen gravities is of course depending -upon an infinite number of factors. However, the probable reasoning of -the smaller ship is that sixteen gravities will kill the crew of the -larger ship. Otherwise they would have continued to try to do battle -with the larger ship. Their return indicates that they were satisfied." - -Thomakein nodded again, replaced the recording, and then paced the -derelict _Mardinex_ for a full hour with every constant at his disposal -on the recorders. - -At the end of that hour, Thomakein noted that nothing had registered -and he smiled with assurance. - -He stretched and said to himself: "I can stand under four gravities. I -can live under twelve with the standard Ertinian acceleration garb. But -sixteen gravities for one hour? Never." - -Thomakein noted the acceleration of the derelict as being slightly over -six gravities on his own accelerometer, which registered the Ertinian -constant. - -Then he began to maneuver his little ship toward the derelict. - -Entering the _Mardinex_ through the blasted observation dome was no -great problem. The lower meteor spotters and most of the machinery had -gone with the dome and so no pressor came forth to keep Thomakein from -his intention. - -The insides were a mess. Broken girders and ruined equipment made a bad -tangle of the lower third of the great warship. Thomakein jockeyed the -little ship back and forth inside of the derelict until he had lodged -it against the remainder of a lower deck in such a manner as to keep it -there under the six Terran gravities of acceleration. Then he donned -spacesuit and started to prowl the ship. It was painful and heavy -going, but Thomakein made it slowly. - - * * * * * - -An hour later, Thomakein heard the ringing of alarms, coming from -somewhere up above, and the sound made him stop suddenly. Sound, he -reasoned, requires air for propagation. The sound came through the -floor, but somewhere there must be air inside of the derelict. - -So upward he went through the damage. He found an air-tight door and -fought the catch until it puffed open, nearly throwing him back into -the damaged opening. White-faced, Thomakein held on until his breath -returned, and then with a determined look at the gap below--and -the place where he would have been if he had fallen out of the -derelict--Thomakein tried the door again. He closed the outer door and -tried the inner. - -His alien grasp of mechanics was not universal enough to discover his -trouble immediately. But it was logical, and logic told him to look for -the air vent. He found it, and turned the valve permitting air to enter -the air-tight door system. The inner door opened easily and Thomakein -entered a portion of the hull where the alarm bells rang loud and clear. - -He found them ringing in a room filled with control instruments. -Throwing the dome of his suit back over his head, Thomakein looked -around him with interest. There was nothing in the room that logic or a -grasp of elementary mechanics could solve. It did Thomakein no good to -look at the Martian characters that labeled the instruments and dials, -for he recognized nothing of any part of the Solar System. - -He did recognize the bloody lump of inert flesh as having once been the -operator of this room--or one of them he came to conclude as his search -found others. - -Thomakein was not squeamish. But they did litter up the place and the -pools of blood made the floor slippery which was dangerous under 6-G -Terran--or for Thomakein, five point six eight. So Thomakein struggled -with the Martian bodies and hauled them to the corridor where he let -them drop over the edge of the central well onto the bulkhead below. -He returned to the instrument room in an attempt to find out what the -bell-ringing could mean. - -He inspected the celestial globe with some interest until he noticed -that the upper limb contained some minute, luminous spheres--prolate -spheroids to be exact. Wondering, Thomakein tried to look forward and -up with respect to the ship's course. - -His anxiety increased. He was about to meet a whole battle fleet that -was spread out in a dragnet pattern. Then before he could worry about -it he was through the network and some of the ships tried to follow but -with no success. The _Mardinex_ bucked and pitched as tractors were -applied and subsequently broken as the tension reached overload values. - -Thomakein smiled. Their inability to catch him plus their obvious -willingness to let the matter drop with but a perfunctory try gave him -sufficient evidence as to their origin. - -They could never catch a ship under six gravities when the best they -could do was three. The functions with respect to one another would be -as though the faster ship were accelerating away from the slower ship -by 3-G plus the initial velocity of the faster ship's intrinsic speed, -for the pursuers were standing still. - -The _Mardinex_ swept out past Mars and Thomakein smiled more and more. -This maze of equipment was better than anything that he had expected. -The Ertinians would really get the information as to the kind of people -who inhabited this system. - - * * * * * - -Thomakein wandered idly from room to room, finding dead Martians and -dropping them onto the bulkhead. Two he saved for the surgeons of -Ertene to inspect; they were in fair physical condition compared to the -rest but they were no less dead from acceleration pressure. - -Eventually, Thomakein came to the room wherein Guy Maynard was lying -strapped to the surgeon's table. The Ertinian opened the door and -walked idly in, looking the room over quickly to see which item of -interest was the most compelling. - -His glance fell upon Maynard and passed onward to the equipment on -the cart beyond the Terran. Then Thomakein's eyes snapped back to the -unconscious Terran and Thomakein's jaw fell while his face took on an -astonished look. - -Thomakein often remarked afterwards that it was a shame that no one -of his photographically inclined friends had been present. He'd have -enjoyed a picture of himself at that moment and he realized the fact. - -Thomakein had ignored the dead Martians. They were different enough to -permit him a certain amount of callousness. - -But the man strapped to the table, and hooked up to the diabolical -looking machine was the image of an Ertinian! Thomakein didn't know -what the machine was for, but his logical mind told him that if this -man, different from the rest, were strapped to a table with some sort -of electronic equipment tied to his hands, feet, and head, it was -sufficient evidence that this was a captive and the machine some sort -of torture. He stepped forward and jerked the electrodes from Maynard's -inert frame and pushed the machine backward onto the floor with a foot. - -A quick check told Thomakein that the unknown man was not dead, though -nearly so. - -He raced through the derelict to his own ship and returned with a -stimulant. The man remained unconscious but alive. His eyes opened -after a long time, but behind them was no sign of intelligence. They -merely stared foolishly, and closed for long periods. - -Thomakein tended the man as best he could with the limited supplies -from his own ship and then began to plan his return to Ertene with his -find. - - * * * * * - -Days passed, and Thomakein unwillingly abandoned any hope of having -this man give him any information. The man was as one dead. He could -not speak, nor could he understand anything. Thomakein decided that -the best thing to do was to take the unknown man to Ertene with him. -Perhaps Charalas, or one of his contemporary neuro-surgeons could bring -this man to himself. Thomakein diagnosed the illness as some sort of -nerve shock though he knew that he was no man of medicine. - -Yet the surgeons of Ertene were brilliant, and if they could bring this -unknown man to himself, they would have a gold mine indeed. - -So at the proper time, Thomakein took off from the derelict with the -mindless Guy Maynard. By now, the derelict was far beyond the last -outpost of the Solar System and obviously beyond detection. Thomakein -installed a repeater-circuit detector in the wrecked ship; it would -enable him to find the _Mardinex_ at some later time. - -So unknowing, Guy Maynard came to Ertene. - -The first thing that reached across the mental gap to Guy Maynard was -music. Faint, elfin music that seemed to sway and soothe the ragged -edges of his mind. It came and it went depending on how he felt. - -But gradually the music increased in strength and power, and the -lapses were shorter. Warm pleasant light assailed him now and gave -him a feeling of bodily well-being. Flashes of clear thinking found -him considering the satisfied condition of his body, and the fear and -nerve-racking torture of the Martian method of extracting information -dropped deeper and deeper into the region of forgetfulness. - -Then he realized, one day, that he was being fed. It made him ashamed -to be fed at his age, but the thought was fleeting and gone before he -could clutch at it and consider why he should be ashamed. One portion -of his mind cursed the fleetingness of such thoughts and recognized the -possibilities that might lie in the sheer contemplation of self. - -There were periods in which someone spoke to him in a strange tongue. -It was a throaty voice; a woman. Maynard's inquisitive section tried -the problem of what was a woman and why it should stir the rest of -him and came to the meager conclusion that it was standard for this -body to be stirred by woman: especially women with throaty voices. The -tongue was alien; he could understand none of it. But the tones were -soothing and pleasant, and they seemed to imply that he should try to -understand their meaning. - -And then the wonder of meaning came before that alert part of Maynard's -mind. What is meaning? it asked. Must things have meaning? It decided -that meaning must have some place in the body's existence. It reasoned -thus: There is light. Then what is the meaning of light? Must light -have a meaning? It must have some importance. Then if light has -importance and meaning, so must all things! - -Even self! - -So the voices strived to teach Ertinian to the Terran while he was -still in the mindless state, and gradually he came to think in terms of -this alien tongue. But he had been taught to think in Terran, and the -Terran words came to mind slowly but surely. - -And then came the day when Guy Maynard realized that he _was_ Guy -Maynard, and that he had been saved, somehow, from the terrors of -the Martian inquisition. He saw the alien tongue for what it was and -wondered about it. - -Where was he? - -Why? - -The days wore on with Maynard growing stronger mentally. They gave -him everything they could, these Ertinians. Scrolls were given to him -to read, and the movement of reflections from his eyeballs motivated -recording equipment that spoke the word he was scanning into his ear -in that pleasant throaty voice. It was lightning-fast training, but -it worked, once Guy's mentality went to work as an entity. Maynard -learned to read Ertinian printing and lastly the simplified cursory -writing. - -Then with handwriting at the gate of learning, they placed his hand -around a controlled pencil, and the voice spoke as the controlled -pencil wrote. They spoke Ertinian to him, not knowing Terran, though -his earlier replies were recorded. - -And as he strengthened, his replies made sense, and for every Ertinian -word impressed upon his mind, he gave them the Terran word. They taught -him composition and grammar as he taught them, and whether it was by -the written script or the spoken word, the interchange of knowledge was -complete. - -One day he asked: "Where am I?" - -And the doctor replied: "You are on Ertene." - -"That I know. But where or what is Ertene?" - -"Ertene is a wandering planet. We found you almost dead in a derelict -spaceship and brought you back to life." - -"I recall parts of that. But--Ertene?" - -"Generations ago, Ertene left her parent sun because of a great, -impending cataclysm. Since then we have been wandering in space in -search of a suitable home." - -"Sol is not far away--you will find a home there." - -The doctor smiled sagely and did not comment on that. Maynard wondered -about it briefly and tried to explain, but they would have none of it. - -He tried at later times, but there was a reticence about their -accepting Sol as a home sun. No matter what attack he tried, there was -a casual reference to a decision to be made in the future. - -But their lessons continued, and Guy progressed from the hospital to -the spacious grounds. He sought the libraries and read quite a bit, -for they urged him to, saying: "We can not entertain you continually. -You are not strong enough to work, nor will we permit you to take any -position. Therefore your best bet is to continue learning. In fact, -Guy, you have a job to perform on Ertene. You are to become well -versed in Ertinian lore so that you may converse with us freely and -draw comparisons between Ertene and your Terra for us. Therefore apply -yourself." - -Guy agreed that if he could do nothing else, he could at least do their -bidding. - -So he applied himself. He read. He spoke at length with those about -him. He practised with the writing machine. He accepted their customs -with the air of one who feels that he must, in order that he be -accepted. - -And gradually he took on the manner of an Ertinian. He spoke with a -pure Ertinian accent, he thought in Ertinian terms, and his hand was -the handwriting of an Ertinian. And from his studies he came to the -next question. - - * * * * * - -"Charalas, how could you tell me from an Ertinian?" - -Charalas smiled. "We can." - -"But how? It is not apparent." - -"Not to you. It is one of those things that you miss because you are -too close to it. It is like your adage: 'Cannot see the forest for the -trees.' It will come out." - -"Come out?" - -"Grow out," smiled the neuro-surgeon. "Your ... beard. You notice that -I used the Terran name. That is because we have no comparable term -in Ertinian. That is because no Ertinian ever grew hair on his face. -Daily, you ... shave ... with an edged tool we furnished you upon your -request. You were robotlike in those days, Guy. You performed certain -duties instinctively and the lack of ... shaving equipment ... caused -you no end of mental concern. Thomakein studied your books and had -a ... razor ... fashioned for you." - -"Whiskers. I never noticed that." - -"No, it is one of those things. Save for that, Guy, you could lose -yourself among us. The ... mustache ... you wear marks you on Ertene as -an alien." - -"I could shave that off." - -"No. Do not. It is a mark of distinction. Everyone on Ertene has seen -your picture with it and therefore you will be accorded the deference -we show an alien when people see it. Otherwise you would be expected to -behave as we do in all things." - -"That I can do." - -"We know that. But there is another reason for our request. One day you -will know about it. It has to do with our decision concerning alliance -with Sol's family." - -Guy considered. "Soon?" - -"It will be some time." - -Again that unwillingness to discuss the future. Guy thought it over and -decided that this was something beyond him. He, too, let the matter -drop for the present and took a new subject. - -"Charalas, this sun of yours. It is not a true sun." - -"No," laughed Charalas. "It is not." - -"Nor is it anything like a true sun. Matter is stable stuff only -under certain limits. If that size were truly solar matter, it would -necessarily be so dense that space would be warped in around it so -tight that nothing could emerge--radiation, I mean. To the observer, it -would not exist. That is axiomatic. If a bit of solar matter of that -size were isolated, it would merely expand and cool in a matter of -hours--if it were solar-core matter it would probably be curtains for -anything that tried to live in the neighborhood. Matter of that size is -stable only at reasonable temperatures. I don't know the limits, but -I'd guess that three or four thousand degrees kelvin would be tops. Oh, -I forgot the opposite end; the very high temperature white dwarf might -be that size--but it would warp space as I said before and thus do no -good. Therefore a true sun of that size and mass is impossible. - -"Another thing, Charalas. We are close to Sol. A light-week or -less. That would have been seen ... should have been seen by our -observatories. Why haven't they seen it?" - - * * * * * - -"Our shield," explained Charalas, "explains both. You see, Guy, in -order that a planet may wander space, some means of solar effect must -be maintained. As you say, nothing practical can be found in nature. -Our planet drive is poorly controlled. We can not maneuver Ertene -as you would a spaceship. It requires great power to even shift the -course of Ertene by so much as a few degrees. We've taken luck as a -course through the galaxy and have visited only those stars that have -lain along our course. Trying to swing anything of solar mass would be -impossible. Ertene would merely leave the sun; the sun would not answer -Ertene's gravitational pull. - -"But this is trivial. Obviously we have no real sun. But we needed -one." Charalas smiled shyly. "At this point I must sound braggart," he -said, "but it was an ancestor of mine--Timalas--who brought Ertene her -sun." - -"Great sounding guy," commented the Terran. - -"He was. Ertene left the parent sun with only the light-shield. The -light-shield, Guy, is a screen of energy that permits radiation to pass -inwardly but not outwardly. Thus we collect the radiation of all the -stars and lose but a minute quantity of the input from losses. That -kept Ertene warm during those first years of our wandering. - -"It also presented Ertene with a serious problem. The entire sky was -faintly luminous. It was neither night nor day at any place on Ertene, -but a half-light all the time. Disconcerting and entirely alien to the -human animal. Evolutionary strains might have appeared to accept this -strange condition, but Timalas decided that Intis, the lesser moon, -would serve as a sun. He converted the screen slightly, distorting -it so that the focal point for incoming radiation was at Intis. The -lesser moon became incandescent, eventually, and serves as Ertene's -sun. It is synthetic. The other radiations that prove useful to growing -things and to man but which are not visible are emitted right from -the inner surface of the light-shield itself. Intis serves as the -source of light and most of the heat. It is a natural effect, giving -us beautiful sunrises and peaceful sunsets. The radiation that causes -growth and healthful effects is ever-present, because of the screen. -Some heat, too, for that is included in the beneficial radiation. But -the visible spectrum is directed at Intis along with a great quantity -of the heat rays. Intis is small, Guy, and it is also beneficial that -the re-radiation from Intis that misses Ertene and falls on the screen -is converted also. Much of Ertene's power is derived from the screen -itself--a back-energy collected from the screen generator." - -"So the effective sun is the result of an energy shield? And this same -shield prevents any radiation from leaving this region. I can see why -we haven't seen Ertene. You can't see something that doesn't radiate. -But what about occultation?" - -"Quite possible. But the size of the screen is such that it is of -stellar size as seen from stellar distances. It is but a true point in -space." Charalas smiled. "I was about to say a point-source of light -similar to a star but the shield is a point-source of no-light, really. -Occultation is possible but the probabilities are remote, plus the -probability of a repeat, so that the observer would consider the brief -occultation of the star anything but an accident to his photographic -plate." - -"Don't get you on that." - -"It's easy, Guy. Take a star-photograph and lay a thin line across it -and see how many stars are really covered by this line--which is of -the thickness of the stars themselves. Too few for a non-suspecting -observer to tie together into a theory. No, we are safe from detection." - -"Detection?" - -"Yes. Call it that. Suppose we were to pass through a malignant -culture. We did, three generations ago and it was only our shield that -saved us from being absorbed into that system. We would have been -slaves to that civilization." - -"I see." - -"Do you?" - -"Certainly," said Guy. "You intend to have me present the Solar -Government to your leaders. Upon my tale will rest your decision. You -will decide whether to join us--or to pass undetected." - -"I believe you understand," said Charalas. "So study well and be -prepared to draw the most discerning comparisons, for the Council will -ask the most delicate questions and you should be able to discuss any -phase of Ertene's social system and the corresponding Terran system." - -Mentally, Guy bade good-by to Sol. He applied himself to his Ertinian -lessons because he felt that if Sol were lost to him--as it might -be--he could at least enter the Ertinian life as an Ertinian. - - - - - III. - - -Guy Maynard, the Terran, became steeped in Ertinian lore. He went at -it with the same intensity that he went at anything else, and possibly -driven with the heart-chilling thought that he might not be able to -convince Ertene that Sol had a place for her. He saw that possibility, -and prayed against it, yet he realized that Ertene was a planet of her -own mind and that they might decide against alliance. It was a selling -job he had to do. - -And if not-- - -Guy Maynard would have to remain on Ertene. Therefore in either case -it would serve him best to become as Ertinian as possible. He did not -believe that they would exile him--that would be dangerous. Nor did he -believe that death would accompany his failure to convince Ertene of -their place around Sol. The obvious course in case of failure would -be to permit him the freedom of the planet; to become in effect, an -Ertinian. - -He'd be under watch, of course. Escape would prove dangerous for their -integrity. Imprisonment was not impossible, but he hoped that his -failure to convince would not be so sorry as to have them suspect him. - -Of course, an opportunity to escape would be taken, unless he gave his -word of honor. Yet, he had sworn the oath of an officer in Terra's -space fleet, and that oath compelled him to serve Terra in spite of -danger, death, or dishonor to self. He must not give his parole-- - -Guy fought himself over that problem for days and days. It led him in -circular thinking, the outlet to which would be evident only when he -found out the Ertinian reaction. Too much depended on that trend; there -were too many _if's_ standing between him and any plan for the future. - -He forgot his mental whirl in study. He investigated Ertinian science -and tucked a number of items away in his memory. He visited the -observatory and after a number of visits he plotted Ertene in the -celestial sphere within a few hundred thousand miles. That, too, he -filed away in his memory along with the course of the wanderer. - -He learned that his place of convalescence was no hospital, but -Thomakein's estate. It staggered him. Thomakein was--must be--a -veritable dynamo of energetic mentality to have the variety of -interests as reflected in the trappings about the estate. The huge -library, the observatory, the laboratories. How many of the things he -saw and studied were Thomakein's personal property he would never know; -though he did know that some of them came from museums and institutes -across the planet. - -He wondered about Thomakein. He had never seen his saviour since his -mind had come back. He recalled vague things, but nothing cogent. He -asked Charalas about Thomakein. - -"Thomakein's main problem is Sol," explained Charalas. "A problem which -you have made easy for him. However, he is on the derelict, studying -the findings there. A warship is a most interesting museum of the -present, you know. Often things of less than perfect operation are -there; things that will eventually become perfected and established -into private use. It is almost a museum of the future. Thomakein will -learn much there and he has been commissioned to remain on the derelict -until he has catalogued every item on it." - -"Lone life, isn't it?" asked Guy. - -"He has friends. Last I heard from him, he had sealed the usable -portion of the derelict against the void, and was turning the course -to bring it toward Ertene. Eventually the wreck will circle Ertene. -Perhaps we may attempt to land it here." - -"It'll be a nice museum piece," said Guy, "but it will not endear you -to those of Mars." - -"I know. Of course if we accept Sol's offer, we will destroy it -completely." - -"Keep it," said Guy, shrugging his shoulders. "Ertene will find little -in common with Mars. It will be Terra and Ertene; together we will form -the nucleus of Solar power." - -"So?" - -"Naturally. Ertene and Terra are the most alike, even to the flora and -fauna." - -"I see." - -Charalas let the matter drop as he did before. Guy tried to open the -line of thought again, but met with no success. It was not a matter of -indifference to Guy's arguments, but more a complete disinclination -to make any sort of statement prior to the decision of the Council of -Ertene. Realizing that this decision was one of the single-try variety, -Guy studied hard during the next few days. There would be no appeal -even though he tried to get another hearing during the rest of his life. - -He wondered how soon it would be. - - * * * * * - -Charalas landed on Thomakein's estate in a small flier and asked Guy if -he would like to see the famous Hall of History. They flew a quarter -of the way around the planet, and during the trip, Charalas pointed -out scenes of interest. It was enlightening to Guy, who hadn't seen -anything beyond a few miles of Thomakein's estate. There were farms -laid out on the production-line scale while the cities and towns that -housed the farmers were sprawling, rustic villages of simple beauty. -The larger cities had evolved from the square-block and rubber-stamp -home kind to specialized aggregations in which the central, business -sections were close-knit while the residences were widespread and well -apart, giving each family adequate breathing room. - -"The railroad," smiled Charalas, "is still with us. It will never -leave, because shipments of heavy machinery of low necessity can be -transported cheaper that way. Like the barges that ply the rivers with -coal, ore, and grain, they are powered with adaptations of the space -drive, but they are none the less barges or trains." - -"They've found that, too," laughed Guy. "There is little economic value -in trying to ship a million tons of coal by flier." - -"Normally, you should say. The slowest conveyor system is rapid if the -conveyor is always filled and the material is not perishable. Coal and -ore have been here for eons. Therefore it is no hardship to wait for -six weeks while a given ton of ore gets across the continent, provided -that the user can remove a ton of ore from the conveying system -simultaneously with the placement of another ton that will not get -there for six weeks." - -"Sounds correct, though I've never thought of it in that manner," said -Guy thoughtfully. "But that must be why it is done. We hull ore across -space untended, and in pre-calculated orbits, picking it up at Terra -from Pluto, for instance. The driverless and crewless hull is packed -with ore, towed into space by a space tug and set into its orbit, the -tug then returning to the shipping area to await the next hull. The -hull may take a couple of years to get to Terra, but when it does, it -begins to emit a finder-signal and Terran space tugs pick the hull -up and lower it to Terra. The hulls are returned with unperishable -supplies to the Plutonian miners." - -"We hadn't the necessity of applying that thought to space shipping," -answered Charalas. "Tonis, the larger moon, is so close that special -shipping methods are not needed. We have but a few colonists there, -most of which are members of the laboratory staff." - -"You've found moon laboratories essential in space work, too?" asked -Guy. - -"Naturally. Tonis is airless and upon it is the Ertinian astronomical -laboratory." - -"Moons--even sterile moons--are good for that," said Guy. "They--Say, -Charalas, what is that collection of buildings below here? They look -like something extra-special." - -"They are. That is the place we're going to see." - - * * * * * - -Charalas put the flier into a steep dive and landed in the open space -between the buildings. They entered the long, low building at the end -opposite the most ornate building of the seven that surrounded the -landing area and Charalas told the receptionist that they were expected. - -The long hall was excellently illuminated, and on either side of the -corridor were murals; great twelve-foot panels of rare color and of -photographic detail. Upon close examination they proved to be paintings. - -The first panel showed an impression of the formation of Ertene, along -with the other eleven planets of Ertene's parent sun. It was colorful, -and impressionistic in character rather than an attempt to portray -the actual cataclysm that formed the planets. The next few panels -were of geologic interest, giving the impressions of Ertene through -the long, geologic periods. There were dinosaur-picturizations next, -and the panels brought them forward in irregular steps through the -carboniferous; through the glacial ages; through the dawn ages; and -finally into the coming of man to power. - -The next fourteen panels were used in the rise of man on Ertene from -the early ages to full, efficient civilization. They were similar to a -possible attempt to portray a similar period on Terra, showing wars, -life in the cities of power during the community-power ages, and the -fall of several powerful cities. - -Then the rise of widespread government came with its more closely-knit -society made possible by better means of communication and -transportation. This went on and on until the facility of the combining -factors made separate governments on Ertene untenable, and there were -seven great, fiery panels of mighty, widespread wars. - -"Up to here, it is similar to ours," commented Guy. - -"And here it changes," said Charalas. "For the next panels show the -impending doom of Ertene's parent sun. The problem of space had been -conquered but the other planets were of little interest to Ertene. We -fought about four interplanetary wars as you see here, all against -alien races. Then came trouble. The odd chance of a run-away star -coming near Ertene did happen, and we faced the decision of living near -an unstable sun for centuries, for our astronomers calculated that the -two stars would pass close enough to cause upheavals in the suns that -would result in instability for thousands, perhaps millions of years." - -"Instability might not have been so bad," said Guy thoughtfully, "if -it could be predicted. No, I'm not speaking in riddles," he laughed. -"I may sound peculiar, saying that it would be possible to predict -instability. But a regular variable of the cepheid type is predictable -instability." - -"True. But we had no basis for prediction. After all, it would have -been taking a chance. Suppose that the instability had caused a nova? -Epitaphs are nice but none the less final. We left hundreds of years -before the solar proximity. Now we know that we might have survived, -but as you know, we can not swerve Ertene's course readily and though -we are slowly turning, the race may have died out and gone for a -galactic eon before we could return. Once the race dies out--or the -interest in returning to a certain sun back there in the depths of the -galaxy dies--we will cease to turn. We may find a haven somewhere, -before then." - -"You were speaking of years," said Guy. "Was that a loose reference or -were you approximating my conception of a year?" - -"A _year_ is a loose term indeed, no matter by whom it is used," said -Charalas. "To you, it is three hundred and sixty-five, and about a -quarter, days. A day is one revolution of Terra. From Mars, say, a -Terran year is something else entirely. Mars, of course, is not too -good an example for its sidereal day is very close to Terra's. But -your Venus, with its eighteen hour day--eighteen Terran hours--sees -Terra's year as four hundred eighty-six, plus, days. On Ertene, we -have no year. We had one, once. It was composed of four hundred twelve -point seven zero four two two nine three one days, sidereal. Now, our -day is different, since the length of the solar day depends upon the -progression of the planet about its luminary. Our luminary behaves -as a moon with a high ecliptic-angle as I have explained. No, Guy, -I have been mentally converting my _year_ to your year, by crude -approximation." - -The next panel was an ornate painting of the Ertinian system, -showing--out of scale for artistic purpose--the planets and sun, with -Ertene drawing away in a long spiral. - -"For many years we pursued that spiral, withdrawing from the sun by -slow degrees. Then we broke free." Charalas indicated the panel which -showed Ertene in the foreground while the clustered system was far -behind. - -They passed from panel to panel, all of which were interesting to Guy -Maynard. There was a series of the first star contacted by Ertene. It -was a small system, cold and forbidding, or hot and equally forbidding. -The outer planets were in the grip of frozen air, and the inner planets -bubbled in moltenness "This system was too far out of line to turn. It -was our first star, and we might have stayed in youthfulness. Now, we -know better." - -The next panel showed a dimly-lighted landscape; a portrayal of -Ertene without its synthetic sun. The luminous sky was beautiful in -a nocturnal sort of way; to Guy it was slightly nostalgic for some -unknown reason, at any rate it was the soul of sadness, that landscape. - -Charalas shook his head and then smiled. He led Guy to the next panel, -and there was a portrait of an elderly man, quite a bit older than -Charalas though the neuro-surgeon was no young man. "Timalas," said -Charalas proudly. "He gave us the next panel." - -The following panel was a similar scene to the dismal one, but now -the same trees and buildings and hills and sky were illuminated by a -sun. It was a cheerful, uplifting scene compared to the soul-clouding -darkness. - - * * * * * - -Ertene was a small sphere encircled by a band of peaceful black in -a raving sky of fire and flame. Three planets fought in the death -throes, using every conceivable weapon. Space was riven with blasting -beams of energy and segregated into square areas by far-flung cutting -planes. Raging energy consumed spots on each of the planets and the -corners of the panel were tangled masses of broken machinery and -burning wreckage, and the hapless images of trapped men. But Ertene -passed through this holocaust unseen because of Timalas' light-shield. - -"He saved us that, too," said Charalas reverently. "We could not have -hoped to survive in this. Our science was not up to theirs, though the -aid of a derelict or two gave us most of their science of war. I doubt -that Terra herself could have survived. We passed unseen, though we -worried for a hundred years lest they find us." - -A race of spiders overran four of the planets of the next panel. They -were unintelligent, there was a questioning air to the panel, as though -posing the query as to how this race of spiders had crossed the void. -And the picture of an Ertinian dying because contact with one of the -spiders indicated their reason for not remaining. - -The next panel showed a whole system with ammoniated atmosphere. "It -was before the last panel," said Charalas, "that Ertene became of age -as far as the wanderlust went. We knew that we could survive. We wanted -no system wherein Ertene would be alone. Of what use to civilization -would a culture be if its people could never leave the home planet?" - -"No," agreed Guy. "Once a race has conquered space, they must use it. -It would restrict the knowledge of a race not to use space." - -"So we decided never to accept a system wherein we could not travel -freely to other planets. Who knows, but the pathway to the planets may -be but the first, faltering step to the stars?" - -"We'd never have reached the planets if we'd never flown on the air," -agreed Guy. - -"We prefer company, too," smiled Charalas, pointing out the next -panels. One was of a normal system but in which the life was not -quite ready for the fundamentals of science and therefore likely to -become slave-subject to the Ertinian mastery. The next was a system -in which the intelligent life had overrun the system and had evolved -to a high degree--and Ertene might have been subject to them if they -had remained. "Unfortunately we could learn nothing from them," said -the Ertinian. "It was similar to an ignorant savage trying to learn -something from us." - -Then they came to a panel in which there were ten planets. It was a -strange collection of opposites all side by side. There were several -races, some fighting others, some friendly with others. Plenty and -poverty sat hand in hand, and in one place a minority controlled the -lives of the majority while professing to be ruled by majority-rule. -Men strived to perfect medicine and increase life-expectancy and -other men fought and killed by the hundreds of thousands. A cold -and forbidding planet was rich in essential ore, and populated by a -semi-intelligent race of cold-blooded creatures. The protectors of -these poor creatures were the denizens of a high civilization, who -used them to fight their petty fights for them, under the name of -unity. For their trouble, they took the essential ores to their home -planet and exchanged items of dubious worth. The trespass of a human -by the natives of a slightly populated moon caused the decimation of -the natives, while the humans used them by the hundreds in vivisection -since their anatomy was quite similar to the human's. - -"Where is Ertene?" asked Guy. - -"Ertene is not yet placed," said Charalas. - -"No?" asked Guy in wonder. - -"No," said Charalas with a queer smile. "Ertene is still not sure of -her position. You see, Guy, that system is Sol." - - * * * * * - -Guy Maynard stood silent, thinking. It was a blow to him, this -picturization of the worlds of Sol as seen through the eyes of a -totally alien race. His own feelings he analyzed briefly, and he -knew that in his own heart, he was willing to shade any decisions -concerning the civilization of Ertene in the Ertinian favor; had any -dispute between Ertene and a mythical dissenter, Guy would have had his -decision weighted in favor of the wanderer for one reason alone. - -Ertinians were human to the last classification! - -Guy smiled inwardly. "Blood is thicker than water," he thought to -himself, and he knew that while the old platitude was meant to cover -blood-relations who clung together in spite of close bonds with friends -not of blood relationship, it could very well be expanded to cover this -situation. Obviously he as a Terran would tend to support a _human_ -race against a merely _humanoid_ race. He would fight the Martians for -Ertene just as he would fight them for Terra. - -Fighting Ertene itself was unthinkable. They were too human; Ertene -was too Terran to think of strife between the two worlds. Being of -like anatomy, they would and should cling together against the whole -universe of alien bodies. - -But-- - -He had spoken to Charalas, to the nurses, to the groundkeepers, and to -the scientists who came to learn of him and from him. He had told them -of Terra and of the Solar System. He had explained the other worlds in -detail and his own interpretation of those other cultures. - -And still they depicted Terra in no central light. Terra did not -dominate the panel. It vied with the other nine planets and their -satellites for the prominence it should have held. - -What was wrong? - -Knowing that he would have favored Ertene for the anatomical reasons -alone, Guy worried. Had his word-picture been so poor that Ertene gave -the other planets their place in the panel in spite of the natural -longing to place their own kind above the rest? - -"I should think--" he started haltingly, but Charalas stopped him. - -"Guy Maynard, you must understand that Ertene is neutral. Perhaps the -first neutral you've ever seen. Believe that, Guy, and be warned that -Ertene is capable of making her own, very discerning decision." - -Guy did not answer. He knew something else, now. Ertene was not going -to be easily convinced that Sol was the place for them. She was -neutral, yes, but there was something else. - -Ertene had the wanderlust! - -For eons, Ertene had passed in her unseen way through the galaxy. She -had seen system after system, and the lust for travel was upon her. -Travel was her life, and had been for hundreds of generations. - -Her children had been born and bred in a closed system, free from -stellar bonds. Their history was a vast storehouse of experience such -as no other planet had ever had. Every generation brought them to -another star and each succeeding generation added to the wisdom of -Ertene as it extracted or tried to extract some bit of knowledge from -each system through which Ertene passed. - -With travel her natural life, the wandering planet would be loath to -cease her transient existence. - -Like a man who has spent too many years in bachelorhood, flitting like -a butterfly from lip to lip, Ertene had become inured to a single -life. It would take a definite attraction to swerve her from her -self-sufficiency. - -These things came to Maynard as he stood in thought. He knew then that -his was no easy job. Not the simple proposition of asking Ertene to -join her own kind in an orbit about Sol. Not the mere signing of a pact -would serve. Not the Terran-shaded history of the worlds of Sol with -the Terran egotism that did not admit that Terra could possibly be -wrong. - -Ertene must be made to see the attractiveness of living in Maynard's -little universe. It must be made more attractive than the interesting -possibilities offered by the unknown worlds that lie ahead on her -course through the galaxy. - -All this plus the natural reticence of Ertene to become involved in a -system that ran rife with war. The attractiveness of Sol must be so -great that Ertene would remain in spite of war and alien hatred. - -And Maynard knew in his heart that he was not the one to sway them -easily. Part of his mind felt akin to their desire to roam. Even -knowing that he would not live on Ertene to see the next star he wanted -to go with them in order that his children might see it. - -And yet his honor was directed at the service of Terra. His sacred oath -had been given to support and strive to the best interest of Terra and -Sol. - -He put away the desire to roam with Ertene and thought once more of -the studying he must do to convince Ertene of the absolute foolishness -of continuing in their search for a more suitable star than Sol about -which to establish a residence. - - * * * * * - -Maynard turned to Charalas and saw that the elderly doctor had been -watching him intently. Before he could speak, the Ertinian said: "It is -a hard nut to crack, lad. Many have tried but none have succeeded. Like -most things that are best for people, they are the least exciting and -the most formal, and people do not react cheerfully to a formal diet." - -Maynard shook his head. "But unlike a man with ulcers, I cannot -prescribe a diet of milk lest he die. Ertene will go on living no -matter whether I speak and sway them or whether I never say another -word. I am asked to convince an entire world against their will. I can -not tell them that it is the slightest bit dangerous to go on as they -have. In fact, it may be dangerous for them to remain. In all honesty, -I must admit that Terra is not without her battle scars." - -Charalas said, thoughtfully: "Who knows what is best for civilization? -We do not, for we _are_ civilization. We do as we think best, and if it -is not best, we die and another civilization replaces us in Nature's -long-time program to find the real survivor." - -He faced the panel and said, partly to himself and partly to Guy: - -"Is it best for Ertene to go on through time experimenting? Gathering -the fruits of a million civilizations bound forever to their stellar -homes because of the awful abyss between the stars? For the planets -all to become wanderers would be chaos. - -"Therefore is it Nature's plan that Ertene be the one planet to gather -unto herself the fruit of all knowledge and ultimately lie barren -because of the sterility of her culture? Are we to be the sponge for -all thought? If so, where must it end? What good is it? Is this some -great master plan? Will we, after a million galactic years, reach a -state where we may disseminate the knowledge we have gained, or are we -merely greedy, taking all and giving nothing? - -"What are we learning? And, above all, are we certain that Ertene's -culture is best for civilization? How may we tell? The strong and best -adapted survive, and since we are no longer striving against the lesser -forces of Nature on our planet, and indeed, are no longer striving -against those of antisocial thought among our own people--against whom -or what do we fight? - -"Guy Maynard, you are young and intelligent. Perhaps by some whimsy -of fate you may be the deciding factor in Ertene's aimlessness. We -are here, Guy. We are at the gates to the future. My real reason for -bringing you to the Center of Ertene is to have you present your case -to the Council." - -He took Guy's arm and led him through the door at the end of the -corridor. They went into the gilt-and-ivory room with the vast -hemispherical dome and as the door slowly closed behind them, Guy -Maynard, Terran, and Charalas, Ertinian, stood facing a quarter-circle -of ornate desks behind which sat the Council. - -Obviously, they had been waiting. - - - - - IV. - - -Guy Maynard looked reproachfully at Charalas. He felt that he had been -tricked, that Charalas had kicked the bottom out of his argument and -then had forced him into the debate with but an impromptu defense. He -wondered how this discussion was to be conducted, and while he was -striving to collect a lucid story, part of his mind heard Charalas -going through the usual procedure for recording purposes. - -"Who is this man?" - -"He is Junior Executive Guy Maynard of the Terran Space Patrol." - -"Explain his title." - -"It is a rank of official service. It denotes certain abilities and -responsibilities." - -"Can you explain the position of his rank with respect to other ratings -of more or less responsibility?" - -Charalas counted off on his fingers. "From the lowest rank upward, the -following titles are used: Junior Aide, Senior Aide, Junior Executive, -Senior Executive, Sector Commander, Patrol Marshal, Sector Marshal, and -Space Marshal." - -"These are the commissioned officers? Are there other ratings?" - -"Yes, shall I name them?" - -"Prepare them for the record. There is no need of recounting the -noncommissioned officials." - -"I understand." - -"How did Guy Maynard come to Ertene?" - -"Maynard was rescued from a derelict spaceship." - -"By whom?" - -"Thomakein." - -"Am I to assume that Thomakein brought him to Ertene for study?" - -"That assumption is correct." - -"The knowledge of the system of Sol is complete?" - -"Between the information furnished by Guy Maynard and the observations -made by Thomakein, the knowledge of Sol's planets is sufficient. More -may be learned before Ertene loses contact, but for the time, it is -adequate." - -"And Guy Maynard is present for the purpose of explaining the Terran -wishes in the question of whether Ertene is to remain here?" - -"Correct." - -The councilor who sat in the center of the group smiled at Guy and -said: "Guy Maynard, this is an informal meeting. You are to rest -assured we will not attempt to goad you into saying something you do -not mean. If you are unprepared to answer a given question, ask for -time to think. We will understand. However, we ask that you do not try -to shade your answers in such a manner as to convey erring impressions. -This is not a court of law; procedure is not important. Speak when and -as you desire and understand that you will not be called to account for -slight breaches of etiquette, since we all know that formality is a -deterrent to the real point in argument." - -Charalas added: "Absolute formality in argument usually ends in the -decision going to the best orator. This is not desirable, since some of -the more learned men are poor orators, while some of the best orators -must rely upon the information furnished them by the learned." - -The center councilor arose and called the other six councilors by name -in introduction. This was slightly redundant since their names were all -present in little bronze signs on the desks. It was a pleasantry aimed -at putting the Terran at ease and offering him the right to call them -by name. - - * * * * * - -"Now," said Terokar, the center one, "we shall begin. Everything we -have said has been recorded for the records. But, Guy, we will remove -anything from the record that would be detrimental to the integrity of -any of us. We will play it back before you leave and you may censor it." - -"Thank you," said Guy. "Knowing that records are to be kept as spoken -will often deter honest expression." - -"Quite true. That is why we permit censoring. Now, Guy, your wishes -concerning Ertene's alliance with Sol." - -"I invite Ertene to join the Solar System." - -"Your invitation is appreciated. Please understand that the acceptance -of such an invitation will change Ertene's social structure forever, -and that it is not to be taken lightly." - -"I realize that the invitation is not one to accept lightly. It is a -large decision." - -"Then what has Sol to offer?" - -"A stable existence. The commerce of an entire system and the -friendship of another world of similar type in almost every respect. -The opportunity to partake in a veritable twinship between Ertene and -Sol, with all the ramifications that such a brotherhood would offer." - -"Ertene's existence is stable, Guy. Let us consider that point first." - -"How can any wandering program be considered stable?" - -"We are born, we live, and we die. Whether we are fated to spend our -lives on a nomad planet or ultimately become the very center of the -universe about which everything revolves, making Ertene the most stable -planet of them all, Ertinians will continue living. When nomadism -includes the entire resources of a planet, it can not be instable." - -"Granted. But do you hope to go on forever?" - -"How old is your history, Guy?" - -"From the earliest of established dates, taken from the stones of -Assyria and the artifacts of Maya, some seven thousand years." - -Charalas added a lengthy discussion setting the length of a Terran year. - -"Ertinian history is perhaps a bit longer," said Terokar. "And so who -can say 'forever'?" - -"No comment," said Guy with a slight laugh. "But my statements -concerning stability are not to be construed as the same type of -instability suffered by an itinerant human. He has no roots, and few -friends, and he gains nothing nor does he offer anything to society. -No, I am wrong. It _is_ the same thing. Ertene goes on through the eons -of wandering. She has no friends and no roots and while she may gain -experience and knowledge of the universe just as the tramp will, her -ultimate gain is poor and her offering to civilization is zero." - -"I dispute that. Ertene's life has become better for the experience she -has gained and the knowledge, too." - -"Perhaps. But her offering to civilization?" - -"We are not a dead world. Perhaps some day we may be able to offer -the storehouses of our knowledge to some system that will need it. -Perhaps we are destined to become the nucleus of a great, galactic -civilization." - -"Such a civilization will never work as long as men are restrained as -to speed of transportation. Could any pact be sustained between planets -a hundred light-years apart? Indeed, could any pact be agreed upon?" - -"I cannot answer that save to agree. However, somewhere there may be -some means of faster-than-light travel and communication. If this is -found, galactic-wide civilization will not only be possible but a -definite expectation." - -"You realize that you are asking for Ertene a destiny that sounds -definitely egotistic?" - -"And why not? Are you not sold on the fact that Terra is the best -planet in the Solar System?" - -"Naturally." - -"Also," smiled Charalas, "the Martians admit that Mars is the best -planet." - -"Granted then that Ertene is stable. Even granting for the moment -that Ertene is someday to become the nucleus of the galaxy. I still -claim that Ertene is missing one item." Guy waited for a moment and -then added: "Ertene is missing the contact and commerce with other -races. Ertene is self-sufficient and as such is stagnant as far as -new life goes. Life on Ertene has reached the ultimate--for Ertene. -Similarly, life on Terra had reached that point prior to the opening -of space. Life must struggle against _something_, and when the -struggle is no longer possible--when all possible obstruction has been -circumvented--then life decays." - -"You see us as decadent?" - -"Not yet. The visiting of system after system has kept you from total -decadence. It is but a stasis, however. Unless one has the samples of -right and wrong from which to choose, how may he know his own course?" - - * * * * * - -"Of what difference is it?" asked the councilor named Baranon. "If -there is no dissenting voice, if life thrives, if knowledge and science -advance, what difference does it make whether we live under one social -order or any other? If thievery and wrongdoing, for instance, could -support a system of social importance, and the entire population lives -under that code and thrives, of what necessity is it to change?" - -"Any social order will pyramid," said Guy. "Either up or down." - -"Granted. But if all are prepared to withstand the ravages of their -neighbors, and are eternally prepared to live under constant strife, no -man will have his rights trod upon." - -"But what good is this eternal wandering? This everlasting eye upon the -constantly receding horizon? This never ending search for the proper -place to stop in order that this theoretical galactic civilization may -start? At Ertene's state of progress, one place will be as good as any -other," said Guy. - -"Precisely, except that some places are definitely less desirable. -Recall, Guy, that Ertene needs nothing." - -"I dispute that. Ertene needs the contact with the outside worlds." - -"No." - -"You are in the position of a recluse who loves his seclusion." - -"Certainly." - -"Then you are in no position to appreciate any other form of social -order." - -"We care for no other social order." - -"I mentioned to Charalas that in my eyes, you are wrong. That I am -being asked to prescribe for a patient who will not die for lack of -my prescription. I can not even say that the patient will benefit -directly. My belief is as good as yours. I believe that Ertene is -suffering because of her seclusion and that her peoples will advance -more swiftly with commerce between the planets--and once again in -interstellar space, Ertene will have no planets with which to conduct -trade." - -"And Sol, like complex society, will never miss the recluse. Let -the hermit live in his cave, he is neither hindering nor helping -civilization." - -"Indirectly, the hermit hinders. He excites curiosity and the wonder -if a hermit's existence might not be desirable and thus diverts other -thinkers to seclusion." - -"But if the hermit withdraws alone and unnoticed, no one will know of -the hermitage, and then no one will wonder." - -"But _I_ know, and though no one else in the Solar System knows, I am -trying to bring you into our society. I have the desire of brotherhood, -the gregarious instinct that wants to be friend with all men. It annoys -me--as it annoys all men--to see one of us alone and unloved by his -fellows. I have a burning desire to have Ertene as a twin world with -Terra." - -"But Ertene likes her itinerant existence. The fires that burn beyond -the horizon are interesting. Also," smiled Terokar, "the grass is -greener over there." - -"One day you will come to the end of the block," said Guy, "and find -that the grass is no greener anywhere, with the exception that you now -have no more grass to look at, plus the sorry fact that you cannot -return. A million galactic years from now, Ertene will have passed -through the galaxy and will find herself looking at intergalactic -space. Then what?" - -"Then our children will learn to live in a starless sky for _a_ hundred -thousand generations. Solarians live in a sky of constant placement; -Ertene's sky is ever changing and all sky maps are obsolete in thirty -or forty years. You must remember that to us, wandering is the normal -way of life. Some of us believe that we may eventually return to our -parent sun. We may. But all of us believe that we would find our parent -sun no more interesting than others. No Guy, I doubt that we will stop -there either." - -"You are assuming that you will not remain at Sol?" - -"We are a shy planet. We do not like to change our way of life. You are -asking us to give up our life and to accept yours. It is similar to a -man asking a woman to marry. But a woman is not completely reversed in -her life when she marries. Here you are asking us to cleave unto you -forever--and there is no bond of love to soften the hard spots." - -"I did mention the bond of brotherhood," said Guy. - -"Brotherhood with what?" asked Terokar. "You ask us to enter a bond -of twinship with a planet that is the center of strife. You ask us in -the name of similarity to join you--and help you gain mastery over the -Solar System." - -"And why not?" - -"Which of you is right? Is the Terran combine more righteous than the -Martian alliance?" - -"Certainly." - -"Why?" - -Guy asked for a moment to think. The room was silent for a moment and -then he said, slowly and painfully: "I can think of no other reason -than the trite and no-answer reason: 'We're right because we're right!' -The Martian combine fights us to gain the land and the commerce that we -have taken because of superiority in space." - -"A superiority given merely because of sheer size," said Baranon. "The -Martians, raised under a gravity of less than one third of Terra's find -it difficult to keep pace with the Terrans, who can live under three -times as much acceleration. Battle under such conditions is unfair, and -the fact that the Martians have been able to survive indicates that -their code is not entirely wrong." - -Charalas nodded. "Any code that is entirely in error will not be able -to survive." - -"So," said Terokar, "you ask us to join your belligerent system. You -ask us to emerge from our pleasure and join you in a struggle for -existence. You ask that we give up the peace that has survived for a -thousand years, and in doing so you ask that we come willingly and -permit our cities to be war-scarred and our men killed. You ask that we -join in battle against a smaller, less adapted race that still is able -to survive in spite of its ill-adaption to the rigors of space." - -Guy was silent. - -"Is that the way of life? Must we fight for our life? Strife is -deplorable, Guy Maynard, and I am saying that to you, who come of a -planet steeped in strife. You wear a uniform--or did--that is dedicated -to the job of doing a better job of fighting than the enemy. Continual -warlike activity has no place on Ertene. - -"Plus one other thing, Guy Maynard. You are honorable and your intent -is clear. But your fellows are none too like you. Ertene would become -the playground of the Solar System. There would be continual battles -over Ertene, and Ertene with her inexperience in warfare would be -forced to accept the protection of Terra. That protection would break -down into the same sort of protection that is offered the Plutonians by -a handful of Terrans. In exchange for 'protection' against enemies that -would possibly be no better or worse, the Plutonians are stripped of -their metal. They are not accorded the privilege of schooling because -they are too ignorant to enter even the most elementary of schools. -Besides, schooling would make them aware of their position and they -might rebel against the system that robs them of their substance under -the name of 'protection.' Protection? May the Highest Law protect me -from my protectors!" Terokar's lips curled slightly. "Am I not correct? -Have not the Plutonians the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of -happiness? It would be a heavy blow to Terra if the third planet were -forced to pay value for the substance that comes from Pluto." - -"After all," said Guy, "if Terra hadn't got there first, Mars would be -doing the same thing." - -"Granted," said Baranon. "Absolutely correct. But two wrongs do not -make a right. Terra is no worse than Mars. But that does not excuse -either of them. They are both wrong!" - -"Are you asking Terra to change its way of life?" demanded Guy. - -"You are asking Ertene to change. We have the same privilege." - -"Obviously in a system such as ours a completely altruistic society -would be wiped out." - -"Obviously," said Baranon. - -"Then--" - -"Then Ertene will change its way of life--providing Terra changes hers." - -"Mars--" - -"Mars will have to change hers, too. Can you not live in harmony?" - -"Knowing what the Martians did to me--can you expect me to greet one of -them with open arms?" - -"Knowing what you have done to them, I wouldn't expect either one -of you to change your greetings. No, Guy, I fear that Ertene will -continue on her path until such a time as we meet a system that is less -belligerent and more adapted to our way of life." - -"Then I have failed?" - -"Do not feel badly. You have failed, but you were fighting a huge, -overwhelming force. You fought the inheritance of a hundred generations -of wanderers. You fought the will of an integrated people who deplore -strife. You fought the desire of everyone on Ertene, and since no -Ertinian could change Solar society, we cannot expect a Terran to -change Ertinian ideals. You failed, but it is no disgrace to fail -against such an overwhelming defense." - -Guy smiled weakly. "I presume that I was fighting against a determined -front?" - -"You were trying to do the most difficult job of all. In order to -have succeeded, you would first have had to unsell us on our firm -convictions, and then sell us the desirability of yours. A double job, -both uphill." - -"Then I am to consider the matter closed?" - -"Yes. We have decided not to remain." - -"You decided that before I came in," said Guy bitterly. - -"We decided that a thousand years before you were born, so do not feel -bitter." - -"I presume that a change in your plans is out of the question even -though further information on Sol's planets proves you wrong?" - -"It will never be brought up again." - -"I see," said Guy unhappily. "Part of my desire to convince you was the -hope of seeing my home again." - -"Oh, but you will," said Charalas. - - * * * * * - -Guy was dumfounded. He could hardly believe his ears. He asked for -a repeat, and got it. It was still amazing. To Guy, it was outright -foolishness. He wouldn't have trusted anyone with such a secret. To -permit him to return to Terra with the knowledge he had-- - -"Charalas, what would prevent me from bringing my people to Ertene? I -could bring the forces of Terra down about your very ears." - -"But you will not. We have a strict, value-even trade to offer you." - -"But it would be so easy to keep me here." - -"We could not restrain you without force. And if we must rely upon your -honor, we'd be equally reliant whether you be here or on Terra." - -"Here," said Guy dryly, "I'd be away from temptation. If I were tempted -to tell, there'd be no one to tell it to." - -"We must comply with an ancient rule," explained Terokar. "It says -specifically that no man without Ertinian blood may remain on Ertene. -It was made to keep the race pure when we were still about our parent -sun and has never been revoked. We wouldn't revoke it for you alone." - -"But permitting me to go free would be sheer madness." - -"Not quite. We are mutually indebted to one another, Guy. There is the -matter of knowledge. You gave freely of yours, we gave you ours. We -have gained some points that were missing in our science, you have a -number of points that will make you rich, famous, and remembered. Use -them as your own, only do it logically in order that they seem to be -discoveries of your own. You admit the worth of them?" - -"Oh, but yes," said Guy eagerly. "Wonderful--" - -"Then there is no debt for knowledge?" - -"If any, I am in your debt." - -"We'll call it even," said Baranon, dryly. - -"Then there is the matter of life," said Terokar. "You know how you -were found?" - -Guy shook his head in wonder. "I had been through the Martian idea of -how to get information out of a reluctant man," he said slowly. "I know -that their methods result in a terrible mindless state which to my own -belief is worse than death itself. I know that as I lost consciousness, -I prayed for death to come, even though I knew that they would not -permit it." - -"We found you that way. You know. And we brought you back to life. You -owe us that." - -"Indeed I do." - -"Then for your life, we demand our life in return." - -"I do not understand." - -"Your life is yours. We ask that you say nothing of us--for we feel -that we will die if we are found. At least, the integrity of Ertene -is at stake. In any event, we will not be taken, you may as well know -that. And when I say die, I mean that Ertene will not go on living in -the way we want her to live. Therefore you will disclose nothing that -will point our way to anyone." - -"And you are willing that I should return to Terra with such an oath? -What of my oath to Terra?" - -"Do you feel that your presence on Ertene will benefit Terra in some -small way?" asked Charalas. - -"Now that you have given me the things we spoke of before, I do." - -"Then," said Charalas, "consider this point. You may not return unless -you swear to keep us secret. You may not give Terra the benefit of your -knowledge unless you deprive them of Ertene. Is that clear?" - -"If I may not return to Terra, and may not remain on Ertene, I can -guess the other alternative and will admit that I do not like it. On -the returning angle, about all I can do is to justify myself in my own -mind that I have done all that I can by bringing these scientific items -back with me. Since doing the best I can for Terra includes keeping -your secret, I can do that also. But tell me, how do you hope to cover -the fact that I've been missing for almost a year? That will take more -than mere explanation." - - * * * * * - -"The process is easy," said Charalas. "We have one of the lifeships -from the derelict. It was slightly damaged in the blast. It is -maneuverable, but unwieldy. Evidence has been painstakingly forged. -Apparently you will have broken your straps under the shock of the -blast--and before the torture reached its height--and you found -yourself in a derelict with no one left alive but yourself. You were -hurt, mentally, and didn't grasp the situation clearly. There was no -way to signal your plight in secrecy, and open signaling would have -been dangerous since you were too close to Mars. - -"You found the lifeship and waited until you could safely take off. -The derelict took a crazy course, according to the recorded log in your -own handwriting, and headed for interstellar space. You took off at the -safe time and have been floating free in the damaged lifeship. You've -been on a free orbit for the best part of a year." - -"Sounds convincing enough." - -"The evidence includes empty air cans, your own fingerprints on -everything imaginable, a dulled can opener and the remnants of -can labels that have fallen into nooks and crannies of the ship. -The water-recovery device has been under constant operation and -examination will show about a year's accumulation of residual matter. -A scratch-mark calendar has been kept on the wall of the lifeship, and -daily it has been added to. That is important since the wall will show -more oxidation in the scratches made a year ago than the ones made -recently. The accumulators of the ship have been run down as if in -service while you were forcing the little ship into its orbit, and the -demand recorder shows how the drain was used. The lights in the ship -have been burned, and the deposits of fluorescent material in the tubes -have been used about the calculated number of hours. Books have been -nearly worn out from re-reading and they were used with fingerprint -gloves though they were studied by us. Instruments and gadgets are -strewn about the ship in profusion, indicating the attempts of an -intelligent man trying to kill time. Also you will find the initial -findings on the energy collector we used in conjunction with the -light-shield. - -"Now, yourself. Into your body we will inject the hormones that occur -with fear and worry. You will not enjoy a bit of atmosphobia, but -believe us, it is necessary. You will have the appearance and attitude -of a man who has been in space alone for a year, and luckily for you, -you are a spaceman and inured to the rigors of space travel so that it -will not be necessary to really give you the works in order to make you -seem natural. - -"As a final touch, both for our safety and yours, we will inject in -your body a substance far superior to your anti-lamine. This is not -destroyed by electrolysis, but only by a substance made from the -original base. This will protect you against any attempt to make you -talk. As long as it is your will, consciously or subconsciously, our -secret will be kept. Is there anything we may have overlooked?" - -"One thing. The space tan." - -"That you will get before you leave." - -"Then that sounds like the works." - -"It is. Guy Maynard, we wish you the best of luck. We are all sorry -that you must leave, but it is best that way. Sooner or later you would -become homesick for the things you knew on Terra. Ertene will not last -in your memory, we have been careful not to let you indulge in anything -that will leave memories either pleasant or unpleasant, and forgetting -is easy when the subject was uneventful. Farewell, Guy Maynard." - -"Good-bye. And if you ever decide whether your way is at all -questionable, have someone look me up. I'll be around Sol." - -Terokar laughed. "And if you find that Sol changes her way of living, -you may see if you can find us!" - -Charalas smiled: "No need. They will not. This is farewell forever, -Guy. Good luck." - - * * * * * - -It was little more than an hour later that Guy Maynard, inoculated with -all kinds of shots, was lifted into the sky in a heavy spaceship and on -the way for a predetermined section of the Solar sky. - -They left him, a couple of weeks later. - -And Guy Maynard was headed for Terra in a broken lifeship saved from -the derelict of the Mardinex. He thought of Ertene briefly, and then -put the thought from him. He would never see Ertene again. - -But the things he had in his mind would make Ertene's influence -everlasting over an unknown Terra. That alone made the contact worth -while. - -Guy Maynard stumbled upon another thought. He had accused them of -going on forever like an itinerant, taking nothing and giving nothing -and living sterile as far as their good toward civilization. He was -wrong, and now he knew it. Ertene did not go on her lonely path. She -had strewn the fruits of experience in Sol's path as best she could and -still maintain safety for herself. It was reasonable to suppose that -Ertene had done the same things for those other systems. - -Hers was not a useless existence. Ertene was doing as much for -civilization as Terra, surely. - -And though he would never see Ertene again, his own personal gain from -having been to Ertene would cause him to remember the wanderer. And -even though Terra would never know of Ertene's existence, she would -benefit from their experience. - -Ertene--completely altruistic. - -Or was she completely selfish? - -Terra would never know. - - - - - V. - - -Ben Williamson sat bolt upright in his chair and listened to the faint -piping whistle that came through the communicator along with the sounds -from the communications office. He snapped the button calling for -silence in order to hear better, and then scratched his head in wonder. - -"Executive to Communications and Pilot: Tune in that signal better and -get a fix on it. Prepare to follow the fix." - -"Received," came the laconic reply, and then the less formal: "What's -in the sky, Ben?" - -"Whether you know it or not, that signal was Guy Maynard's private -sign." - -"I thought so," said the communications officer. "I wasn't certain." - -"We'll not court-martial you for that," laughed Ben. "After all, you -didn't know Maynard personally." - -"Right. I didn't know him at all. But this fix--I've got it." - -"Can you get range and possible track?" - -"Fairly well." There was silence for several minutes and then the -communications officer announced the figures concerning the distance -and probable course constants of the emitting source. - -"Executive to Technician: Jimmy, have you got the cards on the -_Mardinex_ or did we put them in the morgue after we slipped her the -slug?" - -"Still got 'em. BuSI thought we should keep 'em a bit just in case. -After all, the _Mardinex_ was a secret proposition and to remove her -cards from the Terran cardexes would be like the guy in that story." - -"Which guy in what story." - -"The fellow who suspected his neighbor of stealing his chickens just -because he found the neighbor garbaging chicken feathers and chicken -carcasses. They've made no announcement of the _Mardinex's_ failure -to return. To have Terra toss away the information that we have so -painstakingly gathered concerning her most intimate features would be -almost an open admission that Terra is not longer concerned about the -_Mardinex_." - -"They couldn't prove a thing." - -"No, but as the Chinese say: 'A wise man does not stoop to secure his -shoes in a melon patch nor adjust his hat under a cherry tree.' They -could trump up enough evidence to arouse their people if they could -prove our disinterest in some concrete manner. As it is, the whole -system knows that Terra still carries the cards of the _Mardinex_. -That's the one thing they've ascertained. We've got 'em all right." - -"Good. Then as soon as we get close enough to that source, and the -spotters take hold, run the constants through the cardex." - -"Good Sol, Ben. What do you expect?" - -"Dunno. Couldn't be the _Mardinex_, of course. That couldn't possibly -be here and now. But--that was Maynard's sign and he may have survived -in some queer manner. We know that the _Mardinex_ carried lifeships." - - * * * * * - -Time passed as the destroyer accelerated constantly, reached turnover, -and began to decelerate toward the suspected position of the -signal-emitting object. Just after turnover the spotters took hold and -announced that the object was capable of being scanned and analyzed. - -The whirr of the file as the cardex ran through the thousands of -minute cards filled the technician's office and came through the open -communicator. Then the attention bell tingled once, and the card that -matched the constants of the emitting object was slid from the file -into a projector. The micro-printing above the cardex pattern was -projected on the ground glass above the instrument and the technician -read it off in a flat voice. - -"Fore lifeship--standard type from Martian space craft of the -_Mardinex_ class. One of six similar models placed in the upper -quadrant of the ship. These ships are capable of four gravities, -Terran, and are capable of making the one hundred million mile -trip. No armament as per agreements under the Eros Conference. Will -accommodate thirty passengers for a period of ninety days, Terran -without discomfort other than atmosphobia and the possibility of -avoirduphobia if the distance demands free flight for any period of -time. Equipped with spotter equipment and signaling equipment capable -of reaching interested searchers but not raising those whose equipment -is nondirective or whose directive equipment is pointed away from the -emitting source. Also equipped with complete spares for signaling -equipment--" - -"That's enough," said Ben. "Executive to Turretman: Trim your autoMacs -and load the torpedo tubes. This may be a trap." - -"Right," said Tim. "And according to Jimmy, they may be trying to see -how we react after a sign of the _Mardinex_'s lifeship pattern. They're -capable of duplicating that pattern, you know." - -"We're going in there to win or lose," said Ben soberly. "No matter how -they take it, we're ready. Tim, put a remote arming fuse in one torp -and launch it right now. If this is trouble, we'll butter our chances. -If this is not trouble, we'll keep the arming signal running and -retrieve the torpedo. Right?" - -"Received. Want it set to remain inert as long as the arming signal is -on?" - -"That's the order." - -The destroyer bucked slightly and Tim said: "She's off. Any time -anybody thinks we should let her roar, poke the arming button on the -panels." - -Instinctively, Ben Williamson glanced at the minute pilot light that -gleamed faintly just above a button on the ordnance panel. It was the -left-most button of a row of twenty. By reaching out of his chair -with the right hand and leaning back so that his spine was arched -deeply, Williamson could touch the arming control. He nodded, and as -he watched, the panel below winked on, indicating that the turret was -ready for action. Beside it, the winking lights indicated that his -orders to load up the torpedo tubes had been conveyed to the tube crew. -A string of varicolored lights indicated a series of interferers and -space bombs that were being armed in the bomb bay. Williamson smiled. -Tim Monahan was an excellent ordnance officer; one who rode the turret -himself and directed the fire controls from there. - -"Executive to Pilot: What's our position?" - -"Twenty minutes from object." - -"Ring the Action Alarm. Who knows--we may see action!" - -"Turretman to Executive: Object sighted. Definitely a lifeship. Doesn't -look dangerous. Shall we take a chance?" - -"Executive to Communications: Answer 'em on their band." - -"Received. Ben, they went off the air as soon as I opened my -transmitter." There was some period of silence. "Communications to -Executive: Identifies himself as Guy Maynard. Says alone and safe. Cut -emitter to prevent curiosity on the part of Martian observers who may -be listening." - -"Good fellow. He should be an Intelligence Officer. Tell him to prepare -for transshipping." - -"He says that after a year in that sardine can, it can't be too quick. -Want him to jump?" - -"Can he put on any speed?" - -"His suit is still in partial operation. He can rev up about a G." - -"Tell him to dive. We'll scoop him without trying to match speed." - - * * * * * - -Guy smiled vaguely. He made one last prayer that he could look as -starved for company as a man would after a year in that tiny ship. He -didn't stop to wonder why they'd asked him to dive. He merely prayed -that his story would be acted as convincingly as his forged diary -read. He'd partially committed that to memory; certain lapses would -be expected. It was good and it contained several references to ideas -for equipment which would help explain his sudden inventive streak. He -hugged the volume to him and dived out of the open space lock. Once -free of the ship, Guy turned the tiny driving fin on and he stood -upright on the soles of the spacesuit shoes. - -And minutes later the destroyer arrowed silently past and a silent, -invisible tractor reached out and caught him in the focal area. It -stretched like a thin elastomer cord, invisible, and it accelerated him -gently as the destroyed sped on. He caught up with the destroyer and -was taken aboard just as the soundless gout of flame far below marked -the end of the lifeship. - -"Why?" he asked patiently, shortly and tersely. - -"Didn't care to leave any evidence for the Marties." - -"Sort of got attached to it," said Guy. - -"Could be, but one sight of that anywhere in the Solar System would -mean trouble. Evidence from the _Mardinex_, you know. Forget it, -Maynard. You're far more important. What happened, and how, and why?" - -Maynard looked pained. - -"Forget it, Guy. Obviously you had a tough time. Take your time about -telling us. What do you want most?" - -Guy smiled shyly. "I thought about that a lot," he said slowly. "I -wanted steak and potatoes. I wanted cigarettes. I even thought of Laura -Greggor. I wanted.... Ben, I want everything, and in mass-production -lots." - -"Steak and potatoes we can give you. Cigarettes we have in plenty. -A shower and a shave and a soft, well-made man-sized bed. Books and -pictures and a dollop of liquor, too. Candy, cigars, chewing gum, et -cetera. But the only female we have on board is cooky's pet hen. Like a -fresh egg?" - -"Anything as long as it is not lonely," said Guy. "My throat is -slightly lame." - -"I can imagine. Well, it's sick bay for you and we'll wait on you. -And--Guy, there'll be plenty of company." Ben snapped the general -communicator button and said: "Executive to crew: Junior Executive Guy -Maynard is aboard. He is to be shown every consideration, and it is -directed that each watch appoint three roving spacemen whose duties -will be to replace crew members who will visit Maynard. His stay in -sick bay is not quarantine." - -"Williamson, I'll take that shower now. And then the steak. Got a -cigarette?" - -As Maynard ignited the cigarette, he thought: Carefully prepared -evidence! How painstaking they were! Even the scratches on the wall -made so that the earlier ones would be made first. The millions of -fingerprints. And destroyed because it would be bad evidence against -us. Ironic. And yet--they might have missed something. And supposing -Williamson hadn't armed that torpedo but had taken the crate in to -Terra instead? Then Ertene's evidence would have been needed. We -couldn't have known-- - -"Now for that shower," he said to Ben. There was no use in deliberately -thinking of Ertene now. Forget it. To Ben he added: "Might run through -that log of mine. Gives you the story pretty well, and my voice-box is -still unused to talking much. I'm going, but I'll be back." - -"Good thing you kept a log," said Ben. "It'll be most valuable evidence -for the investigation." - -Investigation! Guy hadn't thought of that factor. Naturally he must -give his evidence before a court-martial, though he would by no means -be on trial. Yet, they were thorough and he prayed that he wouldn't -make the most unnoticed slip. They'd ply him with questions and watch -his answers. He was glad that he hadn't memorized the log by rote. -To repeat word for word certain parts would be expected, and to miss -completely other parts would be expected. There would even be parts he -had forgotten and parts too doleful for the mind to keep fresh. - -Then Guy Maynard put it all aside. He forgot his troubles and his -worries, and gave himself up to the luxuries of civilization once -more. His act was most convincing. He ate with relish and smoked until -his throat was sore. He was reticent at the right time, and he made -it appear as though it had become habit with him to remain silent; -and also brought out the fact that his larynx was slightly unused to -exercise. He was glad to be home, though he deplored the destruction of -his lifeship--he spoke of it affectionately sometimes, other times he -outwardly hated the thought of it--because there were some experiments -uncompleted on it. They could be duplicated from the log, of course, -but the originals were priceless in his estimation-- - - * * * * * - -And then the reaction really set in. Guy Maynard was home again. -Home, to Guy, was the ever-changing orientation of the starry sky and -the never constant gravity. He fingered the ordnance controls on the -destroyer with affection and realized that Ertene was long ago and far -away, and that his place was here, and that his life was geared to the -quick life of a spaceman in the Terran Space Patrol. - -Peace was wonderful, of course, and at the time he wanted it -desperately. But now he realized that the excitement of living in a -system of planets offered more than the placid existence of Ertene with -its one moon and the occasional space trip. - -In spite of the treaties and acceptance of peaceful measures made -on the part of the Martians, there was always the chance that some -underhanded move might be made. There was that edge to life; that fine, -razor-sharp edge of excitement and danger. Mars might make untoward -moves, but it was not all Mars' party. Terra made her own espionage and -operations tended to display her might to the Red Planet. Brushes that -never reached notice were always going on. - -He permitted himself to wax enthusiastic over his being home again. -They never knew that it was not merely the release from space -loneliness but a return from a too long, too uneventful vacation. - -He considered himself objectively one day after he found himself -looking forward to the return to Terra. The investigation did not -bother him; it was the question of whether his year of absence from the -service would cause him a year's loss in advancement. If it caused him -no loss, he would become a Senior Executive within a month or so after -his return. That would give him the right to captain a destroyer like -this one. - -His interest and anxiousness to return to Terra had become honest. On -Ertene he had argued against it. Now he knew his mind and also knew -that Charalas had done the proper thing. He would not have remained on -Ertene. Some day the everlasting peace and quiet would get him, and -then there would have been trouble. - -He owed them his life, and if some of the things in his log worked to -his own satisfaction, he owed them more than that. He'd keep their -secret; denying Terra the right to exploit Ertene was hard, but better -deny them that than to deny them the knowledge he had gained. Terra -would hold dominance over the Solar System without Ertene's presence; -though it was not without Ertene's help. - -Poor Ertene. A sterile, placid life that was beginning to look pale -and uninteresting against the rugged, boisterous existence of men who -roamed the Solar System. - -Let them have their stability. What was their history? A few thousand -years since the dawn of their written lore? Far greater than Sol's -though he had been loath to tell them that. At that time such an -admission was like admitting that one was but an adolescent. But it -was true. But in those thousands of years, had their science come a -comparable distance with Terra's? - -And Guy knew why. With nothing to strive against, progress ceases. - -He wondered whether the investigating committee would make an issue of -the fact that a junior executive had been so oblivious to his duty as -to permit capture by Martians. That was the only fly in his ointment, -the only point over which he worried. He felt that his capture could -have happened to anyone, and secretly he admired the bold stroke in the -light of how daring it had been for Mars to storm the very ramparts of -Sahara Base. - -But investigating committees are strange things and their decisions are -often based on theory instead of action with no regard to circumstances. - -That one minor point continued to worry him at times. - - * * * * * - -And then the destroyer dropped out of the sky onto Sahara Base, and Guy -Maynard stooped to pick up a handful of the soil of Terra. He shook it -in the sky and rubbed it into his hands. He smelled of it and exhaled -deeply. Then, still holding a bit of it, he faced the sector commander -who was waiting for him in the command car. - -The commander smiled curtly and said: "Junior Executive Maynard, you -are to speak to no one. You are technically not under arrest, nor are -you to be placed in that light. However a violation of the order to -discuss nothing with anyone will lead to arrest." - -"How long is this quarantine going to last, sir?" - -"Not too long. The Board of Investigation will convene tomorrow. At -that time we will decide your future." - -Maynard entered the command car and they drove off silently. He was -thinking: One more hurdle. If I can make it-- - -His dreams were troubled that night. There was nothing definite about -them; they were kaleidoscopic in nature and Charalas whirled in and -out of them along with Greggor of the Bureau of Exploration and Laura -Greggor. In these dreams he was the central figure; a pitiful, unarmed -being that could not strike back against the pointed questions that -they hurled at him. He was mired in a black mess of intrigue that would -follow him forever. And only by living in constant guardedness would he -be safe. - -For once the hurdle of the investigation was passed, there would be no -recanting. - -God help him if after he perjured himself they found out that his tale -had been designed to cover a definite breach of his own oath. - -It was the price he would pay for the success that Ertene's science -would bring him. - -Yet he knew that if he continued as he had started, he would be all -right. To be convincing in a lie, he knew that the first problem was to -convince himself. - -And so Guy Maynard went into the Board of Investigation almost -self-convinced that his year of loneliness was a fact. - -He didn't dare consider the future if he failed to convince the Board. -Not only for himself, but for Ertene and Terra both. They--he dropped -the awful possibility there. He stiffened his resolve and thrust the -thought from his mind. There must be no slip. - -So with a part of his mind fighting to keep from viewing utter chaos, -and another part of his mind telling him that he was hiding his head in -the sand like an ostrich, Guy Maynard entered the large room with the -silent, waiting men. - -He swallowed deeply as he noted the weight of the platinum braid and he -took his appointed position with a qualm of misgiving. - - - - - VI. - - -Guy Maynard's eyes swept about the room and saw eyes that were quiet, -and if they were not openly friendly, at least they were neither -hostile nor doubtful. The Board of Investigation was composed of -several high officers and a civilian. He glanced at the neat pile of -papers that were placed on the table before his appointed position -and glanced through the names of those present, wondering about the -civilian; most of the officers he knew by sight. - -He nodded to himself; the civilian was Thomas Kane, a news publisher, -and therefore quite natural a presence in this investigation. The fact -that he was the publisher himself, and not one of his hirelings gave -the investigation the air of extreme secrecy, and Guy understood that -whatever went on in this gathering today would be held in the utmost -confidence until the necessities of living made the publicity of the -conference desirable--if ever. The public would accept the word of the -publisher with more credulity than they would a prepared statement -issued for common consumption by a propaganda department. - -People had become used to normal propaganda, and were capable of -picking it out and disregarding it. A publisher's own statements were -considered to be noncontrollable since the only recourse that any -Patrol investigation could take was to bar the publisher from their -subsequent conferences, and to combat that the publisher could make -things literally warm for any body of Patrol officers who tried to -muzzle him. - -The chairman, Patrol Marshal Alfred Mantley, rapped for order, and -started the proceedings by telling Guy: "We have been in order for -three hours, during which time we have considered the evidence -presented by the log of your ... er ... journey. Also, the log has been -read and digested by professional readers and pronounced authentic. The -latter is not so much in defense of you, Maynard, as it is to assure us -that you have not been or are not now acting under duress. You present -us quite a problem, young sir. Quite a problem. Coldly and cruelly, we -would find our lives less complicated if you hadn't returned," he said -with a laugh. "But you are here and we are glad to have you returned. -You have had quite an experience--one that is seldom enjoyed and only -recorded a few times in the annals of the Terran Space Patrol. How are -you feeling?" - -"Quite all right." - -"Fine. Now, Guy, tell us in your own words a brief account of your -travels." - -Guy got as far as the encounter with the Martian when he was -interrupted by Patrol Marshal Jones. "How do you account for the fact -that a Martian was able to penetrate to the very heart of Sahara Base?" - -"I have no idea, sir. I, like the rest of us, have been led to believe -that our security in the Base was perfect. Naturally I was not armed." - -"No," said the chairman. "And had you been armed, I doubt that the -encounter would have been different. Fighting unarmed against a Martian -who is holding a MacMillan at the ready is not considered the kind of -thing that any intelligent man would attempt. The fault lies with the -security office, not with you." - -His chief, Greggor of the Bureau of Exploration asked: "Is this an -official decision? I want it made clear that my assistant is not -responsible for his trouble." - -"Maynard is not to be held responsible. When the word came via Senior -Executive Williamson, the investigation of the kidnaping act disclosed -that the blame--if any--was to lie with Security. Off the record, I can -not see how any security bureau could cope with such boldness. It was -born of desperation and bred of terror--and it died for lack of sheer -weight and velocity." - -"Thank you," said Space Marshal Greggor. - - * * * * * - -Guy went on, telling his partly-memorized tale, until he was again -questioned. - -"You hadn't felt the brunt of the electrolysis before the _Mardinex_ -was attacked?" - -"It had just started. The final explosion broke my straps and -destroyed the electrolysis equipment." - -"And you couldn't make your way to a lifeship at that time?" - -"I did as soon as I came to, and realized that I was alone. The least -damaged lifeship required repairs that were completed several hours -later. By that time we were passing through the midst of Martian -territory and I thought it best to lie low." - -"You preferred to take the chance of orbiting rather than running the -Martian gauntlet?" - -"Orbiting was no chance, sir. Running the gauntlet would have been -sheer suicide since the Martians were extremely interested in -the _Mardinex_. They had most of their grand fleet out watching. -Only my velocity--which prevented any attempt to stop me--and my -acceleration--which prevented any attempt to try to match my speed--got -me past safely. I am certain that they put a pointer on me as we went -past." - -"By what reasoning?" - -"I would have done it, sir, if the cases had been reversed." - -"Naturally," said the chairman. "Proceed, Maynard." - -"Knowing that any deviation of the _Mardinex_ or electrical activity -aboard would register at the Martian detector stations, at least -until we were out of safe range, I proceeded to make the lifeship as -spaceworthy and as comfortable as I could. I took plenty of spare -equipment--" - -"Of what sort?" - -"Sheer gadgetry, sir, I've had a few ideas, and this looked as though -I'd have plenty of time to try them out. I powered the lifeship far -beyond her normal power because I had to get back home from a ship -leaving the System at better than ten thousand miles per second." - -"In order to bring out the resourcefulness of my assistant," said -Greggor, "I want the record to state that he prepared for the boredom -he knew would come." - -"It is recorded." - -"Then, as soon as we were beyond the longest possible range of the most -powerful detector-analyzers, even when aimed by a pointer, and taking -into consideration that Mars might have had an observer out about even -with the orbit of Pluto, I emerged from the derelict and began to -decelerate." - -"Good." - -"Well, that's about all," he said. He felt that this was it. He was -worried that the deeper discussion might bring forth errors and -contradictions, and he wanted them to lead him into the initial -disclosures rather than to have them add to a statement that might -be straining at the truth already. "I slept. I worked. I did about -everything a man can do when he's sitting in a lifeship for a solid -year waiting for his home planet to come close enough to signal to. -This is the hard part. Nothing of any importance happened. One hour was -like the rest. I slept when I got tired and worked until I tired of it. -I ate when hungry. I shaved when my beard got uncomfortable. I probably -have attained a number of bad habits during my enforced hermiting, but -they will be easily broken." - -"Your record is quite clear," said Chairman Mantley. "Is it the -agreement of this investigation that Guy Maynard's story be accepted?" - -"I see no reason why it should be disputed." - -"What purpose would Maynard have in lying?" - -"It is truthful enough for me." - -"I'm in accord." - - * * * * * - -"Let's drop this foolishness," said Kane, the publisher. "What is far -more important is the public explanation for Maynard's absence." - -"Our friend of the Fourth Estate is correct," said Mantley. "The log -is accepted, and will be maintained in the archives under secret -classification." He smiled at Maynard. "Now, young man, you force us -into developing a year-long cock-and-bull story for the public." - -"Sir? I don't understand." - -"If you breathe a word of that story to anyone else, you'll be the -direct reason for an Interplanetary War--with capital letters." - -"But--" - -"So it's the truth. You'll learn, young man, that there are times -when the truth is not always the best. You are all right, alive and -well--to say nothing of being equipped with a few brilliant ideas for -your trouble. Your captors are dead and gone. Mars doesn't really -know what happened to their _Mardinex_, and Terra doesn't really know -anything about the incident. You can't be court-martialed for being -Absent Without Leave for we need you and your ideas. You haven't been -spacewrecked, for no ship is missing." - -"How was my absence explained?" asked Guy. - -"You were M-12." - -"Oh?" said Guy. - -"Then it's easy," said Greggor. "Has his first contact been reported -yet?" - -"No. I see your point. Certainly. Funny, it never has happened this way -before and now that it did, I forgot the reality." - -"As an M-12 case, he can make the one-year mention in his own right. It -will also tend to authenticate other M-12 cases which must be false. -Then after the third year--if he hasn't been returned to full duty -already--he can make the third-year mention. But instead of decreasing -the mention, Guy will increase it." - -"Providing it is necessary. After all, we are not trying to establish a -fade-out for a man killed in an incident that might lead to total war. -This time the man has returned." - -"How can we strengthen this contact?" - -Kane spoke up cheerfully. "From the stuff in his log, I'd say that the -best way would be to promote him a rank for service above and beyond -the requirements of his present rank. It will also permit him to -skipper a destroyer or lighter craft which was denied him by the Junior -Executive's rank. I'll plant his picture in my news sheet with a vague -reference to the fact that Guy Maynard has been engaged in experiments -at a secret place and that his initial experiments have been so -successful that he is being given the command of a small laboratory -ship in order that the experiments may be tested in the prime medium." - -"And then?" - -"Marshal, there is nothing that sounds like truth than a lie liberally -sprinkled with truth. In fact, I'd say the latter sounded even better -than truth." - -"Truth? Is there any in this story?" - -"Maynard," asked Kane, "you said that some of these things were -partially assembled and tested in that lifeship?" - -"Yes. It is deplorable that they were completely destroyed." - -"Not too deplorable," said Marshal Warsaw wryly. "After all, the -evidence was pretty bald-faced." - -"Well, his story about working in a secret laboratory is not too -untrue, is it? What could have been more secret than his position? -Gentlemen, no one but he knew where he was! And some of the experiments -were eminently successful, were they not?" - -"I believe so." - -"Then his statements warrant the trust of this assemblage. What do you -say, gentlemen?" - -"Sounds reasonable," said the chairman. "Any dissent?" - -There was none. - -"Furthermore," said Kane, "I'd suggest that you have professional -writers copy his log and convert it into a day-by-day account of his -experiments. Use it as close to the real thing as possible so that he -won't have to memorize too much. Then destroy this original." - -"Excellent," said Patrol Marshal Mantley. "Maynard, you may think this -cold-blooded. No doubt you want revenge. I'd want it, I know. But -we're all satisfied, here. You are back, and the Martians lost their -battlecraft." - -"It does sound brutal," said Maynard. "And very depressing. But I do -suppose that one man's loss against the loss of a heavy space craft and -a partial crew can not be argued. I'll accept it." - -"Then," said Mantley, "this Board of Investigation is closed and the -recommendations will be followed. Maynard, your rank will be increased -immediately, and until we can commission a small laboratory ship for -you, you are released from active duty. You will remain in touch -with this office, for you will be needed from time to time to sign -papers and to requisition the materials you will require to complete -your experiments. As soon as our writers have been able to copy your -original log, the Bureau of Science will check it over and decide which -of your experiments will be completed." - -"Will I be able to work on the rest of them, sir?" - -"That depends. You will probably be called upon for consultation since -you developed them. But we cannot overlook the urgency of some of -these." - - * * * * * - -Space Marshal Greggor came over to Guy and placed an arm over the young -man's shoulders. "That was quite an experience, Guy. Far beyond the -experiences of most men. I am sorry for myself, and happy for you. -You'll be coming to the house?" - -"As soon as I can get settled, sir. Possibly tonight." - -"Excellent. I'll prepare Marian and Laura--they think you're a real -M-12." - -"Will it be a shock?" - -"Somewhat. They aren't too certain of the M-12 business; though they -do not know the blunt truth, they are aware that few men classified -under the M-12 are ever heard of again. That's because they're close -to the Service. M-12 is a brilliant method of permitting a man to drop -from sight, since it was designed to permit a man to leave his friends -gently--the so-called contacts are made by telegram and personal -messenger to remove certain portions of the man's effects and to pay -his rent and so on. Eventually all of his stuff is gone, his friends -wonder where he is and eventually forget him. - -"But your return will put faith in M-12 again. They'll both be glad to -see you." - -"You must do me a favor," asked Guy earnestly. "Please explain to Laura -about my leaving without saying good-bye." - -"I'll do that. M-12 is the roughest on the ones who are close without -being blood-relations. We'll smooth it over. Now take it easy. Hello, -Kane," he said looking over Guy's head. "Are you sorry we deprived you -of a story?" - -"Some day this young man will make me a better one," laughed Kane. -"Drop up to the office tomorrow if you can. I'll buy lunch--you -deserve some special treatment to pay for your year of--experimenting. -He'll be safe," said Kane to Greggor. - -"I know it," said the Space Marshal. "You wouldn't be permitted the -inside the Council unless you were proven, you know." - -"I'll do more," said Kane. "I'll have one of my boys run over the -forged log for you. He can make it sound a bit more authentic. I've -always thought that your logs and diaries were a little stiffish. A bit -of yearning and youthful hope would lend that log a world of reality, -it having been written by a lonely young scientist." - -"That's a deal. Well, take it easy. And we'll see you later." - - * * * * * - -Guy Maynard arrived to find his room in order as according to the -treatment given M-12 cases. He walked around the room and inspected -everything there, finally dropping into the easy-chair to think. It -struck him, then. For a moment he was thoughtful, and then the humor of -the situation hit him like a blow. - -For Ertene had prepared a world of painstaking evidence to support his -tale of suffering and trouble. They gave him every bit. - -And for their trouble on the lifeship, it had been destroyed without -inspection because of Terran fear of discovery. Not that Terra was -concerned about reprisals, but just because Terran ideas of exchange -dictated that they should let a matter drop after they had received the -better of the argument. - -And then his story. Had he memorized that log day for day and word for -word, it would have been of no use. He was ordered to forget it in -every detail save those "ideas" he was supposed to have had. - -How neatly had the Terrans destroyed every mite of Ertinian evidence. - -All expect the scientific side. - -And Ertene would roam on through the Galaxy in utter silence, having -scattered the seeds of advancement upon fertile ground. - -Ertene's life was not in vain. - - * * * * * - -Guy Maynard paused a moment before he pressed the doorbell. He'd been -missing a long time, and he wondered just how Laura Greggor would greet -him. He hoped her eagerness would match his, at least, and with that -prayer he rang. - -Laura came to the door herself, which lifted Guy's heart. She took -him by the hand and drew him in, saying: "Teemens is busy mixing a -cocktail. I had to answer myself." - -Guy wanted to say "Oh" but didn't. He knew that the tone of his voice -would have betrayed his feelings. And then he lifted his feelings again -by main force. After all, Laura was no schoolgirl. There was no reason -why she should be carried away by any cheap melodrama. She believed him -to be an M-12 and as such he was doing a job. He wished he could tell -her the truth; perhaps then she would be more emotional in her greeting. - -So after a solid year of semi-loneliness, Guy was greeted with a -carefree: "You've been gone a long time, Guy. I'm glad to see you." - -"I'm more than just glad to see you," said Guy earnestly. He gave her -hand an affectionate squeeze and then tried a gentle urge towards him. -It was almost unnoticeable, that attempt to draw her to him; and had he -not met with instant and opposite reaction-- - -He sighed, relinquished her hand, and then handed her the small box he -held under the other arm. - -Laura looked at the corsage and then said: "Wait a moment, Guy. I want -to run in and put this in my hair. Make yourself comfortable." - -Guy entered the large drawing room and looked around slightly in -wonder. It was the same--but he hadn't remembered it as being so large. -Everything was as immaculate as ever and Guy felt slightly out of place -there. He knew that he was expected to sit down, but that old feeling -of wondering which piece to sit upon came back to him. - -He found a chair that had a minute scratch on one leg and seated -himself. He wanted a cigarette, but there was no ash tray nearby and -so he stifled the want. He was seated in the chair stiffly when Laura -returned with the gardenia in her hair. She was smoking a cigarette and -as she passed through the room she flicked the ash negligently at a -large ash tray. Some of the ash missed and landed on the deep carpet. -Laura didn't notice. - -"My," she said. "You look slightly formal, Guy." - -"Relax, Guy," her mother told him as she entered just behind Laura. -"Andrew was telling me of a few of your ideas. Too bad you can't tell -us more. We're interested." - -"I'd like to tell you, Mrs. Greggor," said Guy shyly. "But I'm under -strict orders not to disclose--" - -"Pooh, orders," said Laura. "Oh well, you can have your silly secrets. -I want to know, Guy; did you miss me?" - -"Quite a bit," he answered, thinking that this was no time to ask a -question like that. Her mother's presence took the fine edge off of his -anticipated answer. - -"I'd like to go out in a Patrol ship," said Laura. "This normal -traveling on the beaten path doesn't seem like much fun to me." - -"It's no different," said Guy. "It's the same sky, the same sun, and -the same planets. They remain the same no matter what you're doing." - -"Yes, but they're in different places--I mean that you aren't always -going Venusward or Terraward. You change around." - -"It's still similar." - -"Don't be superior," Laura said. "You're just saying that because -you're used to traveling in a Patrol ship." - -"No," said Guy earnestly. "It is still the same sky whether you look at -it from a destroyer or a luxury liner." - -"Some day I shall see for myself," said Laura definitely. - -A faint, male roar called Mrs. Greggor's attention to the fact that her -husband had mislaid his shirt studs. "I shall have to leave," she said. -"Please pardon me--?" - -"Certainly," responded Guy, jumping to his feet. - -She smiled at him and left immediately. - -"Laura," he said. "I've brought--" and he opened the little flat -plastic box and held out his senior executive's insignia. - -"I'm glad," she said. "Father told me you were being raised in rank." - -"That's why I'm here," he answered, a little let down that all of his -surprises were more or less expected. "You'll do me the honor?" - -"I'd be angry if I weren't permitted," said Laura casually. "Stand -close, Guy. You're quite tall, you know." - -His eyes were level with the top of her head as she stood before him, -removing the junior executive's insignia from his coat lapels. She -worked deftly, her face warmly placid. She placed the old, plain stars -on the table beside her and picked up the rayed stars of the senior -executive. - -Quickly she fixed them in his lapels, and then stood back a step. She -gave him a soft salute, which he returned. Then she stepped forward and -kissed him chastely. - -"Ah, fine!" boomed the voice of Andrew Greggor from the doorway. "The -old ritual! That makes you official, Guy. Like the old superstition -about a ship that is launched without a proper christening, no officer -will succeed whose insignia is not first pinned on by a woman. -Congratulations." - -"Thank you, sir," said Guy, taking the extended hand. - -"Now," said Greggor, "dinner is served. Come along, and we'll toast -my loss of a fine secretarial assistant. Your swivel-chair command is -over, Guy." - -"We're not sorry," said Laura. "After all, what glory is there in doing -space hopping in a desk-officer's job?" - -"None," agreed her father. - -"He'll get some now," Laura assured the men. - -"If those experiments turn out correct," said Greggor to Guy Maynard -over Laura's head, "you sure will. Funny, though, I still considered -you as my assistant until they handed you the senior's rank." - -"Still had your brand on him?" laughed Laura. - -"Sort of," said Greggor. His real meaning was not lost on Guy, who knew -that the girl's father was only establishing the official facts of his -adventure. - - * * * * * - -The dinner was excellent, and the wines tended to loosen Guy's tongue -slightly. He forgot his stiffness and began to enjoy himself. He hadn't -realized how much he had missed this sort of thing in the year among -the Ertinians. They treated him fine, but he missed the opportunity of -mingling with people who spoke his language. He looked at the clock. -There'd be dancing later--if he could break away, and he hadn't danced -in a solid year. - -Marian Greggor said: "You've been gone a long time, Guy. Can you tell -me the tiniest thing of your adventures?" - -"They were not adventures," said Guy. - -"Nonsense!" boomed Malcolm Greggor. "Some of them will be out in the -open soon. I'll tell you one." - -"Why can't he?" asked his wife. - -"He's had his fun--I'm going to have mine," said Greggor, winking at -Guy. "He's developed a means of making Pluto a livable place." - -"No!" breathed Laura. - -"Indeed. Our trouble there has always been the utter cold. Pluto is -rich in the lighter metals--lithium, beryllium, and the like. It has -been a veritable wonderland for the light-metal metallurgist. But it -has been one tough job to exploit. But Guy has invented a barrier of -energy that prevents any radiation from leaving outward and passes -energy inward. That'll heat Pluto excellently--with the unhappy result -that Pluto will be hard to find save by sheer navigation." - -"Oh, wonderful." - -"There's another angle to that," said Guy. "It'll make Pluto harder -to find for the Martians, too. Since the radiation passes inward, the -incoming ship may signal with a prearranged code, and the shield may be -opened long enough for the ship to get a sight on Pluto. The barrier -offers no resistance to material bodies." - -"Hm-m-m. We'll score another one for Guy," said Malcolm Greggor. -"That'll be a nice nail in the ladder of success, young man. There's -one more thing--are you thinking what I'm thinking?" - -"Perhaps. May I speak?" - -"Go ahead. Marian and Laura will not repeat it. Their interests are -clear, and their trust has been accepted by the Patrol. All officials' -wives are cleared to the Patrol's satisfaction since we know it is -impossible to prevent us from mentioning small things from time to -time." - -"Yes, indeed," said Marian. "Living with a man for years and years as -we do, it would be hard to keep from knowing things. We hear a hint -today, another next week, and a third a month from now. Adding them to -something we heard last month, and we have a good idea of what the man -is thinking of." - -"That's not all," laughed Greggor. "Wives have some sort of lucky -mental control. Mine, confound it, can almost read my mind--and most of -them can almost read their husbands' minds. So go ahead and speak." - -"I was thinking of a cruiser equipped with the barrier." - -"Is the equipment small enough?" - -"Certainly. The size of the barrier dictates the size of the -equipment--within limits. Anything from a lifeship--say fifty feet -long--to a super battlecraft like the _Orionad_--twelve hundred feet -long--can be equipped." - -"Fine. And now as to this barring of radiation? How would the drive -work?" - -"I don't know, not having had the opportunity of trying it out. I doubt -that it will work." - -"Then the idea is not so good." - -"I think it fair enough for a trial." - -"But a ship without a drive is useless." - -"It has limitations. But it is not useless. Battle conditions may be -developed to take the limitations as they may exist. Look. The course -of the target is determined--or wait, we must determine the course -of the target first. The course of the target is found by lying in -wait with detectors. The ship is concealed in the barrier-screen, and -the target can not see or detect the sub-cruiser, but the detectors -catch the target. The sub-cruiser must remain in the shell, so to -speak, until the target is out of detection range. This gives plenty -of time to plot the course of the target. Once out of range, the shell -is opened and the sub-cruiser takes off on a tangent course at high -acceleration. It exceeds the speed of the target, and then turns to -intercept the course of the target at some distant spot--calculated on -the proposition of the sub-cruiser driving powerless, or coasting. The -shell is re-established, and the target and the sub-cruiser converge. -At point-blank range, the sub-cruiser lets fly with interferers and -torpedoes, and continues on and on until it is out of range once more. - -"The target is either demolished; or missed, requiring a second try. -At worst, the target knows that from out of the uninhabited sky there -has come a horde of interferers and torpedoes, and there is nothing to -shoot at. They still do not know which way the blast will come from -next. Follow?" - -"Sounds cumbersome," said Greggor. "But it may work." - -"Is that what you've been working on?" asked Laura. - -"Yes," said Guy. - -"Sounds as though we have genius in our midst," she answered, flashing -Guy a glance that made his heart leap. - -"Oh, I--" started Guy, and then remembered the whole tale again. He -couldn't really take credit for this. It wasn't truly his idea; that -had come from Ertene. The application of the light-shield had been his, -but they were giving him credit for the whole thing. - -That was not fair--and yet he knew that he must take false credit or -betray not only himself but Ertene, too. And now that his die was cast, -he must never waver from that plan. To do so would bring the wrath of -the Board of Investigation for his not telling all upon his arrival. - -So he stopped the deprecatory sentence and merely smiled. - -"--don't think it is too wonderful. It is, or was, but a matter of time -before someone else struck the same idea." - -"But you were first!" said Laura. "And we're going to celebrate. Mind -if I run off with him?" she asked her parents. - -She drew him from the dining room without waiting for an answer. - - - - - VII. - - -From Sahara Base to New York is a solid, two-hour flight for the -hardiest driver. Maynard was no tyro at the wheel of a sky-driver, and -he drove like fury and made it in slightly over the two-hour mark. He -let the flier down in New Jersey and they took the interurban tube to -the heart of Manhattan. - -Guy was proud. Very proud and very happy. The rayed stars on his lapels -gave him a lift that acted as a firm foundation for the presence of -Laura Greggor, whose company always lifted him high. - -Her hand was at his elbow in a slightly possessive manner, and he was -deliriously happy at the idea of belonging to Laura Greggor. They swept -into the Silver Star, and though he was unknown, the rayed stars of the -senior executive gained him quite a bit more deference than he had ever -known as a junior. He'd been in the Silver Star before; usually it was -too rich for his blood, but he had one year's salary in his wallet, and -the increase in rank warranted shooting the whole wad. - -He palmed a twenty solar note into the head waiter's hand, and the head -waiter led them to a ringside table and removed the "Reserved" sign. - -As they settled, Guy said: "'Reserved'? For whom?" - -"What?" asked Laura. - -"Nothing," said Guy cynically. A great truth had dawned upon him. -Before, he had been refused the better tables because they were -reserved. Now he knew that they were reserved for the ones who could -pay for them. "Dance?" - -Laura was peering into the haze of cigarette smoke and answered -absently: "Not now. I want a cigarette first." - -Maynard handed over the little cylinder and snapped his lighter. Laura -drew deeply, and then turned to scan the crowd once more. She satisfied -herself, and then smoked the cigarette down to the last drag before -consenting to dance. - -"I'm a little rusty," he apologized. "We don't do much dancing in a -destroyer." - -"I'm afraid not," answered Laura. - -"You are as light as ever," he told her. He didn't like the inference; -obviously she had been dancing long and often while he was gone. - -"Forget it," said Laura, catching his thought. She put her forehead -against his chin and sent his pulse racing. - -Too soon the dance was over, and he followed her to their table. Guy -offered Laura another cigarette, and as he was lighting it, a young man -in evening clothes came over and greeted them with a cheery "Hello!" - -Maynard went to his feet, but the stranger draped himself indolently -into a chair which he lifted from a vacant table adjoining. Maynard -shrugged, and sat down, feeling slightly overlooked. - -"Hi, Laura, what brings you here?" - -"He does," said Laura, nodding across the table to Guy. "Guy Maynard, -this is Martin Ingalls." - -Greetings were exchanged, and each man took the other's measure. -"Senior executive, hey?" smiled Ingalls. "That's something!" - -"Oh," said Maynard cheerfully, "they think I've been useful." - -"Keep 'em thinking that," suggested Ingalls, "and you'll get along -fine." - -"He'll get along fine," offered Laura. "But what are you doing here?" - -"Oh, Timmy and Alice hauled me in for dinner. They're over there." - -"Well! Let's join them!" - - * * * * * - -Maynard swallowed imperceptibly. He wanted Laura to himself. And here -was a young man faultlessly attired in evening clothing who came to a -place like the Silver Star for dinner. - -He nodded dully, and followed to another table where a couple sat -waiting. The man known as Timmy handed over a twenty solar bill and -said, laughingly: "All right, Mart. You win." - -"What was the bet?" asked Laura. - -"I bet Mart that he couldn't get you over here." - -"That was a foolish bet," said Laura. "I'm always happy to be with -friends." - -"We know," said Alice. "But your friend has a brand new set of rayed -stars on, and I told both of these monkeys that it looked like a -celebration to me--and lay off." - -"Yeah, but if there's any celebrating to be done, we can do it better," -laughed Martin Ingalls. - -"You aren't here alone?" asked Laura. - -"I am a recluse tonight," answered Ingalls. "Nobody loves me." - -"Liar!" said Timmy. "He didn't bother to call anyone." - -"So he's alone," added Ingalls. "And where do we go from here?" - -"Let's go to Havana," suggested Alice. "I've been needing some blood -pressure." To Maynard she added: "If you know a better way to get high -blood pressure without hatred, let me know. Do you?" - -"Better than what?" asked Guy. - -"Dice. I crave excitement." - -"But we just came," objected Maynard. - -"You can leave," said Ingalls. "After all, the Silver Star is nothing -to get wrought up over." - -"Who's to drive?" asked Alice. - -"We'll take Mart's junk," said Timmy. "It'll hold the five of us with -ease." - -"Mine is in New Jersey--we could follow," said Maynard. - -"Now I know we'll take mine," said Martin. "It's on the roof. We'll -waste no time dragging all the way to New Jersey." - -Maynard settled up with the waiter, and within five minutes found -himself seated in the rear seat with Martin Ingalls, and Laura Greggor -between them. The run to Havana was made during a running fire of light -conversation. And from there on, the night became lost to Guy Maynard. - -He followed. He did not lead, not for one minute. They led him from -place to place, and he watched them hazard large sums of money on the -turn of a pair of dice. He joined them, gingerly, hiding his qualms, -and played cautiously. He won, at first, and permitted himself to enjoy -the play as long as he was playing with the other party's money. Then -he lost, and tried to buck up his loss with shrewdness. But skill and -shrewdness never prevail against an honest pair of dice, and these were -strictly honest. So Maynard played doggedly, and his financial status -remained the same. He was a couple of hundred solars behind the game. - -He missed the others, and went to look for them and found them dancing. -He stood on the side line for a few minutes, until Laura spied him. She -broke from Martin's arms and came to him, leading him on to the floor -for the rest of the dancing. - -The excitement had done its work on Laura. Her eyes were bright, and -her hair was ever-so-slightly mussed, which removed the showcase -perfection and made her, to Maynard, a glamorous and wonderful thing. -His arm tightened about her waist, and she responded gently. - -"Like this?" he asked her quietly. - -Her head nodded against his cheek. Maynard took a deep breath. "You're -lovely," he said. - -Laura caressed his cheek with her forehead. "It's been a wonderful -evening," she said. "But I'm getting tired. Let's go home?" - -Guy lifted his left hand from hers and stroked her hair. "Anything you -want," he promised. - -"You're a grand person," she said. - - * * * * * - -The music stopped, and Maynard felt that the spell of the evening -stopped with it. They found Alice, Timmy, and Martin at the bar, and -Martin called for drinks for them. "A final nightcap," he said, "to a -perfect evening." - -They agreed to his toast. - -"And now," said Martin practically. "As to getting home." - -"Yes, indeed. Who lives where?" - -"We are in Florida," said Timmy. "We can catch us a cab." - -"The rest of us--at least Guy and I are from Sahara Base," said Laura. -"But Guy's flier is in New Jersey." - -"Shame to make you travel all that way," said Martin. "Should have -thought of that when I demanded that we all take my crate. I'm deucedly -sorry, Guy." - -"Forget it," said Maynard with a wave of his hand. - -"I can do this much for you, though," offered Ingalls. "It's past dawn -at Sahara now, and since you folks live by the sun, I can imagine that -Laura is about asleep on her feet. Look, Maynard, you're used to a -rigorous life; you can take this sort of thing. Laura can't. I live by -New York time and am therefore several hours better off than she for -sleep. I'll run her across the pond, and you traipse up to New Jersey -for that flier of yours. That way Laura will get to bed an hour sooner. -What say?" - -Maynard groped. How could he tell Ingalls that he wanted to take Laura -home without sounding like a jealous adolescent? Perhaps he was, but -he didn't want to sound childish in front of these people. Ingalls' -suggestion was reasonable, from a practical standpoint, but Maynard did -not want to be practical. He thought that Laura should have objected; -surely she would prefer that he see her home. She _should_ prefer it, -according to etiquette. But she did not protest, and Maynard sacrificed -his desire for the benefit of practicality. - -They said good-by, and Laura patted his cheek and made him promise to -see her soon. Guy promised, and as she turned away to go with Ingalls, -he had a fleeting thought that the pat on the cheek was small solace. -Maynard wanted a bit of loving. - -Instead, he sat on the far side of Alice from Timmy, and watched Alice -doze on Timmy's shoulder all the way from Havana to Miami. Their -good-by was quick, and though Timmy demanded his right to pay this part -of the fare on the basis that Maynard had a long drag ahead and that -this portion of the trip would have been his anyway, Guy laughed and -waved the other man out of the cab with a cheery: "See you later!" - - * * * * * - -Dawn was over New York when Maynard's flier started out across the -Atlantic toward Sahara Base. Maynard dropped in his landing-space at -Sahara nearly two and one half hours later, and wearily made his way -toward home. - -The smell of good coffee caused him to stop, and he entered the small -lunchroom with remembrance. Coffee and breakfast might take the pang -out of the night's lack of climax, so Guy seated himself at the long -counter and toyed with the menu. The waitress came forward, recognized -him, and said: "Guy Maynard! Well! Hello!" - -Guy looked up. The open welcome sound in the voice was good to hear. He -smiled wearily and answered: "Howdy, Joan. Glad to see me back?" - -Joan leaned forward over the counter and put her elbows down, cradling -her chin on the interlaced fingers. "You, Guy Maynard, are a sight for -sore eyes. Over at Mother Andrew's we thought you were a real M-12." - -"I am," he smiled. Joan and the rest of the people might think they -knew the real purpose of M-12. Those who lived within the vastness of -Sahara Base had good reason to think as they did, but Maynard believed -that this was as good a time as any to dispel that belief. "I am a real -M-12. I've been off working on some hush-hush. You're still living at -Mother Andrew's?" - -"You bet. I'm going to stay there, what's more, until my name isn't -Forbes any more," and Joan held up the bare left hand. "We missed you -every morning at breakfast." - -"I saw her last night. She kept my room in fine shape." - -"She's wonderful," Joan yawned. - -"Tired?" - -"Uh-huh. I've been on the dawn patrol. Look, Guy, I'm going off in -about an hour. Have yourself a good, hearty breakfast, and you may walk -me home. O.K.?" - -Guy Maynard looked into Joan's cheerful face and nodded. Joan shook her -curls at him, and without asking for his order, she went to the kitchen -and was gone for fifteen minutes. When she returned, she was laden with -breakfast, complete from grapefruit to toast. She drew his coffee, -sugared and creamed it, and then said: "Pitch in, spaceman. Have a good -breakfast. I'll bet my hat that you haven't had one like that since -you left on that M-12." - -Maynard looked the counter-full over and said: "You are right, Joan." - -He set to with a will, and when he finished, Joan was ready to leave. - -They walked home in almost-silence. Joan knew better than to press him -concerning tales of his activities while on the mission, and she was -wise enough to know better than to speak of other men and other fun -to a man who has been away and at work. Nothing had happened to her -worth mentioning, and the rest of her life had been discussed with Guy -Maynard long ago. - -As for Guy, he felt at ease. He did not know it; he was unaware of the -reason for his better-feeling. He did know that the tightness was gone -from the muscles across his stomach, and he felt less like running -and hiding than he had in hours. He wondered whether the coffee and -excellent breakfast had done it, and then forgot about it. He felt too -good to wonder why. - -They walked in silence and partly in understanding companionship. -Maynard knew that he needed no "act" to impress Joan. She would accept -him as he was. And when Joan spoke, she directed her thought at him, -which made him feel at ease. - -Together they entered Mother Andrew's apartments, and as Joan did not -dismiss him, he followed up the stairs to the door of her apartment. -She fumbled with the key and the door swung open. - -"Well," he said, extending a hand, "it's been nice seeing you again." - -Joan took the hand and gave it a gentle pressure. She smiled up at him -mischievously and said: "Is that the best you can do?" She laughed, but -her laugh was gentle. - -Instinctively, Guy put his free hand on her shoulder, and her head went -back so that she faced him squarely. "You know, I think you've been -lonely," she told him. She did not evade him, but went into his arms -willingly, almost eagerly. - - - - - VIII. - - -The days that followed were busy, indeed. Maynard found that the -increase in rank not only gave him more pay, but more authority too. -He was now entitled, by his rank of senior executive, to command one of -the speedy, small destroyers, and his command was being prepared for -him. - -Unlike other, normal commands, the _Asterite_ was being fitted with -laboratory equipment, and was to be staffed with technical men. Maynard -found himself literally swamped with paper work, and he was expected -to supervise the installation of the equipment too. But he found time -to dine with Kane twice, and the publisher extracted a promise from -Maynard that the young officer should co-operate with him. - -When the time for leaving was at hand, Guy made his parting with Laura -Greggor at the Greggor home. Laura, realizing that her actions had not -been too complimentary to him, was duly affectionate. Guy left there -with his heart high and his spirit unbeatable. - -He went home and packed, and as he was leaving for the _Asterite_, he -paused and knocked on Joan's door. There was no answer, and so Maynard -asked Mother Andrew to tell the girl good-by for him. - -The elderly woman smiled cheerfully and said: "She knew she'd miss you, -Guy. She left this letter. You're to read it after you get aboard your -command." - -"After?" asked Maynard. "Nonsense." He ripped the envelope and read: - - Dear Guy: - - I was right. You were lonely. Space must be lonely; even if for no - other reason than its vastness. I've been told before, but I didn't - realize. You've been lonely, Guy, and you will be lonely again, - once you are back in space. I may not keep you from loneliness - there, Guy, but please, never be lonely again when at home. - - Joan. - -"She's a fine girl," said Guy. - -"Joan Forbes is one of the world's finest," said Mother Andrew -positively. She was gratified to see him put the letter in an inside -pocket as he left. What was in Guy's mind, she could not guess, but she -believed that he was slightly muddled, for some reason. - - * * * * * - -Guy was confused. There was something wrong with the way things went, -and he was not brilliant enough to understand the trouble. He gave it -up as a major problem after trying several times to unravel the tangle. - -Then, too, there was no time to think about it. His problem lost -importance when displayed against the program he had set out to cover. - -And as the miles and the days sped by, the problem at hand became -the important thing, and the other problem died in dimness. The -_Asterite_ moved swiftly out into the region beyond the Belt, and into -a completely untenanted region that was marked by absolutely nothing. -On his astrogator's chart, a dotted line was labeled Neptune, but the -planet itself was almost in quadrature with that position. Pluto was -on the far side of Sol from him, and Saturn and Uranus were motes of -unwinking light in almost-opposition to Neptune. - -He was alone with his crew. They worked diligently, setting up -the barrier-screen generators, and when they had them working to -satisfaction, they tried variations. - -The pilot worked upon their course day by day until it was corrected -and stable; an orbit about a mythical point, the centripetal force -of the outward-directed drive being in balance with the centrifugal -force of their orbit. It made them a neat 1-G for stability, and did -not cause them to cover astral units in seconds, or require continuous -turnovers for deceleration and return, which would have been the case -had no orbit been established. - -Their work progressed. The neat, orderly arrangement of the scanning -room became slightly haywire as they ran jury-rigged circuits in from -the barrier-generators. - -No petty quarreling marred their work. This was partly due to the -training of the men at Patrol School, and partly due to Maynard's -foresight in picking his crew. He had done a masterful job, for in this -kind of job, the tedious nature of flight was amplified, and the lack -of any variation in the day's duration, or of one day from the one past -or the one coming next, made men rub each other the wrong way. - -And part of it was due to the nature of the job, enigmatically. They -were working on something entirely new. It was interesting to watch the -results pile up, and to add to the diary of the experiment the day's -observations and the opinions of the workers. - -Then as the end came in sight, the inevitable irritation flared briefly -as the technician tossed his chessboard aside with a snort and stamped -to his quarters. It might have started a long chain of events if a -real diversion had not presented itself, right in the technician's -department. - -Maynard heard the communicator snap on, and listened. - -"Technician to Executive: Spacecraft approaching. Range extreme, about -one point seven megs." - -"One million, seven hundred miles," said Maynard aloud. "Technician: -can you get a reading?" - -"The cardex is chewing on the evidence, sir," came the reply. - -"Let me know as soon as you get the answer, Stan." - -"O.K. Here it is. It is the _Loki_, a private craft owned by the -publisher, Kane. Want the vital statistics?" - -"Forget the color of eyes, weight, and fighting trim," smiled Maynard. -"What's his course and velocity?" - -"Deceleration at about 4-Gs, course within ten thousand miles of us. -Velocity less than a thousand miles per second." - -"How soon can we match her speed?" - -"Depends upon their willingness. Perhaps ten or twelve hours will do -it," answered Stan. "Get your astrogator on it." - -"Executive to astrogator: Have you been listening?" - -"Astrogator. You bet, and Stan's wild. Make it fourteen hours." - -"Executive to pilot: Contact astrogator and follow course. Stan, will -you try to contact them? I think it's your job, since they're at -extreme range. Communications, you try with the standard sets, but I -will not have any tinkering with the set-up in an effort to get another -mile of range out of it." - -"This is Stan. I have them on a weakling signals, they're asking for -you." - -"Tell 'em I'm here and we'll see 'em later. Check their course and -prepare to match it. Then tell 'em to keep silence. That's an official -order. Follow?" - -"Check." - - * * * * * - -Fourteen hours later, Thomas Kane came across the intervening space in -a tender and shook Maynard by the hand. - -"Kane! How are you?" - -"Fine. And you?" - -"The same. But how did you find us?" - -"Did a little ferreting." - -"Did you know this is restricted space?" - -"Sure, but forget it. How's the experiment?" - -"Excellent." - -"Mind telling all?" - -"No. We set up a barrier on the _Asterite_, here, and have been testing -and investigating it for months, as you know." - -"Have you licked the main bugaboo?" - -"We'll never lick that one. The drive, being a type of radiation, will -not pass the barrier and so will not drive us. We can not discover a -range of radiation that passes outward at all, though there is some -minute leakage. The latter is absolutely insufficient to do any good." - -"Too bad." - -"It is. But the barrier is a good thing." - -"Oh, it'll serve in spite of its difficulties." - -"We developed the reverse, too. In addition to the barrier, we have -what we call a disperser. It is the reverse of the barrier in every -way." - -"That's interesting. You can drive through that one?" - -"Yes, but that's strictly impractical for space maneuvers. You see, -both barriers are tenuous with regard to material bodies. A torpedo -will pass without knowing that a barrier is there. And no ship can -hope to match acceleration with a torpedo, roaring along at a hundred -Gs or better. The barrier will keep a ship from detection, but it -is sudden death to the ship if its presence is known. AutoMacs will -burn the ship to nothing, torpedoes will enter and blast. Even misses -with the AutoMacs cause trouble because their energy goes into the -barrier-sphere and remains, reflecting off of the insides of the sphere -until absorbed by the ship. The trick in use is to speed up and stab -with torpedoes, and then continue on your course undetected until a -safe distance is covered. - -"The disperser screen is opposite. It will protect against AutoMacs -or any other energy. It is detectable in itself, since it reflects -anything sent against it, and also passes any inside energy right out -through the screen. A ship with one of those is bear-meat. The AutoMacs -wouldn't be used at all, a torpedo will be shot out to blast it from -the universe. No, the disperser is useless." - -"Do torpedoes work on the barrier?" - -"Not too well," said Maynard. "You see, their aiming and steering -circuits are useless until a target is set. Since the sphere is -nonradiating, the only way you can fire a torpedo into a sub-ship is -to aim it well and drive it into the barrier-screen by sheer aim. Once -inside the screen, however, it will track the target. It will bar -against drive-interferers, too. But take my word for it, there is -nothing good about the disperser." - -"How about combining them?" - -"We had that idea, too," laughed Maynard. "No dice." - -"Why? Seems to me--?" - -"When the barrier is equal to the disperser, they cancel, believe it -or not. If the barrier is put inside of the disperser, the disperser -can not form since the barrier also bars the radiation that sets up -the disperser screen. It will also bar the idea of establishing two -barriers, too, by the way. On the other hand, if the disperser is put -inside of the barrier, they can be held. But--and this is a big but, -Kane, energy enters the barrier, and energy emanates from the ship, and -there is a stress set up in the volume between the two spheres that -sets up a counter force that blows the generators right out of this -universe." - -"You seem to have seen the whole works," smiled Kane. - -"You know, I can't even see the idea of carrying this disperser -equipment on a detector to go up in case of attack with AutoMacs, -even if it could be made to establish instantly. Just takes up good -room--the generators, I mean." - -"What's the generating time?" - -"Seventy-three milliseconds is the best we've been able to clock. -That's a close screen, and it takes considerable stability in the -generators to hold it. The best barriers for distance and power -establish in point one nine eight seconds. Anything beyond that -would require too much holding power, anything closer requires more -generator stability." - -"How does instability affect the screen?" - -"Won't hold up. It collapses, and the build-up begins from zero again. -That would be dangerous." - -"You've been a busy boy," smiled Kane. "Also a definite credit to us -all." - -"Thanks." - -"And how do you intend to operate this thing in practice?" asked Kane. -"Not attack, in defense. I mean?" - -"We've got the thing hitched to the finders," Maynard punched a -switch. "Now, for instance, if anything that radiates comes within -detector range of us, the barrier goes on. You'll see that everything -is tacked down. We've been trying it out with the tenders, and the -first time we did it, we went free and everything floated around the -place in no-gravity. We're now protected, and if your pilot should kick -his drive, we'd go free." Maynard adjusted three dials. "Now," he said, -"the spotter is set to neglect any radiation from the _Loki_. We can -set up many such channels, compensating for every ship in a flight, and -yet have the whole flight protected in case of intrusion by another -ship." - -"You've got everything all set, haven't you?" - -"Just about. If we had torpedoes, we could declare a private war on -Mars." - -"Then you're about finished?" - -"Just about. Want to come in with us, or will you go in the _Loki_?" - -"I'll ride with you, if you do not mind." - -"Not at all," smiled Guy. "Executive to Communications: Inform _Loki_ -that Kane will return with us, and to make for Terra immediately." - -"Check." - -"We'll lose him," grinned Guy. "We're all set for 5-G." - -"He'll take it easy, at three. I don't mind." - -"Executive to Pilot: Take course for Terra at five!" - -"Check!" - - * * * * * - -The _Asterite_ turned and left the _Loki_ far behind, and the velocity -began to build up for the return trip. An hour later, with the -_Asterite_ bettering a hundred miles per second, the second incident -occurred. It came as a complete surprise, since they were running -through a restricted space, and Maynard remarked that it looked more -like a public thoroughfare. - -The finder-alarm clanged stridently, and immediately the ship went -free. Men clutched at the hand-rails, and as they settled down, the -technician took the communicator and started to speak excitably: -"Technician to crew: Hold your hats! We're about to be passed by the -_Orionad_!" - -"_Orionad?_ Holy Pete!" exploded Maynard. "See that this confounded -screen doesn't fail. If it dies, so do we!" - -"Huh?" asked Kane. - -"This restricted space was created for the _Orionad_ to return through. -The nature of the restriction is such that anyone of official nature -will be warned, and no civil traffic will be cleared through here. I am -here because I didn't think the _Orionad_ was due to return yet, and -you came because you probably left without clearance. Right?" - -"Right." - -"Well, the _Orionad_ believes that anybody who is in the restricted -space is an enemy; spying upon their course. The consequences are -clear." - -"I hope they hold that screen," said Kane. "But what about Jimmy? My -pilot?" - -Maynard groaned. "He's several thousand miles behind, and any attempts -to save him would fail. The _Orionad_ will recognize no incoming -signals. Nothing we can do will save him!" Maynard groaned, and then -he brightened briefly. "Stan!" he called. "What's the chances of the -_Orionad_ missing the _Loki_?" - -"Not too bad," said the technician. "They'll be running with their -finder at cruising range, and they'll just touch us. _Loki_ is sliding -sidewise and may be out of range." - -"We hope. Well, keep it going, fellows. This may be dangerous." - -Time passed slowly and ponderously, and the _Orionad_ caught up and -passed the _Loki_ without seeing or detecting the publisher's ship. Of -this, Maynard was certain, since the celestial globe would have flared -briefly had any action been taken against the _Loki_. - -Then as the _Orionad_ passed the _Asterite_, Maynard said: "Chalk us -up a win, Kane. Your crate is safe." - -"You're certain?" - -"I am. _Loki_ is now beyond range of our detector, which was souped -up and is running at overload range. _Orionad_'s detectors would be -running at cruising range, which I happen to know is one quarter -meg--two hundred and fifty thousand miles, to you." - -"I see. _Loki_ is on the far side of us from the _Orionad_, and their -distance is such that their cruising range on the detector is less than -the distance to _Loki_?" - -"Right. And give us another ten minutes, and _Orionad_ will go beyond -detection range from us. Cruising range, that is." - -"Mark yourself up a credit for this one, too," smiled Kane. "If you -were an enemy, you could surely score one on the super ship itself." - -"Sure could," agreed Guy enthusiastically. - -Stan Norman said: "Technician to Executive: May I enter this encounter -in the log?" - -"Go ahead," said Guy. "They'll never believe us, though." - -"Wouldn't a definite statement of their course and velocity be -evidence?" - -"Nope. I happen to know it. It was part of the maneuver secret that I -was kidnaped for, remember." - -"They'd just accuse you of telling tall tales that couldn't be -substantiated," agreed Kane. "The crew and myself would be considered -biased witnesses. I'd sure like to cinch the argument, though." - -"So would I," said Guy thoughtfully. - -"Do you trust this dingbat of yours? The barrier, I mean." - -"Naturally." - -"Then couldn't we really do something about it?" - -"I don't know what--unless we splashed them with a bucket of paint. -We have a gallon of bright red, wire-impregnating varnish. Executive -to Pilot, Astrogator, Technician, and Observer: Get the course of the -_Orionad_ to the last millimeter. Both the intrinsic course and the -course with respect to the _Asterite_. Then plot a free flight across -their path to intercept within a thousand feet at thirty degrees angle. -You know the standard attack problem as we have designed it; this is -an applied problem, fellows. We're going to label the _Orionad_! And -when they land, they're going to bear the _Asterite_'s trademark, and -they'll not know it until we make Terra. Like?" - -"We're on it now," said Stan. - -"And working in nine decimals," added Astrogator Cummins. - - * * * * * - -Technician Norman stretched his back, and started to gather his tools. -"So far," he told Maynard, "every instrument we need has been checked -and corrected to the last micron. Turretman Hastings and Machinist -Trenton have converted one of the mounts to a spring-loaded gadget to -propel a gallon-sized cannister of plastic material. Adkins has just -cemented such a cylinder together and filled it with the wire gluck. -I hope we hit the main personnel lock; it'll stay glucky until they -land, and that wire-impregnating googoo ranks high among the things I -wouldn't care to bathe in." - -"It ranks top with me," said Maynard. - -"To me, it is outranked only by chewing gum and rubber cement. But -anyway, we're ready, all of us." - -"That correct?" asked Maynard of the crew. - -A series of "Check" shouts came in ragged confusion. - -"O.K. Start going!" - -With the instruments under personal supervision, the _Asterite_ -accelerated in a wide circle, and then corrected the side-vector -component of her course. - -Then for an hour solid, the _Asterite_ accelerated on a die-true -course. The components of the intersection were complex because the -_Orionad_ was in deceleration all the time, while the _Asterite_ was -in acceleration, and would be picking up speed until the barrier -established; then the little destroyer would coast free, crossing the -_Orionad_'s course at the precise instant that the super ship came to -the course of the free-flying _Asterite_. - -The last driving moments of the _Asterite_'s maneuver passed. The -barrier went on, and the tiny ship went free. Time passed, and -eventually the _Orionad_, long beyond detector range, came into the -scope of the _Asterite_'s souped-up finder. - -Furious and extensive checking on the part of the crew resulted in the -information that everything was going according to plan. - -More time passed, and now within sight, the two ships were converging. -They became tense, a single moment of failure would be death for all. -But the barrier held, as they expected it to, and with lightning -velocity, the two ships crossed at thirty degrees angle. - -"Fire!" called the technician. - -"Stick to your meters," drawled Turretman Hastings. "This is a -job for an eyepiece and fingertip man. A man, may I say, with eyes -in his fingertips. A man, may I add ... Ughh. There she goes, -fellers!... who is capable of doing things based upon the excellency -of his coordination." - -"What a line of baloney," snorted Norman. "Did he follow through on -that malarkey?" - -"And, may I add," drawled Hastings, "a man who never claims ability -beyond his capability? Who never claims that which he is unable to -produce. The _Orionad_ is now bearing a great, ugly, irregular circle -of bright red, gooey paint." - -"Are they aware?" - -"Apparently not," said Technician Norman. "Also, the projectile we -tossed at them is nondetectable and nonradiating, and was in the -separation-space too briefly for observation. Another thing, we hit 'em -in a blind spot." - -"Blind spot?" asked Kane. "I didn't know she had any." - -"She hasn't. What I meant was that we hit 'em in a bald spot. They'll -not see the mess until they land. Pilot, how're we doing?" - -"Fine. We're coasting away at a great rate." - -"Well, get this barrier down as soon as you get out of range. Wait -until you are out of operating range, but don't worry about extreme -range unless you think they smell a crate full of mice." - -"Right-o." - -"You know, Kane, that was fun, sort of. But I hate to think of what -they will say back home. I'm liable to get busted right down to a -junior aide again." - -"They can't break you for that kind of demonstration," said Kane. - -"Yes they can. I'm still at the mercy of my superiors." - -Kane smiled. "No, you're not. I forgot to tell you--or you didn't -let me get to the point of my coming. But, Guy Maynard, since the -successful establishment of the Plutonian shield, you are now a sector -commander. That gives you--" - -"I'm what?" asked Maynard. - -"A sector commander. Here, if you don't believe me," and Kane handed -Guy a tiny box. Guy opened it, and found lapel-insignia; the circling -comet of the sector commander. In Kane's other hand was an envelope -stamped "Official" which contained official notice of his advance in -rank. - -"That puts you in the upper bracket," said Kane. "You are now on your -own, Guy. Any demonstrations you may give will be viewed officially, -and this is no longer a prank, but a self-assertion; a very definite -evidence of your ability to accomplish the difficult." - -The barrier dropped, and the celestial globe traced the last indication -of the receding _Orionad_ to the surface of the clear, glassite sphere. - -Maynard touched his hat in salute to the _Orionad's_ last glimmer and -said: "Hi!" - - - - - IX. - - -The _Asterite_ beat the _Orionad_ to Terra by a few hours, and in -sufficient time for the report of Maynard's trip to be reviewed by the -Bureau of Ordnance. When they came to the incident of the painting, -they laughed first, and then called Malcolm Greggor to ascertain the -moment of the _Orionad_'s landing. Armed with the information they went -to the big landing area at Sahara Base, and waited for the big ship to -touch. - -Greggor was there; he arrived almost as they did. - -"What's the meaning of this?" he stormed. - -Patrol Marshal Mantley grinned at the irate man and answered: "Your -erstwhile employee has demonstrated his sub-screen to excellent effect, -Greggor. He hung a gallon of red paint on the _Orionad_ without their -notice." - -"This is preposterous!" exploded Greggor. - -"Not at all," said Mantley. "Sector Commander Maynard was merely -bringing home the effectiveness of his own invention. If he can do that -to the _Orionad_, no Martie can hope to best us. You must admit that he -has something good." - -"That I admit. But to play such a prank--" - -"No prank, Greggor. This was a very convincing demonstration. How -can you possibly classify such an epoch-making act as a prank? It is -deplorable that your pride and joy should be thus decorated by a -mere ... he was but Senior Executive Maynard at the time ... destroyer, -a spacecraft one tenth the tonnage of the _Orionad_. But I insist that -it does not detract from the pride of the _Orionad_ to have been bested -by such a weapon." - -"I feel as though I've been made a fool of." - -"Ridiculous! It is not an admission of defeat to acknowledge a minor -defeat at the hands of a man who is responsible for making Pluto -inhabitable. After all, Greggor, Maynard is one in fifty billion." - -Greggor smiled wryly. "When you put it that way, I must admit," he -said. "Any man who can bring the means of warming a planet to human -climates certainly must be capable of decorating the _Orionad_. Maybe I -should grow angry again; why should such a genius stoop to tamper with -my ship?" - -"It was available and the best thing we have to boot." - -Maynard interrupted. "Surely you would not believe me capable of -bringing ridicule upon you, Marshal Greggor. It was but a splendid -opportunity to demonstrate what could have been done to an enemy with a -torpedo. What if I had been a Martian?" - -"I agree," said Greggor. Then he laughed uproariously. "We'll pink -Patrol Marshal Inkland with the idea," he said. "Tell him that his -ship was destroyed in space by a real destroyer; that he must have -been asleep. Roast him good, and see what happens. Here she comes--and -Maynard, that splotch of red paint sticks out like a miniature sun. -What a mal-beautiful job of decoration." - -The _Orionad_ landed, and Inkland came across the sand toward the -little group as soon as he saw who it was. He shook hands all around -and smiled until Greggor told him of the decoration. - -Inkland turned red and blustered. "Nothing was within detector range of -me!" he insisted. - -"That slab of red paint says you're wrong," said Greggor sternly. - -Inkland inspected the red paint from where they stood and was forced to -admit that _something_ had been close enough to do it while in space. -"Who did that?" he stormed. - -Mantley indicated Maynard, and Inkland strode over to Guy with murder -in his eye. "You insolent young puppy--I'll see that you lose your -rank, senior executive." He whirled to the assembly and said: "No -matter what was done, the fact that a mere senior executive did it is -good enough to prove that it was a prank--" - -"Just a moment," snapped Maynard. "First, I resent being called a -puppy. I dislike being called insolent. And third, I defy your intent -to deprive me of my rank!" - -"Why you--" - -"For your troubles, Patrol Marshal Inkland, I shall consider my success -complete upon the day that I command the _Orionad_ myself!" - -"Ridiculous." - -"Inkland," said Mantley softly, "I would speak more even. You are at -fault, and the fact that Sector Commander Maynard has decorated your -ship in a complex space maneuver of his own device should bring praise -from you instead of hatred." - -"Sector Commander?" asked Inkland. - -"His insignia has not been properly installed," said Space Marshal -Greggor with a fatherly smile. "But his rank has. And if young Guy -Maynard puts his aim at commanding the _Orionad_, I'm beginning to -believe that I would start looking for another job, if I were you." - - * * * * * - -Inkland turned upon his heel and left, with no further word. - -The group of high-ranking officers followed him at length, leaving -Maynard to watch the mighty _Orionad_ being serviced and unloaded. -He stood there for some time, relaxing and enjoying the fresh air -and watching the operations. He found a comfortable spot, and seated -himself lazily. - -He did not sleep, though he did drowse a bit, and a sparse circle -of cigarette butts began to surround him. He did not care; his last -sojourn into space had made him appreciative of the comforts of just -being on Earth where he could watch the sky and the ground meeting at -the horizon. - -He was not molested; though many people came to see the monster -_Orionad_, none bothered him until the day wore into late afternoon. -His first visitor was Laura Greggor. - -"Guy," she said. Her voice was neither sharp nor inviting, but rather a -flat tone of greeting. - -Guy leaped to his feet and reached for her hands. "Laura!" he breathed. -"It's good to see you!" - -"I thank you for that," she said coldly. - -"Why," he asked her, "what's the matter?" - -"Guy, before I go any further, I want to know something. Did you, or -did you not decorate father's ship?" - -"Why," he answered proudly, "I most certainly did." - -"I didn't believe it of you," she said sharply. - -"There was nothing wrong with it," he said. "It was the best thing that -happened to me." - -"You believe that?" asked Laura. - -"I certainly do. After all, it proved the worth of my invention. -And," he added eagerly, "it gave me another set of insignia to have -installed." - -"If the worth of your invention is more interesting to you than the -interest of my father's office," said Laura sharply, "your latest rise -in power--made by using father's finest ship as a stepping stone--is of -little interest to me." - -"But Laura. I'm a sector commander now. And you may have my senior -executive's stars." - -"I have a fair collection," said Laura coldly. "You may bring me your -patrol marshal's nebula when you're raised to sector marshal. Good day!" - -She stamped off angrily, and Maynard searched his mind for the answer -to the question, and gave it up as one of the unanswerable mysteries of -life. If Malcolm Greggor could look upon the incident without rancor, -why should she turn upon him? Any reasoning he did made no sense. - -And as he stood there, footsteps made him aware of another visitor. He -turned to see Joan Forbes. - -"Hello," she said brightly. "I was on my way to the lunchroom and -passed by to see the Big Fellow." She indicated the _Orionad_ now being -illuminated by mighty floodlights in the dusk. "I found you instead." - -"Hi," he said to her. "What's new?" - -"Nothing in my life," she said with a broad smile. Her eye caught the -boxed insignia in Guy's clenched hand. "I see that something is new in -yours. May I salute you, Sector Commander?" - -Guy looked at her with a half-smile as she stepped back and cast him a -womanly salute. "Congratulations," she said, offering her hand. - -Guy looked first at her face, and then at her outstretched hand. -Instead of taking it in his for a handshake in friendship, which -was the manner of its offering, Guy placed the opened box in the -outstretched fingers. - -Joan blinked, and looked down at the box in surprise for a moment. Then -she brightened. - -She stepped forward and removed the rayed stars from Guy's lapel and -replaced them with the circularly tailed comets. She stepped back, -saluted him silently, and then came forward and kissed him on the lips. -Her caress was affectionate, but brief. - -"You're properly installed, commander," she told him. "But if I don't -hurry, I'll be un-installed by my boss. I've got to run along. Keep -rising, Guy!" - -And with that she was gone. - -Guy looked at the empty box, and then at the comets on his lapels. - -And from them, across to the _Orionad_. - -And a challenge arose to confront him. He would be sector marshal one -day, and whether he took his patrol marshal's insignia to Laura Greggor -depended only upon her. And he would also command the _Orionad_. - -He clenched his fist upon the empty box, crushing it. His question was -not: Would he command the _Orionad_? It was: How long would it take? - - * * * * * - -It took five years. Five long, toilsome years. - -But five years of constantly increasing, constantly expanding, -constantly improving. He never forgot the day of the _Orionad_'s -landing in all that five years, though there was evidence that Laura -Greggor had been reprimanded by Malcolm Greggor for her actions. But -Maynard remembered, and it was Joan Forbes that pinned the silver -nebula on his lapels--in public as befitted a Patrol Marshal--just -before he stepped aboard the _Orionad_ to take his first major command. - -He hoped that Laura Greggor remembered. - -Then the _Orionad_ sped into the sky above Sahara Base on the way to -Pluto. - -Guy Maynard was on his way to the top. Ertene was a dim remembrance by -now, and though he could almost pick out the spot of the nomad planet's -present position, it occurred to him only at odd intervals. Ertene was -gone. But the strength of Ertene's knowledge was serving both him and -Terra, and her brief visit was not wasted. - -Maynard lost himself in reverie for a half hour, relaxing in the -luxury of the master's office aboard the mighty _Orionad_. Then Guy's -active mind asserted itself, and he called the chief technician for a -conference. - -Senior Executive Martin Carrington entered the office and stood at -attention, and Guy recalled briefly that on his first command, he -had been of the same rank as his chief technician now. Then he asked -Carrington to be seated. - -"Carrington, I've been worrying." - -"Worrying, sir?" - -"Suppose we are attacked by a sub-ship? How may we detect him?" - -"You are supposing that the Martians gain the secret." - -"I fear they will, some day. We haven't all the brains, you know." - -"But a Martie, sir?" - -"They may capture one of ours by a fluke. Then we'd all be bear-meat." - -"Hardly possible, sir." - -"Then accept it as hypothetical, Carrington. Take off from there and -answer my question." - -"That I cannot do, sir. Frankly, I do not know." - -"Then listen. I have an idea; I want you to pass on its value." - -"I shall try, sir." - -"Carrington, is it possible to establish a celestial globe that is -capable of giving a negative action? No, wait, I'll explain. Our -present celestial globe is positive; it operates by three-dimensional -fluorescence in the sphere, glowing when a positive radiation comes in -from a spaceship. What I want is a negative indication: one that will -glow in any location from which there comes absolutely zero radiation. -Is that possible?" - -"Hm-m-m," mused Carrington. "Our present level of detection is based -upon the maximum level of celestial radiation, which is fairly constant -in all directions save Solward. Your supposed sphere would operate on -the celestial radiation--with the normal globe the entire sphere would -glow--and be dark everywhere except in a place where all radiation were -absorbed. It would be devilishly ticklish, sir." - -"You follow my reasoning?" - -"Oh certainly. Your idea is to prepare a sphere that glows with no -signal. That can be done with a local signal, which is cut when -no-radiation enters. Hard to say in words, isn't it?" - -Maynard laughed cheerfully. "As long as you get my thought, I don't -care how you say it. The barrier-screen absorbs all radiation. -Therefore any position holding a sub-ship would produce zero radiation. -It would then show on the negative sphere. Right?" - -"I think that's about it," said Carrington. - -"Good. We agree on that. Want to work on it?" - -"Absolutely." - -"It's yours, then. Go ahead and make it tick." - -"That I'll do, sir. We'll have it by the time we hit Pluto." - -"One more thing, Carrington. Keep it under your hat. It's a military -secret, you know." - -"I'll say nothing." - -"Check. I'll be down and see you later." - -Carrington left, and as he went back to his quarters, he told several -of his contemporaries that the new commander was everything that they -had ever heard of him. - - * * * * * - -Finding Pluto was a good job of work for the combined efforts of the -astrogator and the chief pilot. Pluto was completely hidden just as -Ertene was, and Maynard knew the completeness of that shield. It was -done gropingly, by sheer hit and miss effort, but finally a black -circle in the starry sky established above them. And as the pilot -announced his success, it began to spread from a minute spot to -mightiness. Then they passed through the barrier, and Pluto was a -warm, greenish planet above them, much the same as Terra as seen from -Luna. - -The _Orionad_ dropped onto the Spaceport; the entire trip without -incident. - -Maynard signed his command into the base marshal's office and ordered -his chief executive officer to grant planet liberty as he saw fit. -Space Marshal Lincoln smiled at the younger man and told him: "I think -you'll be interested in the experiments going on in the radiation -laboratory." - -"Yes?" - -"They're having a bit of trouble on one of your gadgets." - -"Which one?" - -"The stellar light-filter. Somehow, it doesn't work as you predicted." - -"Why didn't they ask for me sooner?" wondered Maynard. "It's been six -years since I thought that one up--they've had plenty of time." - -"It's possible," admitted Lincoln. "But you forget that it was -extremely complex and highly theoretical. Also, no good use has ever -been found for it. Unlike your other inventions, this seems to be an -experiment in pure research. So we didn't start on it until last, and -it's been three years in the building." - -"So long?" - -"Oh yes. Some of the parts were entirely unheard of before, and many -of the major components had to be built of parts that were designed -for the job. When you design the minor components to assemble the -major components--which also require design--you pyramid the time and -difficulty." - -"I hadn't thought of it that well." - -"I wish you'd go over and tell them what's wrong. Kane, the publisher -came in for the unveiling of the thing, and we'd hate to present him -with a complete failure, in spite of its uselessness." - -"Kane's here? Good, I'll go right over." - -Maynard was youthful enough to be amazed that the weight of his rank -opened a path through the grouped technicians to the complex instrument -that lined the entire wall of the huge laboratory. Kane was near the -center, and the only one in the group that knew Guy Maynard well enough -to call him by his first name: therefore he was the first to speak. - -"You invented this thing, Guy. Can you make it work?" - -Guy blushed. "I didn't invent it--" he started and then saw Kane's -puzzled look, which caused him to pause; then he nodded and finished: -"--I merely worked on it theoretically. I did not have enough equipment -in the lifeship to build any more than a few of the more complex -circuits." - -"Good enough," laughed Kane. "Well you may know more than we do at -that. After all," he said in defense of his statement, "these men have -been working on it for a couple of years." - -A man with the rayed stars of a senior executive offered: "That's not -strictly true, Mr. Kane. We started to work on it about three days -ago--if you consider the instrument as a whole. There have been many -groups working on the components separately, building them up. We -assembled the whole last week." - -"Take a swing at it, Guy." - -"It's a maze to me," admitted Guy. "Let me see the circuits." - - * * * * * - -It took Maynard some time to figure them out. He was working from -memory now, and it was none too good, plus the fact that he had -memorized the complex circuit in Ertinian symbols and in Ertinian -constants, and they all required conversion to Terran terms. He called -for the group leaders of the various components, and asked them to -report on the functions of their parts. - -Together, they pinned the error down, and corrected it. Then Maynard -turned the thing on himself. - -The broad plate took on a gray-green background, mottled with huge -circular blotches of white. He turned the focusing knob, and the -mottling contracted into individual circles of intense, flaming white. -He reduced the intensity control, and the eye-searing brightness -dimmed to a more comfortable level. More fiddling with the focus, with -alternate adjustment of the intensity, for they were inter-reacting, -and the plate took on the appearance of the sky. - -"So far so good. Now for the shaping control," said Maynard. He -drove the left hand end swirling upward on the plate with one knob, -stretched the stars across the top of the plate, and compressed them -along the right side. He caused them to whirl circularly, and gradually -the distortion dropped until the constellations appeared. - -"There you are," he told the chief technician. - -"Fine. Now what can we do?" - -"Well, there aren't too many planets," said Maynard. "We can decrease -the response of celestial bodies that shine by reflected light. That -one," he said needlessly, since they all knew it well, "is Jupiter. -Watch him fade!" and Maynard turned the knob. After the demonstration, -he returned it to its original position again. - -"On the other hand, we have a lot of stars," he said, turning the other -knob. The starry heavens faded, leaving a widely scattered group of -pinpricks grouped about a deeper black disk. He pointed to the disk and -said: "Since it is the brightest, we may expect it to be the darkest -too. Can't beat Sol from here. At any rate, this knob causes the fading -of all bodies that shine by intrinsic light. The reflected-light bodies -remain, so." - -"Marshal, sir, there are nine of them," said the technician. - -"Well," interrupted Kane, "there are nine planets, aren't there?" - -"Not from one of them," answered the technician. "Or," he asked -Maynard, "would we appear along with the rest?" - -"No," said Maynard slowly. "You're right. There are nine planets, which -counting the one we're on makes a total of ten." - -"You realize what you're saying?" stammered Kane. "That means you've -discovered a new planet with this gadget." - -Maynard shook his head in dazed unbelief. "Another planet?" Then he -shook off the amazement and said: "It may be so. But before we shout -too loud, we must investigate and be certain." - -"Of course." - -Maynard turned the stellar intensity knob up slightly, bringing the -stellar background into faint light. "Get the constants of that planet, -and we'll check. Kane, you'll come along as a representative of the -Terran Press?" - -"I wouldn't miss it for the world itself," said Kane. "Any chance of -missing it?" - -"If we get the linear constant of that planet from Pluto, here, we'll -line-drive out there. Once within a few million miles, passing by if -need be, we'll know it." - -"Couldn't we pack this thing aboard the _Orionad_?" - -"Not unless we tear the side out of the ship," grinned Maynard. "We'll -fly this blind, and that won't be too hard." - -"And then we may find that planet is but a flyspeck," said Kane. - -"It could be," agreed Maynard. But he knew better. He was thinking of a -huge panel; a brilliant painting in a vast hall lined with paintings. -The one he faced showed Sol--and _ten_ planets. - -And Maynard had patiently waited for all these years for the stellar -light-filter to be built. He knew that the unknown planet was so far -from Sol and at such an angle that it would remain unseen until they -made the filter work. After all, it had been unseen for hundreds of -years during the advent of space travel, and for hundreds of years -of pure stellar research from Terra before space travel gave the -astronomers a chance to prove their planetary theories. He had not been -worried that his find would be found too soon, but he would have broken -all rules to get to Pluto at the time he did. Luckily, there was no -reason to break rules. - -Now he could go anywhere and do anything except the short periods when -he was under explicit orders. - -He wondered whether his action had been too abrupt, and then remembered -that his position permitted a large amount of snap-decision and some -eccentricity. The quickness of his action would add to the legends of -one Guy Maynard, and would cover up the fact that he had been planning -this particular party for years. - -At the end of the usual landing duration, Guy gave orders for the -_Orionad_ to go out to the new planet. - - - - - X. - - -Die-straight, the _Orionad_ flew. On a course tangent to the orbit of -Pluto, on and on and on beyond the limits of the Solar System, out to -a position almost twice the distance from Pluto to Sol; a distance of -7,180,000,000 miles. And there Maynard looked down upon the globe of -another world. - -"There it is," he said to Kane in what he hoped to sound like awe. - -"I'd never have believed it," breathed Kane. - -"The funny part," said Maynard in a surprised tone, "is that this -planet is about the correct distance for agreement with Bode's Law for -Pluto, which is not met. Wonder why it never occurred to the brass hats -to look in the 'Bode Position' all the way around." - -"Neptune sort of screwed Bode's Law up," smiled Kane. "It is the fly in -the ointment. If you set up Bode's Law and check for Neptune, you find -that Pluto occupies that position, while Neptune is in a supposedly -unoccupied position. Neptune is an interloper." - -"Wonder why he came," mused Maynard. - -"Probably got here and couldn't leave," said Kane. "Well, Guy, -if nothing else, you've re-established the value of Bode's -Law. Proper continuity on either side of a discontinuous -section--Neptune--indicates to me that the Law is correct. It is the -presence of an alien planet that is the troublemaker." - -"Is there anything on that planet?" - -"I wouldn't know. Has three moons, though. Guy, how could anything live -on this planet ... you're entitled to name it, you know, since you -discovered it." - -"I discovered it?" - -"You'll get the credit, and not without reason, Guy." - -Guy shrugged. "We'll call him Mephisto. I'm going to run in close, -Kane. I'd like some initial information on this planet before we -return." He called into the communicator: "Marshal to Executive: Until -further notice, we shall call this planet 'Mephisto.' Therefore, -circle Mephisto at one thousand miles. Have the technician's crew take -all data possible. Have the astrogator check his constants, and if -possible, get an initial estimate of Mephisto's velocity, orbit, and -ecliptic angle." - -"Executive to Marshal: Check." - -The answer to Kane's idle question as to the possibility of Mephisto -being inhabited came with a distinctness that left no doubt. Not only -was Mephisto inhabited, but Mephisto harbored intelligent life. And -the intelligent life either resented the arrival of the _Orionad_, or -thought that the _Orionad_ was the vanguard of a special invasion. - -At any rate, both were correct. And no matter what the inhabitants of -Mephisto thought, they acted. - -The detectors rang in alarm, and automatic circuits closed. The big -turrets of the _Orionad_ whipped around with speed enough to warm -their almost frictionless bearings in the brief arc. They threw their -surge on the ordnance-supply lines, and the meters jumped high. The -big AutoMacMillans emitted their energy silently and invisibly, and -seven great gouts of flame bloomed in the space between Mephisto and -_Orionad_. - -They swiveled slightly and fired a second time, and four more blossoms -of flame spread, this time closer to the _Orionad_. Upon the third -attack, the flashes were very close to the super ship. - -"Ships--or torpedoes?" asked Kane. - -"Torpedoes," said Maynard definitely. - -"How can you tell?" asked Kane. - -"Ships would have flared less brilliantly and more slowly. It takes a -well-loaded warhead to blast that way. The fierceness and the velocity -of the blast give the answer to that one. Also, those things were -coming up at better than a thousand G, all the way. That's guessing -that they all started at once or nearly so. In order to separate that -much in the distance they covered, and to cover so much distance -between the first, second, and third contacts the acceleration must be -about that high." He snapped the communicator and asked: "Marshal to -Executive: What was the acceleration of the exploded bodies?" - -The answer came immediately. "Approximately, 941-G, according to the -recorders on the detector circuits." - -"Good-bye, Guy." - -"Lots of practice," said Maynard. "Well, we're heading back. I'm not -going to risk the _Orionad_ in a single-handed battle against a whole -planet. Even if I won, they'd bust me flat. We'll head for Terra and -set us up a real punitive expedition. Then we'll return and take -Mephisto for Terra!" - - * * * * * - -The _Orionad_ based at Sahara Base and Maynard went into the Bureau of -Exploration building. His entry into Malcolm Greggor's office was easy, -and he told the space marshal about his discovery. Greggor's reaction -was first doubt, but Maynard called Kane and his executive officer, and -when Greggor was convinced, his excitement knew no bounds. - -He called an immediate conference with the head of several bureaus, and -told Maynard he was to remain, and then added Kane to the list. Once -assembled, Maynard explained the details, complete, and Malcolm Greggor -opened the discussion by stating: "This will be difficult. They resent -us. If we go in at all, we must go in armed to the teeth, and expect -trouble all the way." - -Mantley, of the Bureau of Ordnance, said: "You expect anything unique -in ordnance, Maynard?" - -"I hardly think so. On the other hand, they have space travel, as -witness those torpedoes. They must have a definite isolation policy, -otherwise they would have contacted us long ago." - -"Not necessarily," objected the head of the Bureau of Exploration. -"They may be alien--they must be utterly alien to inhabit a planet that -far from Sol. What form they take, or what their chemistry might be, I -have no idea. Furthermore, I don't care, and if I ask about it, it'll -be academically only. They exist, they have science. They do not like -us. Perhaps they know of us, and realize that any traffic with us of -the inner worlds is impossible." - -"Their attitude in firing upon the _Orionad_ gives us no alternative," -said Mantley. He turned to Garlinger, and asked: "We haven't heard -from the Bureau of Maneuvers, yet. Have any ideas?" - -"It'll be out and out war," said Garlinger. "I'm certain that we made -no warlike move in merely visiting them. They've been in preferred -isolation, and now that we've discovered them, they fire on us, without -provocation. My guess is that we'd not only be better off going in -armed, but we'd best prepare for countermeasures, counterattack, and -all the trimmings. Now that they've been smoked out, I'll bet they -won't sit there on their icy planet and wait for us to come a-blasting." - -"How and why have they developed space travel," asked Greggor, "if they -care nothing for interplanetary commerce?" - -"Their moons," suggested Kane. "There were signs of inhabitation on all -three of them." - -"This is going to be more difficult than I thought. The problem of -breaching a planet alone is one that has seldom been tried. But if -Mephisto has three armed moons, that's another item to consider. Well, -fellows, it has never been Terra's way to go in with less than all we -have. If we have ten million men that never see Mephisto from anything -but the viewports of the transports, we'll be better off than if we -were blasted to every last man for not having enough of them. It'll be -a full-scale attack, gentlemen." - -"More than that, Garlinger, we'll get lots of practise." - -"Meaning?" - -"Some day we're going to be forced into fighting Mars on an all-out -basis. This will be excellent experience. I believe that Mars will be -the harder to fight, gentlemen. After all, knowing your enemy makes -the battle easier--and they know us very well. So if we correct our -mistakes on Mephisto, and take the resulting plan to Mars, we may break -this deadlock between Mars and Terra forever." - -"No one here doubts that it will be an all-out attack," said Mantley. -"We'll have to mobilize--and that's your job, Donigan." - -"Yup," drawled Donigan. "After you boys get all done making your plans, -you hand it to me. Uh-huh--and after I get 'em, it's war with a capital -W. Gentlemen, is it your wish that the Bureau of Warfare take over from -here on in?" - -"It is." - -"My aides will present to you the requirements of the Bureau of Warfare -as soon as they can be pulled from the files. You will break the news," -he said to Kane, "immediately, and in headline form only. Mere mention, -in this case, of the new planet, and Guy Maynard, the discoverer. -Meanwhile I'll have the Bureau of Propaganda prepare a news-campaign -for you, which you will follow within reason." - -"With nothing to print but the mere discovery of Mephisto," smiled -Kane, "I'll be forced to play up Patrol Marshal Maynard. That all -right?" - -"Oh certainly. After all, he's fairly well-known and it will seem only -right that a well-known figure gets the limelight. I see your problem; -you can't break a lonely headline." - -"I must at least fill up one column, and even with eighteen point type -it takes words. We'll prepare the way, though." - -"I want Maynard," said Donigan suddenly. - -"The Bureau of Warfare runs this show," nodded Mantley. "May I ask what -for?" - -"He'll command one phase of the attack. And it will look well that -the discoverer leads the battle. It implies that we have implicit -confidence in him, in spite of his youth." - -"Will he require an increase in rank?" - -"Not at the present time. That will come as necessary. But let's close -this. Time is important; Mephisto will be mobilizing even as we are." - -"May I use the official wire?" asked Kane. "And one more item. What -about secrecy?" - -"A thing this big can not be kept a secret," answered Donigan. "We -haven't enough men and materiel to successfully attack a militant -planet. Therefore we must recruit men, and get the manufacturers to -produce supplies. Mars--I believe--will sit tight and wait until we -take the initiative. A move on their part will hinge upon our success -or failure on Mephisto. Break it wide and big, Kane. And send it out on -the interplanetary service. Mars may as well have something to think -of. We know she will never attack Terra as long as the Terran Space -Patrol maintains a fleet. Mars is too small and, therefore, too easy -to cover compared to Terra. Go ahead and break your story, Kane." - - * * * * * - -Kane was as good as his word. It hit the newsstands that evening, -in three-inch headlines. They said nothing more than the hourly -news-broadcasts for news, but Kane's writers had done an excellent job -in building Maynard up as the man of the hour. - -And then the report of the attack followed. Guy Maynard, commanding the -_Orionad_, had been fired upon without provocation as he attempted to -run in close to the new planet for photographic records. The bursting -of the torpedoes was pictured in the newscasts in all their blasting -flame, and the pictures suffered nothing from the film record. - -Guy Maynard was then called upon to face the iconoscopes. He looked -into the faces of three hundred billion Terrans and told them simply -and forcefully that Mephisto's military action prevented any peaceful -negotiations, and that it was certain that they were even now preparing -to maintain their isolation. - -"And," he finished, "we know that isolation can not be defended. To -preserve isolation, the enemy must be destroyed on his home base. We -can expect attack from Mephisto unless we tackle them first. And to -take the battle from Terra to them, we need men, material, and all the -myriad of things that follow." - -The recruiting posters hit the public next, and all of the machinery of -war was started. And though it rolled in the super-slow gear at first, -it would pick up momentum as time went on. All that the Patrol needed -was a backlog to replace losses, and with that assured within the next -few months, the mighty fleet of the Terran Space Patrol assembled at -Sahara Base, formed a complex space lattice, and drove outward towards -Mephisto. - - * * * * * - -Inexorably, the Terran battle fleet drove onward. Massively ponderous; -immobile in its chosen course, the massed fleet flashed up through -the velocity range to mid-course, made their complex turnover, and -started to decelerate. Hours passed, grew into days, and the days added -one to the other, and the lattice was maintained with precision and -perfection. Hardly a centimeter of vacillation was observed from ship -to ship, and from the _Orionad_ in the center of the space lattice, it -seemed as though the monstrous, assembled fleet were truly set in a -huge glasslike jelly, immobilized. - -But it was a wary personnel that manned the huge Terran Space Patrol -task force. They expected something. And the fact that so many hours -and days had gone without interruption did not make them less restive. -Each moment that went without trouble brought more certain the chance -of excitement in the next. It was a beautiful war of nerves, with the -Terrans getting more and more certain of attack as the hours sped on -and the fleet's velocity dropped to far below the lightning-speed of -the maximum at turnover. - -The watch was not stirring, save that the crews were on the constant -alert for the clangor of the alarms; and the detectors were operating -at overload range which gave them plenty of time to get into -action--barring something superior in the way of weapons. Far better -than human senses were the detectors, and they could be relied upon. - -Surprise was impossible because attack was inevitable. And since the -human element of watching was eliminated by the ever-alert detectors -and the element of counterattack was automatic with the turret-coupled -AutoMacs, it was only a matter of time. As one, the fleet moved through -the vastness of space between the orbit of Pluto and their goal. - -Guy Maynard prowled his scanning room impatiently. In the easy-chair -beside the broad desk, Ben Williamson lazed without apparent -excitement. Upon the twentieth cigarette, Ben said softly: "You should -take it easy, Guy." - -"Like you?" asked Maynard. "You look calm--but!" - -"I know all about it. But remember, even though it's action you crave; -you're the big boss on this expedition and you'll be able to do nothing -but watch." - -"Watch--and pray that my plans are effective. Uh-huh. But talking it -down won't lessen the tension." - -"Wait 'em out, Guy. They'll come soon enough." - -Guy snorted, tossed his cigarette into the wastebasket and tried to -relax. A matter of time, all right. Well, maybe he could wait in -patience. At best he'd have to wait until the Mephistans were ready to -attack. - -When it came, it was swift to start and equally swift to end. From one -side there came a fast-moving jet of tiny spacecraft. At unthinkable -velocities, the thin stream poured into the space pattern of the -Terrans. - -The clangor of the alarm ceased as contacts were opened. The -communications band roared with cries and questions. - -"Who got it?" - -"_Scorpiad!_" - -"Bad?" - -"Not yet." - -"Get out the fighter-cover!" - -"They're coming--give us time!" - -"Time, hell! This is a space fight, not a pink tea!" - - * * * * * - -The turrets of the _Scorpiad_ danced back and forth in a mad pattern. -At the end of each lightning move they paused. At each pause they -vomited unseen energy that catapulted the temperature of the Mephistan -ship into incandescence. - -The sky beside the moving fleet was dotted with winks of light as the -fencing AutoMacs parried the rapier thrusts of the tiny fighters. -More ships poured into the arrowing horde, and the dancing turrets -raced madly to keep up their program. They lost space, and the wall of -coruscating death moved inward. - -From long range the _Pleiad_ opened fire, and the dancing motes of -flame moved back as the overloaded detectors found more time to focus -upon the incoming horde. - -Maynard mopped his forehead, one half at a time to permit at least one -eye on the celestial globe during the job. "That was close," he snapped. - -"It ain't over yet!" said Williamson shortly. - -"No ... here comes another line of those devils ... at _Pleiad_!" - -"They're not afraid to die!" - -"They seem to want it!" - -The _Pleiad_ stopped the long-range fire and began to take care of the -horde that was striking at her direct. _Pleiad_ was capable of handling -this new attack easily, but it left the brunt of the heavy attack on -the _Scorpiad_. - -Once more the flashing motes moved inward as the detectors found -themselves unable to keep up. And still more of the tiny ships poured -into the stream, and the borderline of death moved into almost-contact -with the constellation ship. - -A burst of flame came from the flank of the _Scorpiad_, and the ports -flashed outward, followed by gouts of smoke and incandescence. Four red -spots spread outward on the _Scorpiad's_ hull, and the constellation -ship lost drive. Unable to keep up the deceleration of the rest of the -Terran fleet, _Scorpiad_ fell out of position and dropped below the -fleet--farther and farther ahead. - -A blinding flash of flame came and died. - -"Gone!" moaned Maynard. - -"But what a cost!" said Ben. - -"No cost is worth it!" said Maynard. Then he calmed and added: -"Accursed business. But we may be ahead in the exchange." - -"It's brutal," agreed Ben. "Let's keep 'em from getting another." - -"Might be robots." - -"Nope. If so, the technicians would have scrambled 'em. What's making -now?" - -"The fighter-cover! It's arrived!" - -The incoming jet of Mephistan fighters wavered like a gas flame in a -high wind, and scintillations scarred the perfection of the needling -ships. The long-range fire of the constellation ships picked off -the aimlessly moving ships and as the flaming specks reached an -almost-solid appearance, the jet of tiny fighters ceased abruptly. - -"Stopped 'em!" - -Maynard nodded. "For the time." - -The communicator spoke: "Commander to Marshal: Located the -mother-fleet." - -"Yes?" - -"We're hitting them now--as per orders. But this is a warning. If we -don't stop 'em first, they'll be there in fifteen minutes. They're on -collision course!" - -"Expected that," said Guy, worriedly. - -"O.K.," said Ben in what he hoped would be an encouragement. "Now -we'll see if your battle-plan works." - -"I keep worrying that it won't." - -"If it didn't have merit," observed Ben dryly, "it wouldn't have been -adopted." - -"I want to get out there and pitch." - -"You gotta stay in here and hope they pitch to your call," said -Williamson. - - * * * * * - -Twelve minutes later, the Mephistan fleet came into long-detector -range, and the entire Terran fleet opened fire. The heavies, still -circling the fleet, took up the job as soon as they came into range, -and the space between became filled with flashes of fire as crossed -MacMillan beams neutralized one another and spent their mighty energies -in light and heat. The power rooms of the ships became a noisy clatter -of automatically opening and closing circuit breakers as the MacMillan -overloads worked the safety-circuits. Now and then the ultra-loud -clamor of the fuse alarms rang out above the chattering racket, and the -power gangs worked furiously to replace master line-fuses while the -rest of the ship fumed and fretted without power for offense or defense. - -The heavies--the sluggers--got between the constellation ships and the -Mephistans, and their super-powered AutoMacs outfought the lighter -turret-mounts of the Mephistans. - -They took their long-range toll, and then as the Mephistans came -into torpedo range, the sluggers fell back through the open-work -pattern of the constellation ships. From here on in, the omni-powerful -battlecraft would have to face battle with every weapon. - -Unleashed energy filled the gap between the fleets, and the sky below -the decelerating ships became a blazing graveyard of ruin as the ships -lost drive and went free, falling ahead of the main body. - -Word flashed through the Terran fleet that the _Centuriad II_ had -discovered the interference frequency of the Mephistan torpedoes. -Technicians in all Terran ships shifted their transmitters to the -called frequency, and the torpedoes lost their aiming perfection. - -But they were not safe. - -Wandering torpedoes continued to roam in among the Terran fleet and -touched off fountains of flame and death. - -Then from point-blank range, the sub-ships of Terra flashed in through -the Mephistan fleet. In one great swarm they came. From the virtual -zero of the detectors--that in-close distance that limited the minimum -range--torpedoes dropped into being from nowhere and hit full upon ship -after ship. - -The Mephistan fleet became a flaring holocaust of coruscating flame. - -When the fifteen-minute deadline came, the Terrans fought a remainder -of the huge Mephistan horde that had tried to stop them. The dead -hulls, still incandescent, were easy to dodge, though most of them had -fallen free long enough before to have them cross Terra's course ahead -rather than at coincidence. - -Combining the big turrets of the sluggers with the primary, secondary, -and tertiary batteries of the constellation ships, Terra's forces -fairly crushed the fragments of Mephisto's horde that remained. - - * * * * * - -And then the sky was clear once more. The winking lights of death were -silent. The furor and clatter of the instrument rooms ceased more -slowly as the alarms continued to pick out detritus and to reject such -harmless stuff. The power rooms were quiet, too, and the generator -rooms no longer resounded to the scream of overworked generators. A -clean-up began, and droplets of metal from blown fuses mingled with -blackened bits of contalloy from the circuit breakers. Pyrometers -dropped back to the central portion of their scales, and the air, acrid -and warm, cooled and became sweet again. - -They looked, and saw that the sky was theirs--completely. - -Mephisto was a disk in the sky below them. - -It beckoned--or did it taunt? - - - - - XI. - - -Terra deployed, encircled, and closed down upon Mephisto III. A flurry -of up-shooting energy broke out, catching the planet-slow spacecraft -easily. Down-fire crisscrossed the third moon of Mephisto, silencing -some batteries. - -The sluggers made a compact mass, and dropped swiftly. Their -AutoMacs scored and re-scored a ten-mile square until no answering -fire returned. They spread, making a vast circle and spreading a -curtain of MacMillan fire as they spread. The lighter ships and the -fighter carriers circled up, around, and landed in the cleared area. -Constellation craft paced above the sluggers, beating off attempts to -break the tightly woven circle. - -A barrier went up around the area, and the landed ships opened to -disgorge spacesuited men. Planet-mount detectors were set upon -prefabricated towers, and coupled AutoMacMillans pointed their mute -parabolic bowls at the sky, awaiting the impulse from the detectors. - -The barrier increased in size as the sweeping ships spread, and as the -circle increased, more ships landed and set up more planet-mounts. - -With a hundred-mile moonhead established, Terra's forces relaxed to -rest, eat, and plan. - -It was six solid weeks before Mephisto III belonged to Terra -completely. But it was not six solid weeks of constant fighting. Wars -are never constant fighting. Terra photographed the moon, and went in -picked groups to blast reinforced spots as they were discovered. - -At first it was fairly easy to find the embattled spots. Then as the -Mephistans were cleaned out of area after area, the lesser spots became -harder to find. Time and again a previously-blasted spot would return -to life, and it became second nature for the Terrans to be wary of any -smaller place that adjoined a dead and blackened place. - -The total energy sent against the smaller places rose higher than the -power directed at the larger places, since it appeared wise to give the -charred spots another blasting for safety. - -But Terra widened her circle, covered a hemisphere, and then began to -tighten down on the other side. - -The peak of effort was past, now, and with ever-lessening area to -cover, the job of blasting Mephisto III clean and free of Mephistans -dropped in magnitude. - -Then like the closing of an iris, the circle of Terra's domain -throttled the resistance, and Mephisto III was completely in the hands -of the Terran forces. - -Maynard called Sahara Base, reported, and called for reinforcements. -With orders to sit tight and hold on, Guy returned to the moon to make -the best of it. He hoped to have peace and quiet for a time, but peace -was not for them. - -As _Orionad_ passed inside of the barrier that blocked all radiation -from Mephisto III, a horde of Mephistan fighters circled down out of -the sky, came through the barrier, and made a suicide attack against -the ground forces. - -Again they went through that saturation attack, and they silenced -battery after battery. The roar of the attack came through the -almost-nothing atmosphere, and the blasting of mighty bombs shook -the ground and misaligned delicate instruments. The answering fire -was terrific, and the fighters rose to fight the Mephistans off with -sub-ships and torpedoes. - - * * * * * - -Then this first raid was over. The Mephistans retreated and were gone -in seconds, leaving the massed flight of the Terran Space Patrol with -nothing to fight. They landed once again. - -It was but a pattern for the days that followed. Regularly every -thirty-one hours, twelve minutes, and eight seconds, a horde of -Mephistans dropped down upon their third moon with all projectors -blazing and then fled before the Terrans could take the initiative -against them. It happened seven times this way, and then as the Terrans -established the regularity of the attack, the Mephistans shifted the -time, leaving the Terrans standing at their positions awaiting the -order to go. Ten hours passed with no attack, and then Maynard ordered -his men to relax. The wave of destruction came one hour later, and it -was the same as before. The next time came within ten hours after the -delayed fight, and the one after that waited until the Terrans were -almost exploding with anticipation before it came. Three came within -one day, and then nothing for a solid week. - -Maynard swore and prowled his office in the _Orionad_. He lost sleep -and worried ten pounds away. Then he ordered the _Orionad_ outside of -the barrier and contacted Sahara Base in person. - -"Donigan?" he stormed. "When are the replacements coming?" - -"Soon," said Space Marshal Donigan. - -"That isn't good enough!" retorted Maynard. "This is no pink tea, -Donigan. This is a matter of life and death. We have the moonlet you -wanted for a base--we've had it for three weeks of sheer hell--and you -say 'Soon.' With what I've got left I can't even make a stab back. It's -no fun fighting a purely defensive fight, Donigan. You never know when -the devils will hit, and my men are tired of being surprised in their -beds." - -"Do they do that all the time?" asked Donigan, thinking to chide Guy -for exaggeration. - -"About seven times out of ten. We may not know them, Donigan, but -somehow they know us--all about us." - -"What do you want?" - -"Men, ordnance, materiel, hospital units, doctors, nurses, ships, and -planet-fighters." - -"Guy, you aren't going to blast the planet itself?" - -"I sure am. At least I can make the fight come when I want it. This -way, they'll blast us off of Three in another two weeks." - -"You'll get them. They should be there now." - -Maynard returned to the moonlet in hope--and he was watching the sky -when the Mephistans hit. - -Out of the black sky came a downpour of deadly torpedoes. They burst -among the barracks, and though their detonations did no harm in the -ultrathin atmosphere of Mephisto III, the fragmentation shot the -shelters full of holes and the trapped Terran air escaped. Men died -in their sleep, that night, and the Mephistans covered the moonlet in -sub-ships of their own devising. - -"Sub-ships!" breathed Maynard. - -MacMillan beams sought the invisible enemy, and their random hits were -all too few. Maynard ordered them silenced, and the Terrans hurled -material torpedoes into the sky. Up among the Mephistan sub-ships went -the torpedoes, to burst with great, eye-searing gouts of radiant energy. - -Thousands of the energy torpedoes went aloft, and they served their -purpose. The barriers of the enemy ships collected the energy and -heated the sub-ships to utterly unlivable temperatures--for the -Mephistans. The ships dropped out of the sky--still enveloped in their -barriers--and burst open against the hard surface of Mephisto. - - * * * * * - -Three days later, the reinforcements arrived. Terrans by the million -swarmed the third moonlet of Mephisto, and the hemispherical shelters -dotted the surface. Cylindrical runways connected one to the next -so that spacesuits were not needed to pass from one to the other. -Gigantic, permanent-mount AutoMacMillans were set up in readiness; and -they assured protection against practically anything that flew the -skies. - -With the coming of aid, life took on a less hectic appearance, and -smiles appeared once more. The medical corps took over, and the -injured men received better care than with the rugged life on the -tiny moon. Music filled the hemispheres, and though they could not go -outside because of the atmosphere, things smoothed out as time went on. -There were the reunions of old friends, and stories of those hectic -weeks on Mephisto III were recounted and amplified in the time-honored -Terran custom. - -Even Guy Maynard. - -He looked up from a sheet of figures into a familiar face and came to -his feet in a jump. "Joan Forbes! What are you doing here?" - -Joan waved the comet-borne caduceus before him and said: "Senior Aide -Forbes, if you please. Fully graduated and ready for work." - -"But ... when?" - -"I've been studying for three years." - -"What about the ptomaine-palace?" - -"I had to work somewhere to pay my tuition." - -"What ambition!" - -"Now stop sounding like a grandfather, Guy Maynard." - -"But this is no place for a woman," objected Guy. - -"Isn't it? Someone has to do the work." - -"But this is grim work." - -"So is life, Guy. Someone has to care for the injured. We've _got_ to -be here, you know. After all, we must be where the injured and dead -are. We can only help them when we're on the very spot." - -"But I think--" - -"It sounds grisly? Maybe it is. Look, Guy, I'm a healthy, normal -woman, no different than the average. I'm not much different than the -average male when it comes to stamina, fortitude, and will. Look, Guy, -it's all right for other women?" - -Guy's blank face told Joan that she had scored a hit. - -"But you think it not all right for a friend of yours? That's stuffy, -ridiculous, and hypocritical. Rot, Guy. After all, what's good for the -patrol marshal should be good enough for the girl that pinned on his -insignia." - -"Hm-m-m, I suppose you're right." - -"I _am_ right. After all, in order to do any limb-grafting, the -free limb must be fresh. A corpse will not keep too long, Guy. -Autointoxication sets in and kills the cells, and then the limb is -useless for grafting. The same is true for eyes, ears, and anything -that can be grafted. All right," she snapped, "it's ghoulish to take -a leg from a corpse and graft it on to a man who is alive but with a -shattered thigh. It's inhuman? Not at all. Of what good to the dead is -their lifeless body?" - -"O.K., Joan, I didn't mean to sound sanctimonious." - -"All right. It's pretty ghastly sometimes, but I think it's worth it -all the way." - -"I'm sorry, Joan." - -"Well, consider me good enough to be where the trouble is," she said -with a shy smile. - -"Look, Senior Aide Forbes, you are as fine an officer and gentleman as -I have ever seen, even though it did take an Act of Terran Congress to -make a gentleman out of you. You have my undying admiration." - -"You sound sincere," she said. - -"I am sincere. Some day some bird will come along that's good enough -for you." - -Joan's peculiar glance was lost on Guy. "When he does," she said in a -strained voice, "I'll follow him to the very end of the Solar System!" - -She looked at him seriously, and then turned and left. "I'll bet she -will at that," he said to himself, and then forgot her in the maze of -figures on his broad desk. After all, he had an important decision to -make, and a conference to attend within the next hour. - -"Gentlemen, we'll by-pass One and Two, and hit Mephisto direct. I think -we'll fox 'em that way, they'll be certain that we wouldn't leave a -main base behind us, much less two bases. But we will, and by doing -that we'll take the system!" - -"And when?" - -"As soon as we can mobilize. Hamilton, how soon is that?" - -"Do you mean that?" asked Hamilton uncertainly. The conference laughed -at his deep swallow. "All right. Three hours!" - -"It's done, then! Come on, fellows. This is IT!" - - * * * * * - -The grand assembled fleet lifted from Three and headed for the planet -direct. With numbers enough to invade a planet, they swarmed in and -were met by planet-mounted beams that took a terrible toll with their -extra power. They hit Mephisto in one spot, and literally sterilized -the planet for a hundred square miles. The weight of their numbers -would have broken into any planet, no matter how armed. Invading was -not difficult; keeping the break and spreading it to cover the planet -was the difficult job. No defense can be set up against an enemy -that is able to choose the time and place for his invasion. Once -the invasion is made, concentration of power against the invader is -possible, and that is the point in dispute. - -So with ease, the Terran Space Patrol wiped out a hundred square -miles of Mephisto and landed. Convoys poured in from Three, and the -heavy permanent-mounts ranged the ragged square. Overhead, a horde of -fighter-cover searched the skies for counterattack. - -It was inevitable, and it came from all sides. - -Across the plains of Mephisto came the tractor-mounted projectors. -Maynard thought of the disperser screen, but behind that they were -blind. - -"Isn't there something better than this useless barrier?" he asked. - -"Not that we know of," answered Williamson. - -"Look, Ben, you take a hunk of that crew of yours and go out to the -East, to sector G-21, and blast the power-conversion plant. Take the -entire city if you have to. But get that plant!" - -"I'll get it," said Williamson, and left. Maynard turned to Hamilton. -"And you, Jack, get some of your heavies into action against sector -A-13. You know the target we want destroyed." - -"I sure do. And I'll get it!" - -He turned to the commanding officer of the forces that arrived with the -reinforcements. "Can you hold them to the north, south, and west? If -so, can you advance to the east?" - -"That's quite a job." - -"Can you?" demanded Maynard. - -The other man looked at Maynard's nebula and then down at his own rayed -star. "I'll try," he said. - -"No, Walter, say 'I'll do it!' and then try. We're counting on you." - -There was a three-mile border around the hundred square miles of -Terran-held Mephisto. It was a terrible border now. It was a solid mass -of flame and fragment, and it was creeping inward slowly. Saturation -destruction, it was called, and if successful, obliterated not only the -enemy, but also his traces. - -Above, the circling of tiny fighter ships darkened the sky, and the -rain of broken ships became dangerous. - -And then a wave of intense hatred filled Maynard. It was so violent -that he found himself climbing the roof of his shelter to man one of -the AutoMacMillans himself. He got control of himself, and saw that -all the Terrans in the field of his sight were positively writhing in -hatred. Shaking his head in wonder, Maynard returned to his scanning -room and watched the luminous map of operations. - -He was amazed to see that the sides of the square held by the Terrans -were advancing, closing down that barrier of fire that bordered the -square. The east side, which should have advanced slowly, was rocketing -forward at a dizzy pace. - -The wave of hatred diminished, and so did the swift advance. The battle -settled down to a continuous roar. - -Hamilton's group returned and as the sector commander landed to report, -his command roared through the skies above the embattled defenders of -the planet and poured destruction down upon them. Hamilton came in and -told Guy: "We did it, but what a cost!" - -"Bad?" - -"Terrible. They hacked at us all the way there and all the way -back--and when we got there, that place was defended like Sahara Base -itself." - -"But you got the target?" - -"We did." - -"Good. Can you get the target in sector L-14 now?" - -"If my command holds out." - -"Go ahead then--and we'll meet you at Area 2. Don't return here at all." - -"I get it. You're going to abandon this place?" - -"No. I'm going to hit F-67 with three quarters of the main fleet. -That'll divide their defenses and we'll end up with two hundred-mile -areas." - -"You're going to leave enough here to hold this place?" - -"Yes. It'll be tough going, but once they're divided, it'll be easier -here. With three quarters of our fleet attacking another place, -they'll be forced to follow. Look, Hamilton, some of their power is -down! Ben must have got that power-conversion plant!" - -"When are you leaving?" - -"As soon as Ben returns. Hello," he said, turning to see four officers -struggling with--_a creature_. - - * * * * * - -"We caught this one alive," offered the foremost. "Thought you'd like -to see what we've been fighting!" - -"Nice to know," said Maynard drily. "What now? Do you expect me to give -it tea?" - -The laugh was universal. But the creature straightened, and waved the -tentacle on top of the shapeless collection of antennæ, tendrillike -fronds of hair, and wide, flat appendages that must have passed for the -head on Mephisto. It whipped the tentacle to the back of the head and -found a curved case that fitted the back of the head. Another tentacle -tore from the officer's grasp and found a similar box at the belt. - -It turned a knob on top, and Maynard whipped his MacMillan from its -holster and blasted the tentacle off at the "shoulder." - -And then, in Maynard's mind there came a thought. It staggered the -patrol marshal, and he blinked in unbelief. It rang in his mind: "You -shouldn't have done that!" - -"What?" asked Maynard aloud. "Why--?" - -"You shouldn't have done that. I meant no harm with this. Now I may not -retune it to your fellows." - -"But--?" - -"It is a development that will ultimately win for us," came the -thought. "A thought-beam transmitter." - -Maynard sat down suddenly. "No," he said. "I'm mad! I must be." - -Hamilton said: "That I doubt, Guy. What's the matter, though. You look -ill, but madness I doubt." - -"He says that thing on his head and belt is a thought-beam transmitter." - -"What? He says--?" - -"That's his thought. But it can not be--" - -"Or can it?" - -"Your misbelief is amusing in the face of fact," came the amused -thought. "Tell me aloud to perform some simple action." - -"Can you sit down?" asked Maynard. - -To the amazement of everyone, the creature bent in the middle and -seated itself on a stool. - -Hamilton smiled foolishly. "From here on in, Guy, that's a thought-beam -transmitter. Take it from there and go on." - -Guy smiled and nodded. "I'll accept it." - -"It's the explanation for a lot of things," said Hamilton. "Their -concentration of forces against selected targets, for instance. Their -use of the barrier." - -"Naturally," came the Mephistan's thought. - -"I thought you couldn't tune to them," remarked Guy. - -"They spoke to you--your mind followed their speech; I followed your -mind. I can not talk to them direct." - -"I see. It's logical. But why did you permit us to get this far?" - -"You are alien; tuning the instrument to your very alien minds was a -matter of hundreds of years. We have been trying, and only succeeded -after the first horde of you came close--landed upon Ungre--and gave us -a large thought-input to work on." - -"But why did your kind fight us from the very beginning?" - -"Because we know what manner of mind you have. We saw it in action -before." - -"Surely you knew that we would negotiate with you?" - -"To our disadvantage." - -"Not necessarily." - -"Don't be ridiculous," came the thought. "You and I both know that the -Solar System is not large enough for both our kinds." - -"We have no desire to own your world." - -"No? Then what are you fighting for?" - -"For the right to negotiate with you--and to uphold our honor. After -all, we were fired upon without provocation." - -"You are the commander of the Terran forces here. Suppose a race came -to Terra. Suppose this race was one you knew to be absolutely ruthless, -grasping, ambitious, and proud. Suppose you knew this hypothetical race -to be the one that used a minor race as subjects in vivisection; and -because of valuable minerals on another planet, this race oppressed -still another race and held them in ignorance so that the true value of -the minerals was not known to the ignorant natives." - -"You're speaking of the troglodytes of Titan--who haven't the power of -reason. Why shouldn't we use their bodies as experimental subjects to -aid our researches into the subject of medicine?" - -"Because they, themselves, are life!" came the scathing thought. -"Given the opportunity, they develop reasoning minds and are quite -intelligent. Their environment holds them back. Titan is a poor place, -destitute of minerals and unproductive of easy living, such as is -necessary for civic advancement." - -"That I do not follow." - -"In order that a race advance, he must have time to think. That means -leisure. His living must come easy enough to give this race time to -think, and to dream, and to plan. When scratching a living out of -nature becomes a full-time job, little civic advancement can prevail. -Also, on Titan, he is already supreme as far as his native enemies -go. There is nothing to drive the Titan to his fellows for mutual -protection. Each Titan is alone because he has nothing to fear, not -even his own kind. - -"But," continued the Mephistan, "give him the opportunity, and you -will find that the Titan can evolve into intelligent life. Say three -generations!" - - * * * * * - -Guy let this matter drop, and said: "And your other statement pertains -to Pluto." - -"Certainly. Valuable ores were found on Pluto. Also a race of -semi-intelligent natives. They traded worthless bits of glass and -glittering, chromium-plated jewelry for gray and shapeless masses of -dirt--but the dirt must be excavated from certain locations, and in -certain ways. To keep the ores moving, and at this ridiculous rate of -exchange, no program of education was installed on your Pluto. Even -your Men of God--missionaries--obscured the real value of those ores. -What did you give them in exchange?" - -"We gave them protection against a common enemy." - -"An enemy of yours that would probably have treated them no worse than -you did. The protection you prattle of was protection of your own mines -against the enemy, not of the natives against this enemy. In either -case, the natives would be no better off." - -"You paint our race as black-hearted," said Guy. - -"And what did you do?" came the cynical thought. "As soon as you -discovered this barrier-screen, you raised it over Pluto, and the rise -in temperature, good for Terrans, killed the Plutonians to the last -one! A benign race? Bah!" - -"We--" - -"Nothing you say will convince me that your main desire is not for -yourselves! And if you think for one moment that we will permit you to -throw up a barrier around Mephisto and kill us off, you're mistaken." - -"You're all convinced that we mean harm?" - -"You do!" The creature tapped the thought-beam instrument. - -"I presume that you speak for the entire race?" - -"I do. You, with your so-called democratic government; with your -populace swayed by orators; with your justice biased with bribery; with -your elections purchased by the highest bidder, could not possibly -understand how a race could hold an honest government. But we do," said -the Mephistan proudly. Again he tapped the thought-beam instrument. -"This instrument tells the truth! No silvery-tongued orator can -sway the people; no biased judge can color the evidence; no public -servant can buy an election, for problems of state are presented via -thought-wave, and a liar is detected! When you first advanced into the -planets, we saw your progress. And when we found you in our system, we -knew your real thoughts at last! We broadcast your hidden purpose and -to the last Mephistan, we decided to fight! To the last one of us we -will fight, for we know that your purpose is to move in on us and run -us to death. We have nothing to lose but our lives, and those we will -lose if we permit your invasion." - -"You hold us in deep contempt," said Maynard. "Therefore your -statements themselves are biased." - -"They are not. Perhaps, with this instrument, we know you better than -you do yourselves. You are death for us--unless we become death for -you!" - -"But what can we do when you fire upon us without provocation?" - -"Stop prattling about provocation," came the thought. "When a burglar -pries his way into your living room, do you wait until he collects your -valuables before you fire on him?" - -"Now we're burglars?" - -"Worse. A burglar knows that he is doing wrong." - -Guy shook his head. How could he make this creature see that Terra -meant no real harm until the Mephistans made the first aggressive move? - -"You made the first aggressive move," said the Mephistan. "You made it -when you first landed on Titan. You made the second on Pluto. What is -your feeling toward Mars? You plan extermination for them--and they -only desire to grow with you." - -"They--" - -"Only fought back when you fought them. Only this"--tapping the -instrument at his belt--"will keep us from falling in death. You, -yourself, brought home many new concepts from Ertene which will throw -the balance of power for Terra." - -Guy started, and then looked wildly around at the other officers in the -room. - -"I know of Ertene from your own mind," said the creature. "These others -can not hear my mind. But I curse Ertene for the things she gave you; -they will make our battle difficult." - -"It will make your fight impossible," said Maynard, catching the brief -flash of a hidden, fearsome thought in the Mephistan's mind. He turned -to Hamilton and said: "Set up a barrier about the system, and focus the -output of the screen on the center of Mephisto!" - -The creature snarled audibly; it was the first sound ever heard that -was made by a Mephistan. He drove forward, shaking the officers' grip -from him as though the hold was nothing. - -A darting tentacle lunged forward like a rapier; and like a rapier it -impaled Hamilton through the throat. Withdrawn, it flattened and swung -like a scimitar in and among the stunned officers. - -They came to life and rushed the Mephistan. Crowding the creature -close. The stool upon which he had been sitting was lifted high -in another tentacle and it shattered to bits against the skull of -the tallest officer in the room. The other three grappled with the -Mephistan and bore him backward to the floor which may have seemed -desirable to the Terrans. It was also desirable to the Mephistan, too, -for it gave him a more solid basis for his slashing attack. He cut -through one officer's midsection entirely, crushed the skull of the -next against his own by driving that bullet head forward, and then -picked the last from the floor in his tentacles and dashed him across -the room against the wall. The body crunched, quivered, and fell to the -floor. - -Maynard lifted the MacMillan and drilled the Mephistan again and again. -His eyes blazed with hatred for the alien creature, and his mouth -curled in utter distaste. The room filled with the stench of--burning -varnish! - -"Naturally," came the thought, continuing as though nothing had -happened, "I could not come to such a fearsome temperature as you -maintain and hope to live. You seem to have destroyed my servant, but -we shall destroy you!" - - * * * * * - -When the aides came to clean up Guy's office, they found him inspecting -the little instrument that fitted head and waistline of the alien -creature. It was off, now, and partly disassembled upon the patrol -marshal's desk. - -Williamson came at Maynard's call and raised an eyebrow at Maynard's -action. - -"I had to do something," said Guy in a flat voice. "I couldn't just sit -here and contemplate those bodies." - -"I know," said Ben softly. "Anything I can do?" - -"Yes. Set up a barrier. Focus the screen's output on the center of -Mephisto. And then maintain that barrier for your life--and it will be -just that. It will be for your very life, for it will be against the -lives of all Mephistans!" - -"Good!" glowed Williamson. "That'll do it!" - -"It may take months," said Maynard. "But from now on we're fighting a -winning battle." - -"What is that thing you're tinkering with?" - -"A goldberg that was on the creature's body. Interesting thing, too. -Look, Ben, this thing may have been a robot, but their psychology is -such that they hate us completely. Issue orders that no more prisoners -are to be taken. Extermination is the only way; their strength is such -that three of them could wipe out a regiment. If we don't exterminate -them, they'll exterminate us, and they can do it if we permit them one -chance. We'll not give them that chance. Have the technicians figure -out the estimated temperature rise of Mephisto with a full screen and -full output directed at the center of the planet. I'd like to know when -this affair can be considered over." - -"Check. I'll do it, Guy. What you need is a rest." - -"I know. But there'll be no rest for any of us until this fight is -finished. Come on, Ben. Let's get moving. We've got a job to do." - - - - - XII. - - -Guy put the alien instrument in his personal locker and went to see -how the battle was coming. Out across the face of Mephisto, he saw the -battle machinery locked in mobile death with the huge, alien machines -of Mephisto. - -The ground was strewn with smoking ruin, and Guy saw with horrified -gratification that the ruined machinery was all on the Terran side of -the battleground--which meant that his ring of offense was advancing. -The energy bombs were bursting above the planethead, and the sky was -filled with blinding light. Sub-ships fell as their drive was burned by -the entrapped energy within the barriers, and Guy wondered how many -men were getting energy burns from the terrific radiation from the -energy bombs. - -_Orionad_, standing in the circle of planeted ships, was dealing power -blows from the turrets, and beams of energy--just energy--were roving -the sky to saturate the barrier-protected sub-ships. Now and then a -MacMillan beam would touch one of the sub-ships unawares, and there -would be a terrific blast as the entire ship exploded instantly. - -Then Guy saw his forces waver slightly, fall back, and then go down in -a terrible wave of destruction from massed sub-ships. - -Again they retreated, and as the next wave dropped, they expended their -energy on nothing but the bald surface of Mephisto. The solid ice of -Mephisto boiled into great clouds of vapor and liquid water ran across -Mephisto's face for the first time. - -The vapor clouded operations--for both. - -One sub-ship scraped Mephisto--broke the barrier, and slid through a -crashing pile of accumulating rubble to a destructive stop. - -And on one upthrust plate, torn and almost obliterated, was the device -of the Martian Space Guard! - -"Martian!" breathed Guy. - -"Right!" agreed Ben. - -"Check that wreck!" exploded Guy. "What's running it!" - -His order was passed: fifty Terran machines raced forward and encircled -the smoking ruin; and seven of the planeted constellation ships blasted -a pathway back to safety for the carry-alls. - -The ruined Martian ship was dropped in a clear area, opened by brute -force, and through the torn plates streamed a group of cautious -Terrans. They emerged immediately. - -"Martians!" - -"The devil! They've made a pact!" - -Maynard looked understandingly at the broken ship. "Naturally," he said -sourly. "What would you do?" - -Williamson looked up and nodded. "Right. Well, does this change -anything?" - -"No--unless it is to apply what we know about fighting Martians to the -present situation. We didn't consider this possibility." - -As Maynard turned to re-enter the _Orionad_, eighteen of Hamilton's -raiding horde returned in a screaming landing. Hamilton came out, -white-faced, and said, dully: "It was sheer hell--both ways. We got -'em--but they hit us with the book. Sixty percent lost!" - -"How do you feel?" asked Maynard. - -"I don't know." - -"Take your command out again and hit Sector F-67." - -Hamilton looked up in surprise, and then anger crossed his face. He -saluted and said: "Yes sir!" - -As he turned to go, Maynard called softly: "Hamilton! We're fighting -Martians now--they've made a pact!" - -Hamilton turned, looked at Maynard, and muttered something that Guy -could not hear over the roar of battle. Then he returned, and faced -Guy. - -"The stinking, rotten devils--!" His face cleared, and he left. - - * * * * * - -Behind the embattled lines of the Mephistans, Martian craft landed. -Martian sluggers, Martian power-craft, Martian constellation class -super battlecraft. And as they were landing, and getting set for an -open battle, the Terran forces lined up behind the thin line that -flanked _Orionad_. - -It was a situation that made Maynard start. For years, no real action -had ever been fought between the two forces. Sorties, scrapes, -incidents; these had been the sum total of the trouble between the -denizens of two worlds. Ream upon ream had been written concerning -theoretical battle-plans for war against Mars, and in the Martian -pictographs, equally large quantities of ink and paper went into the -libraries on how to fight Terra. - -Guy realized: _Here it is!_ - -The power ships of the two forces faced one another across ten miles -of plain. Above the heads of each roved the tiny fighters, and above -this cover, reaching up far into the realm of space, were rising the -battlecraft. - -Planet forces began to move against one another, right through the -unseen death that roved from the MacMillans on the tractors and -the moving pillboxes. Space above the battleground filled with a -continuously exploding roar, and sheets of released energy flares at -the meeting points of crossed MacMillans. - -The constellation ships fenced momentarily, and then roared forward -into full battle. The sluggers stood back and threw the might of their -energy from long range. Tiny fighters raced forward, depending upon -speed, mobility, and minuteness to escape the wary detector-coupled -AutoMacs. - -Sight became impossible. The flaring of explosive and raw energy -seared the eye that dared to look, and when the flaring light stopped -by chance, the rising wreaths of smoke, steam, and incandescent vapor -obscured the vision. Lightnings flashed in and through this cloud, and -the instruments became wabbly. - -Fire ceased briefly, and both sides waited for the veil to clear. -Technicians put the cancel plugs on ruined targets to clear them from -further destruction, and turretmen served the heating projectors. - -A wave of sub-ships zoomed in and spread flaming death among the Terran -forces, and the energy bombs poured up, and among the barrier-protected -ships. A group of Martians holding disperser screens zoomed over, -spreading energy in wide-aperture releases from their turrets. Bombs -and torpedoes raced in through the disperser screens, and the blind -crews died without knowing whether they had hit anything. Terran -sub-ships crossed beneath the first wave of Martians, and hit the -enemy. A veritable fence of exploding ships barred the view as -sub-ships collided. Their indetectability was mutual, too. - -Like twin tornadoes, the ships of both worlds spun upwards in a vast, -whirling spiral. Bits of dust, smoke, and vapor intermingled with the -ships, giving them a definitely tornadolike appearance as they swept -the surface of Mephisto towards each other. - -The volume between the twin vortices was torn and blasted. Slowly and -ponderously they moved together, and as they intermingled in a whirling -eddy of battle, the ground of Mephisto was scoured clean of life. - -The weight of Terra's forces carried the most momentum, and the spout -moved across the territory formerly held by Mars. - -Reinforcements swooped in from space, and the whirling mass expanded. -And with gathering speed, the vortex moved in an irregular path across -Mephisto, sterilizing the planet as it went. Mephistans went before the -tornado of huge battlecraft as straws go before a hurricane. - -The path of the storm was strewn with smoking, ruined ships. The -luckless were forced inside of the whirling cylinder and gunned there. -They fell down that chimney of death to the ground that awaited them -at the bottom, or crashed against uprising sub-ships that swooped -upward through the vortex and fired on all sides, relying on the -identifier-couplers that stopped their aim against their fellows. - -The vortex broke, and the Terran ships opened from circle to crescent -to straight line to closing crescent and strove to encircle the -Martians. Outnumbered now, the latter fled slowly and kept up a killing -fire of retreat. - -Across the face of Mephisto arrowed the embattled fleets. A wall ten -miles high and fifty miles long and thirty miles from front to back -accelerated and swept everything before it. Between the two walls of -fighting ships was a constant flare of death. Cities caught in the -conflagration died; their buildings seared, blasted, and broken. - -In full rout, the Martian forces raced to converge upon a large city. - -In a tight circle, the Martians braced themselves. Power beams came -from the city to feed them, and as Terra came before them they lashed -out with the power of planet-supported fire. Terra englobed the city, -but it was a questionable success. - - * * * * * - -From horizon to zenith, the Terrans poured their power into the Martian -hemisphere. The ground about the city ran hot, and the grounded ring -tilted and mired down, but they continued to fire back. Stalemate set -in; Terra could not breach that close-knit hemisphere and Mars could -not fight off the pressing Terrans. Destroyed torpedoes filled the -annular gap with explosions, and crossed MacMillans flared to sear the -eye. - -Then a mile inside of the Martian ring, the ground heaved upward, and -the ugly snouts of underground raiders appeared. Their protected -turrets lifted out of the blisters and began to pour energy into the -Martians from behind. The Martians swept downward from their hemisphere -and fought back against the pincer-movement. The topmost Terrans -pressed downward as a second ring of underground raiders appeared to -bolster the first wave. - -The city erupted in tiny areas as Terran undergrounds broke the -surface, blasted the interfering building away with torpedoes, and -lifted to add to the ever-increasing energy of the battle. - -The Martians hopped backwards over the ring of undergrounds and set up -an inner line. At point-blank range, and almost plate to plate, the -Terrans massed their energy in a flaming wall of destruction, fighting -the Martians back, foot by foot. - -The circle tightened upon a tiny, central park. Spacesuited figures -worked furiously under a disperser screen; they were putting the -last touches upon an alien projector. No light came to them from -without, but they could be seen by the light of their own working -floods. Outside of the projector and the disperser, a ring of large -detector-coupled MacMillans were dancing from point to point and -dropping Terran ships with each point. - -"Ben!" snapped Maynard. "We'd best get that thing before they finish!" - -"Right. We'll hit 'em with AutoMacs and keep 'em under constant fire." - -"No good." - -"We can't hit 'em through that disperser, but they can't see to hit us." - -"I know. But there's one thing they don't need sight to hit." - -"Huh?" - -"Mephisto III, you idiot. Could you hit Luna from Terra without aim?" - -"If I had an ephemeris." - -"What do you suppose they call theirs?" - -"I--" - -"Break out a ground force," ordered Maynard. "We're going to take that -projector!" - - * * * * * - -The Terran fire tripled as the ground force moved ponderously across -the intervening yards. A salient point was made, and the sides began -to widen. Back and forth the individual sorties went, and as men and -machines went up in flaring puffs of fire, the salient moved forward -toward the projector. - -Inside the disperser, the combined Martians and Mephistans worked -furiously, though they seemed oblivious to their danger. No signals -would enter this barrier, and no living thing could step outside and -hope to re-enter. - -They stepped back from the thirty-foot parabola, and one of them thrust -down upon a plunger. - -Above the parabolic reflector, a thick haze formed. A torpedo succeeded -in passing the coupled AutoMacs and raced inside of the disperser and -into the haze. It exploded, and its energy added to the forming vortex. - -The haze thickened, became toroidal, and spread out. Up from a -dun color it went, into cherry-red incandescence. Up through the -red past yellow into blue and then into flaming white went the -color-temperature. Like a close-knit toroid of flaming, white-hot -metal, it poised above the projector, moved slightly, and then raced -upwards. It passed the disperser, and the screen went up in a flare of -white. - -Into the sky above Mephisto went the toroid, and below it, Terrans -swarmed over the projector, fought off the remaining enemy, and held -the projector as their objective. The last floods of resistance died as -the toroid went into the far sky above. - -"_Orionad!_" bellowed Maynard. His ship lifted, swooped over him, and -lifted him on a tractor. Upward they raced, catching the slow-moving -vortex. - -Turret-mounted AutoMacs vomited energy into the vortex--and -back-thrusting power burned out the feedlines. Torpedoes entered -the flaming mass and just disappeared. Tractor beams slid from the -coruscating surface and pressor beams found nothing against which to -push. A sub-ship plunged against the vortex. It was stripped of its -barrier and it floated down, inert, and started the long fall to the -hard ground below. - -Fighting against the vortex with weapons that did no good, and cursing -the foul thing all the way, Maynard and the _Orionad_ followed its -ponderous course out and out and out to Mephisto III. - -It spread as it went, and by the time it wrapped its tenuousness about -the tiny moon, it was almost gone. But it contained strength enough to -blow out the barrier-generator that held Mephisto III invisible from -without. - -The toroid disappeared, and Guy, with misgivings, made inward to land -at the base. - -His fears grew as time went on, for he was not challenged. A swift -report gave him some hope, but it came from Mephisto itself, telling -him that resistance was at an end in the sector he had just left, and -that the fleet, victorious and supreme on Mephisto, was returning to -the outer moon. - -Guy worried. Returning to what? - -Inspection showed that nothing was harmed--save life. Dead men sat in -their places operating instruments, dead men patrolled unseen areas, -dead men manned the landing ports. It was a moon of the dead--with -every instrument operable. - -Not a machine was damaged--but no living things remained on Mephisto -III. - - * * * * * - -Broken with grief, Guy Maynard looked down on the silent face of -Senior Aide Joan Forbes. He felt wooden, and it all seemed dreamlike -and unreal, but he knew that this was no dream, but cruel reality. Hat -in hand, he stood there as if frozen and searched the girl's face as -though expecting the closed lips to part in a smile, and the closed -eyelids to open before a pair of twinkling eyes. His men knew of the -affection there, and they pitied him silently. - -In neat, geometrically precise rows; seven billion, four hundred -million miles from home; on a tiny, almost airless moonlet of an alien -planet the hundreds upon hundreds of physically perfect bodies were -buried. Not a scar or burn marred them, yet-- - -The chaplain said: "--from the earth thou camest, and to the earth thou -hast returned. And though this earth is far removed from the earth -which bore thee and thine, it is thy resting place and home, for in -the eyes of God Almighty all places and all planets are His Domain. -And though ye travel to the farthest star, yet you will find Him there -before thee, and this we know and believe for His Only Begotten Son -hath said: 'My Father hath other worlds beside thine.' - -"And so we consign these erstwhile friends of ours to the depths of the -earth, knowing that time and space knows no deterrent to Our Father -Almighty; We shall all meet again some day--" - -Guy Maynard plodded away from the scene. His eyes were dry, and in his -heart was nothing. Shock had taken control of Maynard. Through the rows -of mounds he walked, back to the _Orionad_, and his entry into the -super ship failed to give him that lift he always felt. - -He sat in his scanning room and stared at the blank wall. Nothing -aroused him. Nothing caused him to think; his mind was almost a blank, -and it raced with futile rapidity from scene to scene with no plan, no -reason. - -An hour he sat, and the shock began to wear off. It left him with -heartbreaking grief, and Maynard put his hands over his face and wept -bitter, honest tears. - -A phrase crept into his mind: "--the fortunes of war--!" - -Maynard hated it. He hated the unknown who first said it. And then his -hatred changed to the creatures that had created this ill fortune. He -arose, his eyes blazing; and he thought: - -_Am I mad?_ - -_How could any man with such hatred be anything but mad?_ - -_Then I am mad!_ - -He stormed out of the scanning room and went to the upper turret. He -strode in, and saw that the super-projector was being installed there. -Williamson turned and his face softened. - -"Well, Guy?" he asked quietly. - -"It's not well!" snapped Guy. Then his voice cleared and he said: -"Sorry, Ben. When?" he asked, meaning the vortex projector. - -"Now, I think. We lifted it wholesale, generators and all." - -"Then blast the accursed planet until it writhes!" - -The vortex formed and hurtled down upon Mephisto. Again it formed and -went down, following the first. Rings of violent energy, the vortices -flew from the snout of the projector one after the other, time and -time again until Ben stopped because the power was running low. Lines -were thrown in from adjoining ships and the everlasting barrage -continued. Hour after hour it went on, and each vortex laid waste to a -section of Mephisto. - -And long after the last Mephistan was dead, the Terran torpedoes -dropped on the planet. His men wondered, but still there came no order -to cease fire. Moonlet-mounted AutoMacs crossed the void and scored -Mephisto, and when the final blast was fired and the Patrol landed upon -Mephisto, no complete article of Mephistan life was anything but a -smoking, charred mass. - -The taking of Mephisto was finished. - -And Guy's hatred had passed through the saturation point, and all that -was left to him was a dull ache. Shock had taken him again; it was with -a dull, toneless voice that Guy issued orders to return the _Orionad_ -to _Sahara Base_. - - - - - XIII. - - -Guy Maynard inspected his image in the mirror and swore at it. He hated -what he saw. His glance went from the mirror to the surroundings, and -the face in the mirror, he felt, did not seem in keeping with the -ornate suite of rooms at the Officers' Club. The rooms were rich, -formal, and sedate. The face that looked back at Guy from the mirror -was a composite between care and foolishness. - -Lines had come between his eyes, and the frown of worry marked him, -too. His face about the eyes and nose seemed old. An honest observer -would have said that Guy's face had character there. But the lower -piece of face was the idea of frivolity. That mustache! It was the sign -of a youth trying to be grown up. It was an admission of immaturity -that the face behind it was not enough front in itself; that foliage -was needed to conceal the lineless face of youth. - -It was there for beauty's sake! Beauty, he repeated in his mind. He -snorted aloud. From now on they'd take him as he felt; as he was. In -the face of his sorrow and self-hatred, Maynard was eschewing all signs -of youth and self-indulgence. - -He smiled slowly. They'd accept him, all right. They'd taken him -wholeheartedly when he landed at Sahara after the completion of the -Mephistan campaign. He'd had a three-day beard then and it hadn't -mattered. - -He entered the bathroom and when he emerged, his face was clean-shaven -for the first time since he was twenty. - -The bell rang, and from somewhere a junior aide came to open the door. -Kane stepped in, and greeted Guy with surprise. "Well, young man, -where's that face-fern of yours?" - -"Shaved it off," grinned Maynard. - -"You look better, I must say." - -"I feel as though I've dropped a lot of foolishness since I did it," -admitted Maynard. - -"Why did you grow it in the first place?" - -"Laura Greggor said she liked men with mustaches." - -"And now you don't like Laura Greggor?" - -"That isn't it. She'll take me for what I'm worth from now on." - -"Them's harsh words, podner," drawled Kane. "What _is_ your feeling for -Laura?" - -"I don't know," said Maynard honestly. "We've both been a little rough -on one another, you know. She treated me slightly coldish the last time -I saw her--though she was indeed warmer than the incident after the -_Orionad_ got painted. Then, too, the last time I saw her was the day -before I headed for Pluto with the _Orionad_. Because she has been so -snippy once before, I gave nebulae to Joan Forbes to pin on, remember?" - -"That was a cold thing to do," said Kane. - -"Laura told me not to annoy her until I could give her the insignia of -a patrol marshal--when I became sector marshal. So when I was raised -last time, I did as she demanded." - -"Sometimes women don't expect to have their snapped words taken to the -letter." - -"Are you carrying her banner?" asked Guy. - -"Not exactly. I'm trying to be honest. And I think that Laura Greggor -would make a good wife for you." - -"Why?" - -"Laura has background, money, friends. She has social standing. Also, -I have a feeling that she has been sort of waiting for you. After all, -she is a very desirable woman, and I doubt that she has been friendless -all these years." - -"She's twenty-six," said Guy absently. "Maybe you're right. It'll -depend upon how she greets me." - -"Any woman in her right mind would greet you affectionately," smiled -Kane. "You're the Man of the Hour for fair. The Man Who. You're -famous, Guy. Wealth is yours for the taking. Fame is yours already. -They're talking about hitting Mars, and they're naming you as supreme -commander. How do you like that?" - -Guy shook his head. "I've had enough killing for one lifetime." - -"You'll change that opinion," said Kane. "What you need is rest and -relaxation." - -"I'd like to get away from the whole business," said Maynard. "I'm -beginning to hate the whole shebang." - -"You'll forget that. Did you know that they're going to present you -with your starred nebulae tonight?" - -"Are they?" - -"Yes. Laura Greggor will be there, too. Are you going to offer her the -chance?" - -"Might as well," said Guy. - - * * * * * - -Kane looked at the younger man sharply. "You lost more than friendship -out there on Mephisto," said Kane. "You lost more than your fellow men." - -"You mean Joan Forbes?" - -"Yes." - -Guy nodded slowly. "I curse myself that I didn't realize her affection -sooner. I'd have had her now if I'd not been so accursedly blind." - -"No, you're wrong," said Kane. "Forbes would have followed you out -there anyway. Nothing would have changed, excepting that Joan could -have eased your worry some. Call her Joan Forbes or Mrs. Guy Maynard, -and you would have found her out there on Mephisto III." - -"I called her Forbes and ignored her affection," said Maynard with a -groan. - -"It's done now," said Kane. "In all of our lives, there are mistakes -which cause us regret for the rest of our lives. Not one of us is -immune. But, Guy, the successful ones of us forget our regrets and look -forward instead of backward. Living in the past is death in the future." - -"It's hard to forget," said Guy. - -"And yet," said Kane, "out there you will find an entire planet ready -to give you their acclaim. They'll make you forget. Unless, of course, -you prefer to remember, in which case you'll retreat within yourself -and become an embittered man. But if you'll go out there among the -people who want you to be the hero they think you are, you'll find -yourself being so busy living up to their belief that there'll be no -time for regret. - -"But above all, Guy, don't take the other road. You can go anywhere -from here, now. If you become embittered because of your regret, -you'll end up a wizened old man with nothing but sorrow to recall for -all your lifetime. Life is too short and too interesting to spend it in -the past. Guy, what would Forbes tell you to do?" - -Guy turned. "She'd probably laugh and tell me not to be a fool. She'd -probably admit in that laughing way of hers that she was the best--but -second best becomes top when the best is gone." - -"You're bitter," said Kane. "The remedy is people, noise, music, -excitement, and forgetfulness. Come on, Guy, we'll go out now and find -it!" - -"I don't think I care to." - -"Don't be an idiot. Must I tell the world that their hero does not come -to his own functions because of grief? And Guy, why do you now fall -grief-stricken? I know and you know. But frankly it was because you -didn't know until too late. Now, snap out of it and come with me." - - * * * * * - -Maynard viewed the banquet with distaste. Yet it was exactly like one -of those same functions that he would have given his life to attend -five years ago. He thought of that and tried to forget. The reception -room was filled with glitter, and the sound of talk and light laughter -assailed his ears, and in part, Maynard forgot his feelings. He became -eager for the laughter. Kane noticed the change, however slight its -appearance, and he smiled inwardly. - -"Good boy, Guy," he said. He led Guy to the center of the larger group -and without a word shouldered into the circle. - -It was enough. They knew Kane and accepted him easily. Then they saw -Guy, and accepted him immediately; while they did not know him, they -recognized him. Guy became the center of a smaller circle and one of -the men growled cheerfully in Kane's ear: - -"I don't know whether I like you any more or not. That young cub has -collected all our women." - -Kane laughed. "Call him a young cub to his face, Tony, and he'll -collect your scalp." - -"I know it. He's quite a fellow, I hear." - -"He's the finest. Get Bill over there and we'll find a drink. And don't -worry, your women will be here when you find time to take 'em home." - -"I know that, too. And for nine weeks afterward they'll be yelling at -me to show some get. Darn him, he even looks like a swashbuckler." - -"I doubt that any piratical thoughts run through Maynard's mind," said -Kane, motioning to the man called Bill. "And as far as women go, he's -been a very busy boy for a long time." - -"That's the trouble right now. If I'd been isolated as long as he has, -I'd be howling at the moon. And look at 'em flock around! A mutual -admiration society if I ever saw one." - -Bill came up smiling. "It looks as though your protégé is doing well -in all fields of endeavor, Kane. Right now he's fighting the battle of -Amazonia." - -Tony growled again. "Don't you call my wife an Amazon!" - -Bill laughed. "I meant mine. Come on, let's haunt the bar where we can -excel in our own fields." - - * * * * * - -The lightness of the talk was doing Maynard a world of good. There was -nothing said at all; nothing of the slightest importance. It was all -done by inference and by double-talk, and each of the women seemed -to be doing her best to entice him. In the back of Maynard's mind -something kept telling him that it was all sort of silly; that he had -nothing in common with these frivolous women, but the fore portion of -his mind enjoyed it. - -And the stiffness went out of him, and absently he began to look over -their heads for Laura Greggor. When he saw her arrive, he wondered how -he should greet her, but she took the problem in her own way and came -over to the group. - -"Hello, Guy," she said, offering him her hand. - -"I'm glad to see you," he told her. - -One of the other women smiled wryly. "An eligible, girls. That's about -all, now." - -"We've experience," returned another. "And what has she got that we -haven't?" - -"His hand," said the first. "And from here, it looks as though she -intends to keep it." - -The orchestra broke into dance music, and as though prearranged, Guy -led Laura through the crowd to the dance floor. - -"How've you been?" he asked quietly. - -She looked up at him and smiled. "Fine," she said. "I'm glad you're -here." - -"So am I--now. An hour ago I didn't think I would." - -"So?" - -"I was feeling low. Reaction, I guess." - -"What you need is relaxation," she told him. "A drink, perhaps?" - -"Could be," he agreed. - -"If I were you, I'd get good and fried. You must have been through -everything." - -"It seems like everything," he smiled. "But I can't get stinkeroo. I'm -supposed to be the guest of honor." - -Laura laughed lightly, and led him to the bar where she prescribed a -healthy drink. Guy downed it, gulped, and wiped tears from his eyes. -"Whoooooo!" he squealed, hugging his midsection. - -"Sissy," giggled Laura. - -"Feels like a MacMillian going off down there. Is there a fire -extinguisher in the place?" - -They both laughed. Then Laura led the way to the opened French doors -and out into the fragrant garden. It was warm and pleasant there, and -with one thought they went to the far, darker end of the garden and sat -down. - -"Did you think of me?" asked Laura. - -"Always," lied Maynard. Then he said truthfully: "I've been working -toward this moment for a long time. You wanted a set of patrol -marshal's nebulae. You may have mine, now." - -Laura took the box, and looked at the starred nebulae of the sector -marshal. - -"I shouldn't do this," she teased. - -It rubbed Maynard the wrong way, that teasing. He knew it was just -coquetry, but still it went against the grain. It was probably because -he knew what was in her mind. - -"Why not?" he asked. "In some circles it is considered an honor." - -"Huh," gibed Laura, "perhaps in some circles. But remember it is no -great novelty to the daughter of a space marshal." - -"The thrill of giving some bird the royal send-off is gone, hey?" asked -Guy, stubbornly. "How many other officers have you done the honor for?" - -"Quite a number," she told him. "Quite a few more than any one man can -boast of having women do it for him. After all, one man only gets eight -new insignia during the course of his life." - -"You must have quite a collection," said Guy. "Which collection -includes some of mine." - -"Some," answered Laura sharply. "Most of my officers are true, though, -and do not go off letting other girls pin their insignia on." - - * * * * * - -Guy shrugged. This was not going according to plan at all. But best -have it out. If he could get the upper hand in this argument with -Laura, he'd feel better. Always before he had come off second best in -disagreements with Laura Greggor. But he felt that he was dead right in -this affair, and he was not going to back down now that she had flung -his actions into his teeth. - -"Well," he said with an expansive wave of the hand, "you told me not -to annoy you with petty trifles, and that you'd be glad to accept -the patrol marshal's nebulae when I became sector marshal. I merely -followed your wishes. To the letter, in fact." - -"You didn't have to make a public show of yourself with that little -waitress!" - -"You mean Senior Aide Forbes?" asked Maynard, feeling the back of his -neck bristle. If he'd been possessed of any kind of mane, it would have -stood up in anger. - -"Senior aide? How did she get that rank?" scorned Laura. - -"She worked for it. And hard." - -"Slinging hash?" - -"No, you little twirp. She went to a school for Patrol Nurse Corps and -paid for her tuition by working nights." - -"She could have made a better night-living than working in a beanery," -snapped Laura. - -_Slap!_ - -Maynard had been raised as a normal youngster. His mother had done -her best to instill the instincts of a gentleman in her son Guy, and -at an early age he discovered that little girls are not to be beaten -over the skull with a toy truck, and that beebee guns make little -round bruises when they hit little girls' legs, and that produced bad -evidence. Little girls, he learned, had no such restriction upon their -action, but could let him have a few quick blows without suffering the -consequences. On the other hand, he soon discovered that at best their -blows didn't count for much, and so he learned that hitting women was -taking an unfair advantage. - -But hitting with the tongue had never been explained to Maynard's -satisfaction. Laura Greggor was being just too open with her scorn. -And so Maynard, who never had hit a lady before, slapped Laura Greggor -across the face. - -"You hit me," she said in absolute surprise and equally absolute anger. - -"You talk too rotten about someone far above you," snapped Maynard. - -"Don't you call me rotten," snarled Laura. "Go on back to that little -trollop you prefer." - -"Can't," said Guy shortly. "She died up there!" - -It made no impression on Laura. "And so now you come running back to -me? Sorry, Guy. I don't play second fiddle--even to a corpse!" - -"You don't have to," he said evenly. He took the box from her hand. -Then as she watched in amazement, Guy removed his own insignia and -placed the starred nebulae on his own lapel. With that finished, he -arose from the bench; flung the plain nebulae into the little lagoon, -and left Laura sitting there. - - * * * * * - -Guy entered the room through the same door, and went immediately into -the bar where he downed four drinks in rapid succession. - -He felt as though he needed that alcoholic sterilization of his mouth. -Maynard's stomach was unused to liquor in such undilution. It reacted; -got rid of the alcohol as soon as it could by filtering it into the -blood stream. In other words, Guy became slightly drunk on a total -of five drinks. Unevenly, Guy went to the main room, where he was -immediately taken in tow by two women. - -"Now," said the one on his right, "we have you to ourselves. Tell us -about Mephisto." - -"How did you find it?" - -_I found it cold and forbidding._ - -"To think that it was undiscovered for all of these years!" - -_Too bad I did find it._ - -"You found it, and you conquered it. That makes it almost your own -planet, Guy." - -_I'll trade it for a chance to seek it again._ - -They prattled on, not noticing his silence. They wouldn't have heard -him if he had spoken, for they poured the questions at him without -waiting for an answer. - -"Was it exciting to go all the way out there?" - -_It was deadly. They hit us with all they had._ - -"Tell us about the battle. We want to hear the final words on the -finish of the fight. Tell us how you captured the weapon that destroyed -all Mephisto. Was that thrilling?" - -_Thrilling?_ Maynard saw a white face with closed eyes, neatly placed -in endless rows of other faces. He heard the voice of the chaplain -saying again: "--vast though the universe be, and though you travel it -endlessly, there you will find His work--" - -_How could death be thrilling?_ - -"You make me sick," said Maynard uncertainly. - -"He's drunk." - -"Yes, I'm drunk," he roared. "And you'd be dead or worse than drunk if -you'd seen what I had to live with. What do you know of death and of -war? _Thrilling? Exciting? Wonderful?_ Bah. It was rotten, as sordid, -and as ungodly as running opium! Sending men to their death. Fighting a -war against an enemy that knows it is fighting for its right to live. - -"Fighting for what? So that you and your kind can sit here and praise -the unlucky man who is destined to return for these medals. - -"Fighting to make the Solar System bend to Terra's will, that's what it -is. What did we want of Mephisto? Nothing except tribute. I'm sick and -tired of people telling me that I did a wonderful job. A brilliant job -of butchering, that's what they mean!" - -"Guy, take it easy. They mean no harm," interposed Kane. - -"If they want to see how thrilling war is," blazed Guy, "let 'em go out -and see!" - -"Take it easy!" - -"Let 'em help cut the leg from a corpse so that it can be grafted onto -a lad with his leg shot off!" stormed Guy. "Let 'em watch a ship fall -ten thousand miles into a planet, and watch it blaze as it hits the -air." - -"It's all over," Kane told him. He turned to the rapidly collecting -group and said: "Permit me to apologize. Guy has been through hell, and -shock still claims him." - -"It's over?" asked Guy. "It'll never be over. It'll go on and on and on -until the last Terran is dead and forgotten." - -"Well," said Kane, "you'd better make the best of it, Guy. You're -Terran, and there's no place else to go." - -"I'd like to find a planet that hasn't seen war for a thousand years," -said Guy uncertainly. The alcohol-concentration was reaching new levels -in Guy's system, and his brain was feeling more and more the effects. - -"We'd all like that," said Kane. "Now break it up, Guy, and simmer -down." - - * * * * * - -The storm passed, then, and Kane walked Guy into the dining room and -seated him at the speakers' table. - -The room hazed before Guy's eyes as he sat down. The echo of his voice -resounded in his brain: "A thousand years--" - -What was it that Charalas said? A thousand years--no, it was more than -that. Thousands of years since they had war. That was a planet! Ertene. -The nomad world that wanted no part of Sol's warfare and strife; -killing and death. They knew--they knew from the things he said--that -Terra was a planet of self-aggrandizement and that Terrans were proud, -haughty, and belligerent. - -Maynard laughed wildly. - -His hand felt the clean-shaven face. - -He'd go there! - -"No strife for thousands of years," he said aloud. - -Space Marshal Mantley, at his side, turned in puzzlement and asked: -"What was that?" - -Maynard saw the other as a sheer maze of white; no features were -visible to his befuddled mind. - -"They haven't had war for thousands of years," he said. - -"Who? What kind of dead, sterile place is that?" - -"Ertene--and never call Ertene dead!" exploded Guy. - -"What's Ertene?" - -"Ertene--the nomad planet. The wanderers." - -"I do not follow?" - -"They came and saw us. They decided not to have any." - -Mantley turned to Kane and said: "What is this young man talking about?" - -"I should know?" asked Kane with a shrug. "He's drunk--and though it is -deplorable that he should pick this time to get that way, I, for one, -don't blame him." - -"Well, after the circumstances, neither do I," agreed Mantley with -a sympathetic smile. "Those female predators would drive any man to -murder with their thoughtless questions. But look, Kane, this tale of a -nomad planet that preferred peace to association with Terra sounds too -complicated to be the figment of a drunken imagination." - -"How could it be anything but?" - -"Not a drunken figment," blurted Guy. "I was there, I should know." - -"It must be a wonderful place," said Mantley soothingly. - -"It is a paradise," insisted Guy. - -"And you were there?" - -"How would I know about it otherwise?" - -"All right," laughed Kane. "Prove it!" - -"How can I? They destroyed every shred of evidence." - -"Who did?" - -"You did--you and your kind. Didn't want Mars to know about -_Mardinex_--shot up the lifeship. Made me mem'rise forged log--forged -by Ertinians to fool you--and then burned log. Ha!" and Guy went into a -paroxysm of laughter. "You forged a log from a forged log." - -"When was this visit?" - -"When--right after capture by Martians. Came home to Terra." - -"Kane," said Mantley, "there may be nothing to this wild yarn. But -to stop any wild talk on the part of observers here, I'm going to -investigate thoroughly." - -"Please do. I'm certain that it will kill any rumors. Guy went through -part of the Martian idea of torture, I think, and it may have deranged -his mind somewhat." - -"I'll look into it," said Mantley. - -"We can permit no ugly rumor to mar the record of Guy Maynard," -insisted Kane. "He is too high a figure now to permit rumors--and there -are those who would spread such rumors." - -Mantley nodded. "Some of them are here, and they have heard." - -"You don't mind a bit of scorn?" - -"Of what kind?" - -"My publications will break this, of course. We'll do it in the light -of an investigation made over the statements made in jest by Sector -Marshal Maynard. You may find yourself an object of some scorn since -you are willing to accept the prattlings of a slightly-drunken man, -suffering from battle-shock, as basis for a formal investigation." - -"If you'll paint me as an unwilling investigator, I'll take it." - -"Well," smiled Kane, "you are unwilling, I know. You'll be portrayed as -a friend of Maynard's who is forced to investigate and is doing so only -because your duty to the Patrol insists that you do. Correct?" - -"Yes. But let's get it over with. I wouldn't want this dragged out too -far." - - - - - XIV. - - -Guy Maynard faced the President of the Court, who said to him: -"Maynard, your story is absurd. That you spent a year on an unknown -planet sounds impossible. But--there is one bit of evidence which, if -you can explain, will be discarded. Early medical records claim that -you have a MacMillan burn beneath your right arm. It is further stated -that if this scar is not removed, it will turn into cancer. No record -can be found of its removal--yet it is gone. To clear yourself, name -the surgeon that removed the dangerous scar." - -Maynard blinked. He'd forgotten the scar entirely. It had been a -minute speck that had never given him a bit of trouble. - -"The record states that you got that scar at age twenty-two. You were a -junior aide at the time, and you received the burn in a fight with the -Martians during the Martio-Terran Incident." - -He'd gotten it before he went to Ertene! - -"Can you recall the name of the doctor?" - -Guy shook his head. - -"I can not believe that you would visit a disreputable doctor for -such treatment when the Base doctor is available--and the expense is -no answer. Having received the wound in service, its treatment is a -responsibility of the government. Yet we have searched the records of -all reputable doctors and find no mention." - -Guy shook his head again. - -"Maynard, I am beginning to assume that there is truth in your drunken -story. Your developments--your inventions--were so startling and so -brilliant. Memorized details of a civilization's best efforts. The -barrier-screen. Used, no doubt, to keep Ertene hidden as it passes from -start to finish through the universe. A brilliant bit of adaptation, -Maynard." - -"That's a little harsh, Mantley," said Kane. - -"Are you in this with him?" asked Mantley sharply. "If I were you, -Kane, I'd look to my own past and see if there are any loose ends. We -may decide that you know about this, too." - -"You're being overharsh to a man that should have the entire world at -his feet." - -"Maynard, will you swear upon your honor that no such planet exists?" -demanded Mantley. - -Maynard remained silent, convicting himself. - -"Ha! Then it was not drunkenness entirely. Look, Maynard. Your high -position as sector marshal will not help you in the face of this. The -entire situation will be overlooked if you do your duty and lead us to -Ertene now." - -Maynard made a soundless "No". - -"You are a valuable man," insisted Mantley. "Copies though the -originals may have been, your work at adaptation is nothing short of -genius. To take an alien concept and reduce it to practice is no small -feat, Guy. Do not fling your future into the drink. Lead us to Ertene, -and we will consider your job well done." - -"They saved my life," said Guy. "They gave me knowledge. I strived and -worked enthusiastically in an effort to convince Ertene that Terra and -Sol would ever be friendly, and offered her a place near Sol. I assured -Ertene of our undying alliance and protection. They preferred eternal -loneliness to joining a militant system such as ours. Since they felt -that entering Sol's system would bring about the death of Ertinian -integrity, they offered me life in exchange for silence." - -"A fine bargain," sneered Mantley. - -"I swore to keep their secret. I shall." - -"Your honor is rooted in dishonor--" - -"That I deny. I had no other alternative. I could bring their secrets -to you only by swearing silence. If I had not sworn silence, I would -have been executed. Alive, but silent, I brought to Terra the science -by which she will gain mastery over the Solar System. Dead, I would -have been able to do nothing, and Terra would not have the benefit of -the things I brought. Give me that credit, at least!" - -"You should have sworn silence," said Mantley coldly. "And then taken -us to them." - -"You would prefer an officer whose word means nothing?" - -"False oaths. The only oath that is worth the breath of life is your -oath to the Patrol." - -"I see. Dishonesty extends in only one direction? Be rotten to the -core--for the Terran Space Patrol! Even a Martian spy has more honor -than that!" - -"Enough. We find you guilty of treasonable acts, Maynard. You will -be removed from command, relieved of any connection with the Terran -Space Patrol, and your citizenship in the Terran and Colonial Alliance -destroyed. We'll see how popular you are, Maynard. No matter how -big a man may get, he still is less than the world itself. We'll -find out whether you can find friends who trust you when you've been -dishonorably discharged from the Patrol. - -"There is this fact. To remove the Act of Treason from your record, -you must remove the charge. By leading us to Ertene you will remove -any cause for action, and by doing so you will regain your position. -Understand?" - -Maynard's lips curled in a sneer. He said nothing because there was -nothing to say. The President of the Court approached him and harshly -ripped the insignia from his uniform. - -"Thus I remove the sacred shields of honor from a man of dishonor. He -has defiled them." - -The insignia were dropped into a small box, which was then burned -so that no trace of the original shapes remained. During the firing -of the insignia, Guy stood woodenly. His former friends looked past -him, through him, ignoring him. They arose and filed out of the room, -leaving Guy standing alone. - -Completely alone. - - * * * * * - -He stood on the edge of the great spaceport and watched the activity. -It was hard to realize that he was no longer a part of it; he knew that -he could return as soon as he grew tired of going hungry, of finding no -work, of being without a single friend. But before he did that--well, -he was not reduced to starvation yet. Perhaps something would turn up. - -He heard a footstep beside him, and found it was Kane. - -"Sorry," he said to the publisher. - -"So am I, Guy. But I believe with you. You should have been permitted -your little secret. Would they have preferred another Mephisto? -A planet such as you describe ruined and sterilized because of -pride? No--and believing that I know the mettle of the people on -that mysterious planet, I know that they'd die before they'd permit -invasion. Right?" - -"Absolutely. That's why I did nothing. They were human, Kane, as you -and I are human. A dead specimen is no good in a zoo." - -"I know. What are you going to do?" - -"I don't know." - -"Don't take it too hard. I'm still the big publisher. I'll see that -your case reaches the public in the proper light. You'll be a victim -of Patrol politics, thrown out because of personal pettiness over -practical action." - -"That may help." - -"They'll never stand for it." - -"You should know." - -"I do. Now look, Guy. Will you take the _Loki_ and head for Pluto? Get -lost there on Pluto; hire out as a workman. When the time is ripe, -you'll know and can come back. I'm not going to see my friend broken -because of their high-handed methods." - -"That's offering a lot." - -"Not at all. I can pick the _Loki_ up there. Right at the present time -you'd get nowhere if you stay on Terra; your face is known to every -man, woman, and child on the planet." - -"But--" - -"Go to Pluto, Guy. Out there they will not demand ten years of -references before you apply for a job." - -Guy faced Kane once more. "Was I right?" he asked. - -"As far as I am concerned, you were. And as far as I have the -ability to make people believe--and I've made quite a pile doing -just that--they'll believe, too. We'll campaign you right back into -the service. But meantime you must play this my way. Disappear, Guy, -because when you return, we can claim another M-12 for you, and -tell the world that your dismissal was all a part of a grand plot. -Understand?" - -Guy nodded. Kane's argument was very sound. Remaining in the light -would destroy any chances of squashing the charge later. - -"I'll do it!" - -Kane handed Maynard the key to the _Loki's_ shelter. "Keep an eye on -the newsprint," he said. "You'll know when to return!" - - * * * * * - -High in the Solar System; up near the orbit of Jupiter, Guy became -lonely. Killing time, he'd started at a 1-G drive, and in spite of the -terrific velocities that can be achieved at a single G, it took a long -time to make the run to Pluto at 1-G. He'd watched and listened daily -to the Press Broadcasts and gratified to know that Kane's campaign was -off to a successful start. - -Other headline stories bothered him. The Patrol had started a search -for the hidden planet. It worried Guy. Supposing that they did manage -to find it? The recurring worry caused cold sweat and shakes, and it -was only by main force that Guy willed himself into a semblance of -nervous stability. - -Again and again he analyzed his actions. He viewed them as Guy -Maynard. He tried to see them from the standpoint of the Patrol. He -tried to visualize the thoughts of the people, and knew that they were -being swayed by both Kane's publicity and the Patrol's adverse reports. -Would they ever know the real truth? How could they ever really realize -the facts when the facts were cloaked in suave words and shaded tones? - -The Mephistan was right. True democracy would occur only when the -thought-beam instruments became universal and fancy words no longer -prevailed. But all evidence of the mental instruments was destroyed on -Mephisto; Guy had seen to that. He'd been afraid that their use would -disclose his secret. - -It would have uncovered his secret, without a doubt. - -And yet he was responsible for destroying an instrument that would have -been the salvation of mankind. Wars and strife and graft and lies were -the rewards of power; and power went to the man who was wealthy and -dishonest enough to buy it. An honest man did not have a real chance to -gain power; others bought it easily, and by trying their tactics and -buying their power, they themselves became dishonest. - -He felt like cursing Ertene, and then remembered that without the nomad -world, he would have been dead. - -And yet, what had he gained from life? - -It was a hard thing to balance and justify. He'd had his day of success -and power. Regardless of what they said about him, he had made his -good mark on history. He realized the life was a continuous succession -of rises and falls, and by all the rules he had been heading for the -fall. But to have fallen so far--was that really fair? - -How should he have treated Laura Greggor? And what of Joan? Could he -have changed that, really? - -Mephisto? Well, he'd found the tenth planet for them because he wanted -power himself. He'd fought the tenth planet, and had given Terra -another planet to colonize, and in carrying on the long incident of -the tenth planet, had succeeded in losing something that could not be -calculated in the mean terms of money. - -He wondered whether he was any better than the rest. Had he been -satisfied to remain as he was, Mephisto would have been discovered -by someone else, and that would have lessened his chances of getting -involved in this present situation. But no. He had to strike high and -hard, so that he could fling the insignia of the Patrol Marshal in -Laura Greggor's face with an "I told you so!" - -Laura Greggor didn't deserve it. - -And then what had he done? He'd pinned them on himself. - -Guy smiled glumly. "Superstition," he snorted. And yet it had happened. -The first time he'd pinned his own lapel ornaments on, trouble -had claimed him for its own. "Superstition!" he growled. Perhaps -superstition was just the human-equation coming to the fore. Those -unexplainable factors of human behavior. In walking under a ladder, -one might get hit by falling tools; in breaking a mirror one might cut -himself; one was fortunate to find a four-leaved clover because they -were rare, one so fortunate might repeat. In having disaster fall upon -an officer that had no friend to pin his insignia on--it meant that he -had no true friends. At least, no friends among the opposite sex. - -And Maynard knew that a man of that character, whose friends did not -include one member of the opposite sex, was possessed of a warp in his -get-together and quite capable of speeding blindly into some form of -disaster. A man should be balanced in all things--even to the sex of -his friends. - -Guy felt a tiny pang of jealousy. Who, he wondered, had been the lucky -man to pin the caduceus on Joan's uniform? - - * * * * * - -Guy turned to the news-recorder and read the pages with aloof interest. -A great verbal fight was beginning between Kane's outfit and another. -Guy shook his head. It was all wrong. Kane shouldn't be fighting the -Patrol. They'd break him--and then what good could he do. For even -a publication company such as Kane's to attempt to sway the people -against the wishes of the Patrol was foolish. And Kane's interests -covered everything possible in the realm of the Fourth Estate. Books, -broadcast, newsprint, commercial advertising, everything. - -A trace of humor passed through Guy. It was a trace of that same humor -that had been essential in saving every human being since the beginning -of time. - -Guy listened to the glowing claims of an advertiser on the newscast and -laughed to think what the thought-beam would do to his script--"--and -these cigarettes, ladies and gentlemen, are made of no worse a grade of -floor-sweepings than any other brand!" - -He laughed, and it did him good. - -But this rise in feeling was short-lived. The next newscast took him -right down to the bottom again. - -It was a long editorial, written by one of the High Command, denouncing -Kane and his publications, and officially suspending all operations of -the Kane Publishing Co. for publicly and aggressively resisting the -Patrol's attempt to add still an eleventh planet to the Solar System. - -It made no matter that Ertene was passing through. They did not know -that Ertene was dirigible and could be swung into an orbit. In fact -they thought not. But they were determined to visit Ertene. And Guy -Maynard knew that their intent was to ravage the nomad of her treasures -and every bit of her science. - -So Kane was no longer a factor. He had fallen in the battle to save a -friend--himself, Guy Maynard. - -Guy felt that he was an unfortunate fellow. Everything that he loved -and wanted to befriend was going to hell--or had gone there already. -Even Ertene-- - -No! Perhaps he could still do something about that! - -Not openly. But he could pass as Ertinian, he knew, provided that he -shaved twice daily and managed to hide his razor well. - -It would take years of careful planning and working to get himself to a -dominant position on Ertene--one that would be without question. He'd -done it on Terra--using Ertinian science, and no doubt he could do the -same thing on Ertene using Terran science. - -He had time. Ertene was still far, far out beyond the orbit of Mephisto -and the speed gave him years to prepare, unless an unhappy accident cut -his time. He made an oath, then. There were two things to take with -him. The vortex projector and the thought-beam. One, Terra had. The -other, neither knew existed. A threat on the part of Ertene to blast -Sol itself with vortices might hold Terra away, and the thought-beam -would solidify Ertene against invaders. - -If his action in coming to Ertene to protect them were really known, he -didn't think they'd act harshly in his direction. Ertene was one place -where the thought-beam would save him at the proper time. - - * * * * * - -Maynard strode to the tiny pilot's chamber and charted the course of -the _Loki_. - -When he established the barrier, he did not know that a hundred -beam-detectors throughout the system went wandering foolishly; their -center-of-urge gone completely. But he suspected, and he searched the -_Loki_ with a sensitive detector rigged out of the communications set -parts and located twelve separate spotter-generators. - -If he were to land on Ertene safely, he'd want no detectors on him. And -if the barrier failed for the barest instant on his course, Terra would -be on the trail in minutes. - -Once inside the great barrier that covered Ertene, he would be -safe--except that he wanted no Ertinian to detect him either. - -So he combed the _Loki_ free of all emission and then continued to -coast toward Pluto, concealed behind the barrier. - -Ertene was on the far side of Sol. - -Evasion of the Patrol was going to be a problem. Though he was not -undetectable, they knew where he was and how fast he was going and -in what direction. Their course-predictors could extrapolate very -well indeed, and could predict the position of a barrier-hidden -ship since no drive would work behind the barrier. It was a matter -of straight-line projection unless the celestial masses caused some -deflection, but this could also be calculated. - -Since his creation of the barrier would be taken as an admission of -flight, he was willing to wager his life that a Terran ship would soon -take the pursuit. Armed with the course-prediction, the ship would -match the _Loki's_ velocity and position to a precision within a few -days. - -He could not hope to drive the _Loki_ under the barrier. Yet he -was beyond the negative-detector range that he had devised on the -_Orionad_ to predict the positions of sub-ships. His problem, then, -was to stay outside of that range, and at the same time change his -course. - -Once the barrier was removed, he would be detected by his drive. He -shook his head. Well, there were certain ideas he could give a try. -And, luckily, there was no premium put on time. - -He would make use of the minor errors in all detectors. He could make -use of the "angles of confusion" which give areas instead of pinpricks -at great distances for the position of a target. And he could hope to -win through. - -Kane's little ship was not a Patrol ship, unluckily, though the -publisher had installed just about every attachment that he could get -his hands on. Guy's assumption that he would find acceleration garb in -the locker was correct, and he strapped the binding, holding suit on -tightly and waited while the oxygen-content of the _Loki_ increased. - -Then Guy cut the barrier and pointed the top of the _Loki_ north; at -ninety degrees from his line of flight and drove it for thirty minutes -at a bone-tingling 10-Gs. Then he set the barrier again and coasted. - -He'd been loafing along the road to Pluto at 1-G. He was about halfway -there, and it had taken him slightly less than ten days, twenty-four -hours each, to achieve his present initial velocity, Plutowards, of -just a trace over five thousand miles per second. His action at driving -the ship northward had changed his course only slightly. It had given -him one hundred and ten miles per second velocity northward. His -course, then, differed from the original course by the angle whose -tangent is equal to one hundred ten divided by five thousand, or -roughly one over fifty. - -In decimals, this becomes point zero two. It is one degree, eight -minutes, and forty-four plus seconds. - -Not much, but enough to throw Guy quite a bit out of place by the time -he continued to coast toward Pluto. Minute angles add up when they are -projected for half the distance from Sol to Pluto, a matter of one -billion, eight hundred fifty million miles. That plus the fact that -he should start decelerating at 1-G to make Pluto and his calculated -course constants come out even. - -Then there came a long period of nothing to do. - -But Guy found things to do. He went to work on the detector. He -increased its gain, and in doing so sacrificed much of its selectivity -and directivity. Targets at one million miles, formerly at extreme -range, would no longer be pinpoints in the celestial sphere, but -shapeless masses but one third the distance out from the center of -the detector sphere. The angles of confusion would be greater, too, -and the noise level went up to almost prohibitive quantities. Flecks -of noise-projected light filled the globe with a constantly swirling, -continually changing pattern that reminded Guy of the Brownian Movement -viewed in three dimensions. - -Calibration of the souped-up detector range was based on estimation -since no accurate measure of distances was available to him. Guy -pessimistically estimated the range at three million miles and hoped it -good enough. - -At least, no ships were within that range. - -And since the barrier, when first established, had broken the far-flung -contact maintained by the driver-detectors on Terra, Guy was safe until -they could send out ships to intercept him. - -He cursed the cardex files in all Patrol ships, and wondered whether -he could change the _Loki_ sufficiently to make it appear different to -the sorting machines and the characteristic detectors. The detector -impulses were based on the size, the characteristic radiation -of the drivers, the mass, and the metal of the hull. Those four -characteristics were individual and while some duplications occurred, -sufficient evidence remained to pin the cardex-information down to a -particular ship. Especially when this particular ship was being sought -and others of the same characteristic would be catalogued as to course, -and position. - -He had the barrier, but he could not drive through it. He could hide, -but when hiding could not run. He could run, but when running could not -hide. - -But he was the equal of the Patrol's best watchdogs. A bit of hare and -hounds might come out with the hare a winner. At worst, Guy had nothing -to lose. - - - - - XV. - - -His only hope of escaping detection was his knowledge that the -negative-detector, developed in the _Orionad_ for use against -sub-ships was less sensitive as to range than the positive-detector. -The establishment of negative evidence is never conclusive. And his -souped-up detector would outrange any but another souped-up job. - -So Guy coasted for days, which at five thousand miles took him far, far -beyond the orbit of Pluto. Then he crammed on the deceleration and came -to a stop, with respect to Sol, and then started back along a course -several degrees to the south and thirty degrees to the right of Sol. He -drove at the same 10-Gs for an hour and then closed the barrier about -him once more. - -Meanwhile, the mathematicians on Terra had been plying their trade. -The Laws of Probability came out of hiding and became their favorite -subject. Knowing his course and direction up to the first establishment -of the barrier, which surprised them and caused them to dislike Kane -that much more for having installed one on the _Loki_, they tossed -their hypothetical coin, drew probability curves, made space-models, -and came up with a flared cone, in which volume Guy must appear. And -then they buttered their decision by stating that the cone held true -only if Guy did not apply power in another direction. - -They grinned, when they said it. It was thirty billion to one that Guy -would apply power instead of just running off at five thousand miles -per second until he hit the next star in line with that course. - -So they sent out ships with souped-up detectors to follow the edges of -the cone. - -And Guy, running back Solward outside of the cone of expectancy with -the barrier on, detected them at extreme range and laughed. He left -them running in the opposite direction, and when they were far beyond -range, Guy dropped his barrier and drove at an angle away from Sol -which added to a quartering course from Pluto by the time he had the -course corrected. He drove solid for days at 1-G, and then decelerated -in an upwards vector which carried him a billion miles to the north of -the Celestial Equator and ten billion miles from Sol. He turned again -and ran tangent to the circle from his position to Sol, and dropped -slightly southward. Again he came to a stop. - -Then, with a sad shake of his head, he abandoned the _Loki_. He dropped -from the larger ship in the tiniest of lifeships, and taking the -barrier-generator with him, he let the _Loki_ drive across the System -towards Mephisto, while he in the lifeship gave a short, ten minute -thrust at 10-Gs and set up the barrier again. - -If any detectors had been close enough to catch him, they would be -souped-up to the limit of gain, for his own super-sensitive detectors -caught no pursuit. At that range, both lifeship and _Loki_ would appear -as a single drive, and when he disappeared, only _Loki_ at 10-Gs would -remain to lead them across the Solar System towards Mephisto. - -He laughed. If this chase had been a chase to the death, he'd have been -dead by now. But they had preferred to let him think he was being let -alone, or that they had lost him. He'd given them the slip, he knew. -And if they were still on the lookout, they'd follow _Loki_ right -across that vast orbit and beyond Mephisto on the other side. Better -than twenty billion miles! - -And with _Loki_ running on clockwork for the barrier, and with the -autopilot set for a series of gyrations with an apparent ending of the -course completely unpredictable and yet obviously better than fifty -billion miles beyond Mephisto, in an area that covered as much sky as -the orbit of Mars itself-- - -They'd spend a lot of time thinking of that one. - -It was slightly funny, though. The Terran mathematicians did not know -that Guy was starting for Pluto in the first place. They believed that -the initial start was but a throw-off direction on the secret way to -Ertene. They based their probabilities on that one fact, and built -their house of mathematical cards on that false premise. They came up -with what they thought to be a shrewd guess--and when the _Loki_ was -picked up rifling across the Solar System in the direction of Mephisto, -they jumped up and down in glee. - -The Laws of Probabilities had coincided with the Laws of Absolute -Randomness, the basic rule of which argument is that there are no laws -that prevail. - -And while the Solar System combed the vastness of space beyond Mephisto -for the hidden planet, Guy Maynard was coasting out of the Solar System -on the opposite side, approaching the hidden planet in truth. - - * * * * * - -Guy was going slowly as spaceships travel, but he was secure in the -belief that he was not followed. He wondered whether his arduous path -had been really necessary. He'd given them the shake easily. Right on -the first try, and from then on he'd been able to go free as he wanted. -The rest of his manipulation had been insurance. - -But there had been no pursuit. It was almost impossible to have flown -the millions of miles he had covered in free flight along a course -beside another freely flying ship without diverging or converging. That -would take corrective driving, and the radiation would flare in his -detector. He had seen none. He was safe. - -He spent his time figuring, and trying to fix the position of Ertene. -He corrected his fix time after time, and prayed that he was right. - -And when he detected the great, nonreflecting sphere in space with his -converted detector, he shouted in joy. - -He passed Ertene and went beyond detector range by twenty million -miles. Then he broke his barrier and directed the lifeship to the -center of the big barrier over Ertene. He closed his own barrier again -and watched the blackness increase in size as he coasted toward it. He -made contact, passed inside, and saw Ertene and the synthetic sun. - -He kept his barrier on and approached the planet with the acceleration -of falling bodies. - -He hit the atmosphere and the falling velocity turned the silence of -space-flight into a scream. He watched the pyrometers, and though the -hull became hot, it did not become dangerously so. His velocity upon -contact had been in thousands of feet per second, not miles, as would -have been the case in a meteor. - -The velocity dropped slightly; Guy calculated the terminal velocity of -the lifeship at three hundred miles per hour, and with that in mind he -began to figure furiously. - -He had none too much time. - -His automatic calculator ground out the answer. The best he could -do was sixty seconds at 12-Gs! That would bring him to almost-zero -velocity upon contact with Ertene. - -He believed that sixty seconds would be short enough to escape -detection by any but an observer expecting him. The recorders, showing -a streak that ended deep in Ertene's broad ocean would be suspected of -recording noise-transients instead of a signal. No ship would land deep -in an ocean. - -And it must be remembered that Ertinians were quite nonsuspicious, -since they'd had no experience with disreputable characters for several -thousands of years. They might not even have detection circuits -working other than to enumerate the items that came in through the -screen above. His barrier would not cause reaction with the big barrier -about Ertene; it would have presented another problem of entering if it -were so. - -Guy sprawled in the flattened pilot's chair, took a deep breath, and -then the autopilot threw on 12-Gs of deceleration. Sixty seconds later, -the slowed ship splashed wide and beautifully into the ocean, and sank -gently to the bottom. - -And Guy spent twenty-four solid hours trying to detect the spurious -responses that might emanate from a close-at-hand detector circuit. - -No one came to investigate. - -Running submerged, Guy went slowly across the ocean to the nearest -land. He lowered the lifeship to the ocean floor beside a forbidding -cliff and emerged, swimming to the beach several miles down the coast, -clothed in spacesuit and bulging like a blimp with buoyant air. - -He walked along the coast back to the spot above the ship, and cached -his helmet and as much of the heavy equipment of his suit as he could -remove. He loafed and rested until night fell, and then made his way -toward the blinking lights of the city several miles in the other -direction along the coast. - - * * * * * - -His following actions were not according to the code of ethics. - -He completely submerged whatever conscience he had and proceeded -along the back-ways of the darkened streets at an hour when most -honest Ertinians were fast asleep. Those who were not asleep were -preoccupied, as he found when he almost passed within arm's length of -a couple that were sitting silent and close together on a street-side -bench as far from the dim streetlight as they could get. They did not -see him, though he watched them and chuckled quietly. - -He located the back entrance of a clothing store and tackled the lock -with a bit of steel wire. He worked for an hour, undisturbed, before -it clicked open. Then he stood up and went to work on the lock above -the door that kept the alarm from ringing when turned by a proper key. -Another hour solved that lock, and Guy entered the store stealthily. -His action was quite logical. He went to the stock room below and -selected one each of his size from the bottom boxes. He rifled the -jewelry counter and selected a minor item or two with the Ertinian -initial that signified the pseudonym of his choice. He took a few small -coins from the register and then left, attired as an Ertinian. - -They'd notice the discrepancy in time. But it would occur from time to -time, as each rifled box was opened and found to be short. They might -even put the shortages to error in packing instead of robbery. - -He went directly away from the town, hiking along the road that -returned him to his ship. Here Guy buried the last evidence of his -Terran origin, and when the first rays of morning shone across the -broad ocean, Guy Maynard became Gomanar. - -He looked at himself. Gone were the Terran shirt and trousers. Gone -were the low, soft shoes. In the warmth of Ertene, Guy was thankful for -the abbreviated costume, and equally thankful for the over-all tan that -came as a result of spending much time in space. - -Blue trunks; loose, flowing shirt; hard-soled, high-laced boots of -the softest material known; and a short shawl or cape that hung from -the shoulders to mid-thigh in back. Maynard worried about the lack of -pockets and found some difficulty in getting used to the cartridge -belt effect that passed in place of pockets on Ertene. A small, hard -handcase contained his razor and some spare items of clothing. - -Maynard left Terra behind him beside the ocean, and strode along the -highway. He continued to practice his speech and though he knew he was -proficient, he worried about the first time he'd be expected to use it. -But he could not remain silent forever, and so he turned into the first -farmhouse he came to. Breakfast was his aim, and the sun was getting -high. - -He knocked on the door. A dog came rushing around the corner of the -house, all suspicion, and smelled Guy's feet curiously. Then as Guy -spoke to the animal, the dog backed up several feet and lay with chin -on forefeet. - -"Doda seems to like you," came the rich, pleasant tones of the woman -from inside the doorway. "May I ask your business, sir?" - -Guy smiled his best smile, usually reserved for special occasions. "I -am named Gomanar. I am a migratory worker in search of two items: -Breakfast first and work second. Have you either?" - -"Of course," smiled the woman. Her smile broke into a full laugh. -"You'll not mind if we present them to you in reverse order?" - -"You'll get the worst of the agreement that way," smiled Guy, -cheerfully. "I'll work less on an empty stomach and then be hungrier." - -"You look like the kind of man who can pack it away," she said. "It -might be that you would eat so much that you become sluggish?" she -finished with another laugh. Her eyes traveled up and down Guy's -muscular figure and decided that sluggish was possibly the one way that -this startling young man did not get. She turned and called: "Lors! We -have a visitor!" - -Her husband came to the door and looked questions at Maynard. He -repeated his tale. - -"Naturally," he boomed. "Naturally." - -"Thank you," answered Guy simply. - -"What's the disagreement?" he asked his wife. - -"A mere argument as to the sequence of events. He wants to eat first." - -"A natural desire. That gives him the benefit of deciding the value -received. But let's keep no man hungry, Tena. Your name again?" - -"Gomanar." - -"Lorsana," said the man. "Come in. We'll quibble over value received -while eating." He treated the argument as a huge joke though it was -serious business to Guy. - -Breakfast was large and appetizing, and near the finish, Lorsana said: -"You look as though hard work did not bother you too much. You didn't -get that figure just roaming back and forth, performing odd jobs." - -"I've managed to keep fit," said Guy noncommittally. - -"I see that," laughed Lorsana. "But look, Gomanar. I need a helper for -a few days. Have you ever logged?" - -"No." - -"Too bad, but not impossible. I'm clearing a bit of wooded land and -need an experienced logger. If you'll help out until it's finished, -I'll pay you the regular wage-level. Would you care to help?" - -"I may at that. Yes, a bit of logging would round out a wide and varied -experience." - -"It's done then," laughed the man. - -Guy thanked his active life. The job would have killed him if his -muscles hadn't been in condition. It was hard, heavy work, and it -covered long hours daily. At night, Guy crawled into his bed and slept -like an innocent. And though he kept a sharp ear out for any mention -of the System that Ertene was approaching, nothing was said in his -presence. It worried him. Had positions been reversed, the subject -would have been in every Terran radio and in every Terran newspaper, -and a common subject for dinner-conversation. - -When the work was finished and Lorsana paid him sixty Ertinian ronnads, -Guy said good-by to Lorsana and his wife, patted the dog and left. The -work had done him good. It had taken the newness out of his clothing -and had filled his belt with good, Ertinian money. - -But farm work was no place to make a start in life--from Guy's age, at -least. So with regret, he left the farmhouse and trudged along the road -for several miles until he came to a large city. He sought lodgings, -bought dinner at a restaurant, and then on the following morning -presented himself to a manufacturer of precision instruments. - -His age and bearing seemed to have good effect, and he was given -preference over several other applicants, and ushered into the -employment manager's office. - - * * * * * - -"Be seated," directed the manager. He looked at the card in his hand -and memorized briefly. "You're Gomanar. Call me Jerimick." - -"Thank you." - -"You seek technical work, Gomanar. Yet your card indicates that you -have no formal education." - -"I am well read. And I believe that I can hold my own ground with any -college graduate." - -"Perhaps. Have you attended any college or university, even for a -single term?" - -Guy had, but not for Ertinian publication. He shook his head and smiled -defiantly. - -"You understand that regulated study is far superior to the random -investigations made at home?" - -"If one marshals his mind to follow a prescribed pattern, the ill -effects of random study are not present." - -"Quite true. I feel inclined toward you--Gomanar." He thought for a -moment. "We have some instruments in here at present which require -repair. There is no rush on a couple of them--I'm going to try you -out, Gomanar, on these. You'll pardon my taking insurance by giving -you those of little urgency first. If you succeed in your repair of -these instruments in equal or better than the time normally spent by -accredited employees, you'll be hired. Is it a deal?" - -"I'm confident enough," laughed Guy. Small tools and instrument-work -came as a second nature to the Terran. "Lead me to it!" - -"I have but one objection to hiring a man like you," said Jerimick. -"You'll prove an excellent worker--and in forty days you'll tire of it -and go to wandering again." - -"I can't answer that." - -"I can. You've never had a woman thrown your way. Some day one will -come along and tie you down, and the whole planet will be better off -for it. You're the type that we worry about." - -"Why?" asked Maynard innocently. - -"You--and all your kind--are restless. You are always searching for -something you can not find. I don't know what it is, but what you seek -does not exist." - -"You mean we're looking for something nonexistent?" - -"I do." - -"That's strange. After all, I've met my kind. They all seem -intelligent. No intelligent man would search the world over for -something that did not exist. Or is my logic false?" - -"Sounds reasonable. Yet you explain it. I know your type. I've -dealt with people for ten kilodays. I've consulted the brainiest -psychiatrists on Ertene, and they agree with me. Your type," said -Jerimick, "is restless. You are quick of mind, and sure of yourselves -save for this unrest. You can turn your hands to any trade, and -prosper, yet no trade offers you the outlet you seek. I'll wager my -income for the next kiloday that you'll repair my instruments in record -time--and wager the next kiloday's income that you have never seen -their like before. You have an ability to visualize hidden details of -operation and apply a sort of rule-thumb logic to them and make them -work. And when you've discovered that your logic is good, you seek a -more complex problem. - -"I'm going to make a serious admission, Gomanar. I believe that your -kind of man would be better off if Ertene joined Sol's System." - -That stunned Guy. "I'd keep that idea beneath my skull," said Maynard. - -"I know. I shall. It was merely hypothetical. I'm certain that it will -go no farther. Besides, such a rash move would most certainly be bad -for the great majority of us, though your kind might prosper." - -"I'd really hate to see such a thing happen," said Guy. - -"And that statement, I believe, is the voice of education, of -training, of conditioning. I doubt that you really know what is good -for you!" - -"We'll never know," said Maynard. - -"No, please God," said Jerimick, fervently. "But both of us have work -to do." He scribbled on a printed form, filling out less than one -quarter of the spaces, and handed it to Guy. "Through that door and to -your right. The medical examiner will O.K. you first, and then you'll -be sent direct to your job. Luck, Gomanar." - -"Thank you," replied Guy, worrying slightly about the examiner. - -He discovered that the examination was as sketchy as the filled-in -hiring-form. Within an hour he was seated at a bench with tools and -equipment before him, and was whistling a cheery but tuneless melody -as he delved into the insides of a small traffic-control that must be -intended for local flier-traffic. - -And so Guy Maynard came to Ertene. - - - - - XVI. - - -In the days that passed, Guy noted a tendency to show him deference. He -could not understand, though he tried, why they would single him out -above the others. When he needed a tool, and his actions showed that he -was in search, a mere question brought immediate--not only results--but -delivery to his bench. - -They stood aside as he approached narrow passageways, and in a tight -corridor they would back up all the way without a word. His own offer -of retreat went unwanted; the other party retreated and waited with -a smile until Guy decided that they had reached an impasse and went -himself since the other obviously had no intention of moving. - -He found this same condition prevailed throughout the city, too. They -spoke to him seldom, yet he found himself with the best meals, the -better seats, the quieter rooms, and the clearest path. - -It took about twenty days of that to get Guy worried. - -And since he became dead certain that they suspected him of being -different, Guy left the city at night, and gave only a short note of -thanks to Jerimick. He explained that his search required that he seek -new fields. His only concession to Terran training was the night he -selected. It was the night after payday, and it increased his tiny -store of funds to a more reasonable value. - -Guy took a night-flier and went halfway across the continent. It still -followed him, for the stewardess gave him more than his share of -attention. - -Guy was not vain. No more, that is, than any other normal man. He knew -that his figure was well-proportioned and did not require any apology -in the abbreviated Ertinian costume. His features were regular, and -though his thirty years was still considered young, the lines on his -face gave him character. He'd been shaving within an inch of his life -each morning and before dinner each night, and he knew that his beard -was light enough to escape detection as long as he maintained that -schedule. - -This attention he was getting bothered him. He was not ready for -attention yet. He'd prefer a couple of years to establish some sort of -false foundation by skipping around from place to place, and losing his -past in the maze of data. - -What was worse, he could pin nothing down definitely. He wondered -whether he might be guiltily self-conscious. That might be. But he'd -been honestly critical and knew that Ertene was singling him out for -something. - -It was not the kind of attention that accompanied suspicion or -notoriety. It was a universal will to help him, to offer him the best, -to accord him some sort of deference. - -But why? - -His discussions with others were nonproductive. They spoke in vague -terms until they heard his viewpoint and then agreed with him, and -it was only with difficulty that he learned their true views were -calculable only by the magnitude of their agreement. - -For lack of anything more desirable, Guy took to walking in the -evening. He covered miles in his meanderings through this city in the -center of the continent, and in doing so learned very little, but at -least it kept him from being everlastingly confronted by that unnamable -acclaim. - -Worst of all, most of them treated his name--Gomanar--with some -amusement. Guy searched his mind, and knew that it had no amusing -nuance by any stretch of the imagination. He wondered whether he had -assumed the name of some famous man, but a search of the libraries -gave him negative evidence--which in this case was fairly conclusive -both for fame and for notoriety. - -His work was well received. Even when he made errors, it was -overlooked, and Guy knew that others were called to task for their -errors. - -At last he could stand it no longer, and since his position as an -instrument worker placed him in contact with numberless small, -technical parts, Guy pilfered them shamelessly, and started to make a -thought-beam receiver in his rooms. - -And that was a project that might take a year in itself. - -But it would give him the answer. - - * * * * * - -Forty days after he arrived in this city, which contained among other -things the most prominent university on Ertene, Guy was walking -alone in his usual habit. His steps unconsciously turned toward the -university campus, and as he neared the broad campus, the pleasant -strains of music came to him. It gave him a lift of spirit, and his -steps quickened until he was approaching a ten-deep ring of people -surrounding the vast campus. - -He stood behind them, trying to look between their heads, and his -curiosity caused him to press forward. The man ahead of him turned, -annoyed, and his annoyance turned to pleasure. He stepped aside and -motioned Guy to take his place. Guy blinked, smiled, and moved forward; -it had become natural to accept these offers. A whispering arose, -faint, unintelligible, insidious. Those in front of him pressed aside, -one by one, and opened a lane for Guy until he could see the entire -campus from the front line. - -He remembered seeing a notice in the evening news; The University of -Locana was holding the graduation dance for the upper classmen. It -meant absolutely nothing to Guy, but the sight was interesting to see. - -The gay colors, the glad music, the circling couples--were all cheerful -until the music stopped with a sudden crash, and played a loud, joyous -chord. - -The orchestra leader pointed his long wand in Guy's direction, and from -the maze of dancers there came a youthful figure, running. - -"Elanane!" she called. "Oh, Elanane!" - -He heard the whisper "--the lanee's sister--" and nothing registered -save that this girl must be the sister of the elected governor of -Ertene. He didn't know her, which he thought to be a shame since she -appealed to his sense of appreciation as few other women ever had. He -probably never would know her. - -"Elanane!" she called as she approached her brother, who must be near -Guy. He looked around to see who he might be--and when he looked back -at her to get another "fix" on the line of her sight, to better follow -her intended course, he found himself hurled back three steps as the -girl ran, without stopping, right into him. - -She hurled herself at Guy hungrily, and hugged him until he felt his -ribs complaining. - -He grunted, and she stepped back to inspect him. "I knew you wouldn't -miss it," she said. She was deliriously happy and went right on talking -with the appearance of one who has had no one to talk to for several -years. "I was worried--you worried me, Elanane. I actually thought -you'd miss your sister's graduation, and I'll only graduate once. But -you didn't." - -Guy took the wise course. He said nothing. A protestation would have -caused comment and questioning as to his real identity. An acceptance -of the masquerade would set him up even afterwards as a liar and an -open fake. He decided to brazen it out and hope for an opening that -would permit him to get away without exciting more comment. - -He wondered what her name was. A man should know his own sister's name. - -"--ill, they told me. Unable to visit me. Elanane, you look the soul of -health!" - -Guy decided that an answer was necessary and he wondered about the tone -of his voice and the characteristics of his speech. They would give him -away. But a short, precise answer might not. - -"I've had a sore throat," he said. He hoped that would explain the -differences in tonal range. - -"_Pooh!_ Couldn't have been bad at all." - -"They thought so." - -"Why, you're not even hoarse!" - -Guy decided that she was so elated at her brother's presence that -anyone could sell her a bill of goods. "I'm not?" - -"Not in the least. I don't think you were ill at all. You've been -running all over Ertene again, Elanane, trying to make people think you -are a vagrant, and trying to get honest information out of them. You -should be ashamed, not trusting us!" - -Guy Maynard felt a bit of worry. He began to wonder several -things, among which were the answers to the questions of: One, was -he completely insane; two: was he Guy Maynard, Elanane, or the -reincarnation of Haroun El-Raschid; and three: how was he going to get -out of this? He decided then that the first was possible, the last -desirable, and the second highly questionable. - -A bit of Terra's own private humor reared its horned head in Guy's -mind and the forked tail glinted impishly over the ruddy forehead as -the devil winked at him. Guy felt a hand-shaking acquaintance with the -devil at that moment and decided to have something to remember, at -least. - -"I'm here," he told her, "to see your graduation. I came because you -would be hurt if I remained away, and because I wanted to see you -happy. But I'm holding up the proceedings here, and not even a lanee -should demand that your ceremonies be interrupted for a whim. I'd -stay, but I have work to do--and believe me if it did not concern the -integrity of Ertene I'd remain and watch. But you go back to your -dance and I'll be with you later!" - -"That's a promise, Elanane?" - -"A promise. Now give your big brother a kiss and go back to your -ceremony." - -"A promise," said the girl to seal the agreement. Her kiss was -affectionate but sisterly, and Guy wondered afterwards why he expected -anything but a sisterly kiss from a sister. Then she turned and went -back to her partner. The music began again, and Guy stood there -watching. To rush off would excite suspicion, and though the nerves up -and down his spine were tingling, Guy stood there brazenly, fighting -that rising impulse to turn and bolt. - -Then feigning sorrow at having to leave, Guy turned and made his way -through the crowd. A man behind him shouted: "All right, folks! It's no -secret now! Do you like him?" - -The roar of cheers that went up nearly staggered Guy. - -_Elanane must be one swell person_, thought Guy. Well, that was that. -Now what? Disguise upon disguise? He was a marked man, just as much -marked as if he'd permitted his whiskers to grow. - -He cursed Elanane for his looks, and wished that the lanee of Ertene -had been possessed of brown eyes, a hook nose, and a cleft chin--or -that he did. Well, now what--? - -Guy didn't know. - - * * * * * - -The next move was made for him. A man came up, tapped him on the -shoulder and said: "Thomakein will be glad to see you, Elanane." - -Guy squirmed inside. He'd never seen Thomakein, but he'd heard plenty -about this Ertinian. On the other hand, Thomakein had seen him on his -previous visit to Ertene, and Guy knew that Thomakein might have seen -him without his mustache at one time, for he vaguely recalled having -been shaved clean at one time during his convalescence. He turned and -looked behind him. - -A second Ertinian smiled widely. "Thomakein said you were playing the -vagrant again, Elanane, and that he insisted that you come immediately. -Things require your personal attention." - -Guy knew that violence would result in only one answer--he'd be taken -horizontal instead of vertical, and resistance would show Thomakein -that he meant harm. There was still the partly-finished thought-beam -receiver in his room-- - -"Where is he?" asked Guy. - -"Come," said the first Ertinian. He led the way for several yards, and -then fell back as the other Ertinian came up to walk on the opposite -side of Guy. Guy felt like a prisoner making his Last Mile. - -"Look, boys, I'm really not Elanane." - -"We know you aren't," laughed the first one. "What name are you using -this time?" - -"Gomanar." - -"Not too good," laughed the one on Guy's left. "You did better as -Inualdi the last time." - -"You'll excuse us," smiled the first, "if we treat this matter lightly. -You know us and we know you. Furthermore, we know you know us and you -know we know it. We'd like to follow your wishes, Elanane, but we -cannot think of you as anything other than Lanee Elanane. May we have -your forgiveness?" - -Guy smiled, nodded, and gave up. To himself he admitted that he was -licked. Whatever his next move was, it was out of the question now. It -must be a spur-of-the-moment plan, Guy thought, and he decided to bluff -it out as long as he could. He'd try valiantly, for if Ertene failed -him, he was a man without a planet. - -He reminded himself that he had one ace in the hole. The -partly-finished thought-beam instrument. If they questioned his -motives, he could ask permission to finish that and let them see for -themselves that his interest was only in saving Ertene. - -With the eyes of his captors on his back, Guy strode across the cabin -of the luxurious flier and without hesitation opened the door, stepping -into the inner compartment. - -He had little hope that he would be able to fool Thomakein, but he must -try. - -The door swung shut behind him, and as it slammed, the flier lifted -into the sky, effectively cutting Guy's retreat completely. - - * * * * * - -"Come in--sit down," greeted the Ertinian. - -"You seem to have been expecting me?" - -"Yes--but we knew you'd show up sooner or later. Had things become -acute, I think we might have made an open appeal. But you are in time." - -"Anything urgent?" - -"The Terran, Guy Maynard, ah--talked open!" - -"Uh ... he--What?" - -Guy blinked. It was too close to home not to stagger him. This was one -place where he'd be forced into carefulness. He'd have to watch his -step. Discussing himself as a third party was more than likely to bring -out too many things that he, as Elanane, could not possibly know. If -he were to fool Thomakein--and it looked all right at this point--he'd -have to submerge himself in Elanane's unknown personality, and use -Elanane's unknown knowledge. That could be done by permitting Thomakein -to do all the talking. Well, he'd permit Thomakein to talk continually. - -And then it filtered into Guy's dazed mind that the last words had been -spoken in Terran. The term "Talked open" was a Terran idiom--and-- - -_It had been expressed in Terran!_ - -"You seem surprised, Elanane. I'm amused. Really, I'm sorry that -the shock should come to you this way, Guy, but you have lost all -resemblance to Elanane in the last few minutes. Guy, don't you -recognize me?" - -Guy stood open-jawed and stared at the Ertinian. Slowly, uncertainly, -Guy shook his head in negation. - -"I suppose that surroundings and dress do have a lot to do with -recognition. That plus the fact that you never expected to see me here -on Ertene. I am in strange dress, in an impossible place, and you do -not know me. At your expense, Guy, I'm amused." Thomakein went into a -deep laugh. - -Guy was irritated, but he said nothing. He was still dazed. -"Thomakein--Thomas Kane!" he said after a full ten minutes had passed. - -"Fine! So you do recognize me? Shake, Guy. If I'd not known your -intent, I wouldn't know you either in that Ertinian get-up." - -"But ... but--?" - -"There's one thing you'll need, Guy. Your face shows the effect of -so much daily shaving. We'll have you whisker-free in three days, -Guy, using a permanent depilatory often used by some of us who are -unlucky enough to retain a few facial hairs. Then you can go on without -worrying." - -"But--?" - -"Forget everything for the moment, Guy. I want the answer to one -question. Will you swear that your desire is for the good of Ertene?" - -"I swear that--I came to see if I could undo the damage I started." - -"I knew we could count on you. We still can--and will. Now listen, and -I'll tell you my end of this long and complicated tale. And, Guy, it -is complicated beyond imagination. Confound it, remind me to call you -Elanane. I might slip and that would be bad. You'll be Elanane for some -time, you know, and you must be Elanane to the letter. Sit down and -I'll begin to talk." - -"I'm dazed." - -"You must be thunderstruck. But you won't really feel the shock for a -couple of hours. I'm going to do my talking now before shock sets in, -and you'll be able to evaluate both sides at once. O.K.?" - -"Well, to tell the truth, I feel that an explanation is due." - - * * * * * - -"It started with a coincidence and swiftly built up into an impossible -necessity, Guy. First, an explanation of my actions. Ertene does not -kill unless it is necessary, Guy. You won the liking of too many -men; to eliminate you would have gone against the grain. You are a -likable, innocuous chap, Guy. You are intelligent, quick, ingenious, -and ambitious. You have few bad traits and vindictiveness is not one of -them. - -"However, since you were set free, and a living danger to us in spite -of our drugs, plus the desire on the part of Ertene to learn all we -could of Terran science--and what makes Terra run--I was appointed to -the unenviable position of spy. Fortified with unlimited wealth, I -purchased my way into the high spots. I took a sincere liking to you -too, Guy, and together we climbed to a place near the top. I reported -regularly to Ertene, and we are in possession of Terra's every secret. -Believe me, it was necessary." - -"I can see that," said Guy. "Ertene has never wanted to join Sol, nor -wanted any part of us." - -"Correct. You also realize that Terra would try like everything to keep -us once you knew where we were--and that we were. You do not begrudge -us Terra's secrets, Guy, because you believe in Ertene's ideal. - -"Seven decdays ago, Elanane died. Ordinarily we would hold an -immediate election to select a new lanee. One thing interfered. There -is a faction on Ertene that desires conquest. Why, I do not know. They -do--that's all. They are powerful, and the death of Elanane put these -people in the limelight--or would have if his death had been disclosed. -Therefore, knowing the majority of the people were against union, we -kept Elanane's death a secret. We hired an actor for a few days--twenty -or thirty. He is one of us, and one of the few who really know." - -"How many know?" - -"Believe it or not, Guy, less than ten men on all Ertene know that -Elanane is dead. Members of the Council, even, are not all in the -knowledge. Too many knowers make a bad secret, Guy. Now comes the -coincidence." - -"Me?" asked Guy in surprise. - -"You," said Thomakein, nodding his head in amusement. "Your likeness -to the assistant lanee on your initial visit was a factor in your -freedom, Guy. Had you resembled one of our hateds you might not have -had your chance. But people and human nature are funny. Resemblance to -a loved character is a fine way to get yourself liked in an alien land. -You resembled the assistant lanee then--and he became lanee not many -decdays after your return to Terra. When, after his death, you became -involved in the trouble on Terra and headed this way, I came to the -conclusion that permitting you to masquerade as Elanane would serve us -well." - -"It sounds thin to me," objected Guy. - -"I'll explain why you are a logical man. I've been the only one with -contacts in your system. My stories about Terran prowess in the art of -war have not been too well received. Most of Ertene do not understand -your ability to take two widely divergent arts--luxuries, even--and -combining them into hard-hitting weapons. Ertene would never think of -using the barrier for a thing of war--yet you did it in a few weeks. -That's one example. - -"Now Elanane was openly against any traffic with Terra. You are -Elanane. If we elected a new lanee who believed me and armed Ertene, -those who desire conquest--and they really mean conquest--would use -that as a lever. Their propaganda would direct everyone to the thought -that the new lanee believed in conquest. In spite of previous thought, -that conquest would be desirable and that he was preparing for eventual -war. Follow?" - -"I think so. If Elanane ordered that Ertene be prepared, no such -propaganda would hold water. With Elanane, it would be strictly -defensive armament. Is the fact of our resemblance clear to Ertene?" - -"Uh--Oh. You mean the resemblance between the races. No. That would -excite Ertene even more. Generally similar, yes. But the identicalness -has been withheld." - -"Do they know of me?" - -"Vaguely. We caught a denizen, baffled him, questioned him completely, -and strove to cure him of terrible MacMillan burns but failed." - -"Too bad you couldn't use his open talk as a lever to gain your ends." - -"No. We can't. But you'll help?" - -"I must. It was my foolishness that put Ertene in danger. I'll strive -to help Ertene as best I can. How am I to fool my friends?" - -"With my help. You are a closer double to Elanane than you think, Guy. -Even Leilanane, your sister, is fooled." - -"I won't fool her too long," smiled Guy wryly. - -"You will. Leilanane has been in school for four kilodays and her -contact with her famous brother has been limited to scant visits, -letters occasionally, and the visibox broadcasts every decday. People -change--so have you changed. Oh, you've been ill and your lapses will -be forgiven." - -"I hope." - -"Why," laughed Thomakein, "your predecessor even had the habit of -masquerading so that he could get the un-retouched opinion of the man -in the street." - - * * * * * - -Guy understood the meaning of the deference, the willingness to give -him the better portion, the smiles and amusement at the name Gomanar, -the willingness to accept his scant record as experience. A lot of -things became clear, and he smiled, wiped his face with his open hand -and said: "Thomakein, my heart is with Ertene. I feel that I have -failed you in one thing. But with my knowledge of Terran strategy plus -my high position on Ertene, we'll do everything in our power to keep -Ertene free!" Guy's face brightened at the thought of far horizons, -"I'll see another system some day. Perhaps ... Thomakein, has Lanee -Elanane a wife or do I start from scratch?" - -"I'm afraid you'll have to remain single--or give up the idea of -children. I doubt very much that any offspring can come of a union -between Terra and Ertene. You might marry, but you'll remain childless." - -"At least I'd have company," said Guy, "or would I be likely to talk in -my sleep?" - -"Your trouble was something we of Ertene hadn't anticipated. It was -twofold. You imbibed considerable of the higher alcohols, which -exert a temporary nullifying effect on our super-drug. It is of the -iso-dinilamine family too, you know. Well, that, plus your ingrained -desire to tell people off after being goaded to the screaming point did -it. You actually willed yourself to speak--and speak you did. Nothing -Ertene could have done would have saved you, Guy, and so I am not -holding you in blame." - -Guy nodded, and then said: "Not to change the subject, Thomakein, but -haven't you the ability to become lanee?" - -"My liaison work with Sol kept me too much out of the public eye. Also, -I am the only one who had contacts there. I'll have to return from time -to time, too, which would interfere with being lanee. No, you're the -man, Guy. We'll play this our way, you and I, and we'll get our answer -that way." - -"O.K. I'll play." - -"You're tired." - -"I am." - -"Also slightly whirly, I imagine," grinned Thomakein. "Well, Elanane, -you may sleep in the royal apartment tonight. We'll be there shortly. -One more thing. You'll see Charalas. He's not aware. But you'll -be hidden because of your resemblance to Elanane and the Ertinian -dress, and so forth, plus the idea that no one--no, never--would ever -impersonate the lanee! The latter is going to get us over a lot of -close spots, Guy." - -"I won't fear meeting Charalas. As long as you think I'm capable, I -must be. You know the answers to this problem, Kane." - -"From now on, it's Thomakein," reminded the latter. "And don't forget -it for your life. That's one job--remembering one another's names--that -we'll both have to work at." - -"Right--Thomakein." - -"Dead right--Elanane!" - - - - - XVII. - - -In the lanee's apartments, Guy sat down to think. It was morning, -breakfast was over, and Guy had enjoyed a full night of deep and honest -sleep. He had analyzed things to his satisfaction right up to the next -move, and that troubled him. - -There was no doubting Thomakein's statements concerning the need -for masquerade, though Guy wondered whether it wasn't slightly -off color. But Thomakein was of Ertene, and should know the temper -of the Ertinians better than any Terran. Certainly there was no -doubting Thomakein's ideals. And as for his friendship--that was well -established. - -But Thomakein was a little glib in expecting a rank outsider to come -in and masquerade as a Public figure. It would be hard enough to act -as a mere citizen with no popularity, let alone a rising, popular, and -well-balanced governor of a planet. - -He fingered the book of Elanane's friends and their descriptions and -habits, and despaired of ever being able to call them by name, much -less knowing them well enough to discuss their favorite subjects with -them. It was a heavy volume, and Guy knew that Elanane was very much -loved by his people. - -Habit set in at this point, and Guy opened his little kit to shave -before he recalled the depilatory that Thomakein gave him. Shaving, for -Guy Maynard, was over forever since his trial of the rather tingling -unguent that morning. - -But--beside his razor was the partly-assembled thought-beam instrument. -Guy laughed aloud. - -This would put him in the possession of anything that was needed. And -Guy grinned again. This was his secret. Let Thomakein think that he was -really brilliant. He'd use the thought-beam gadget for himself, and -use it for the best. Besides, letting knowledge of the thought-beam -instrument out would be as dangerous for Guy on Ertene as it would -have been on Terra. No one alive, save Guy, knew of the instrument. Its -inventors were dead and gone and every instrument of its kind a smoking -mass of burned components. For his own protection, he would keep this -one secret. - -He snorted in derision. Would he never finish having secrets to keep? -Was his life to continue with one important phase hidden from the -world? Would he never be free? - -Or, came the comforting thought, do all men have something hidden from -their fellows? - -Finishing the instrument was impossible at the present time. That -would take some work. But if Guy by-passed some of the finer -circuits, he could at least gain a crude idea of a man's surface -thoughts, especially if they were directed at him. Guy started to -hook the partially-completed instrument together, and considered the -effectiveness of the instrument. - -It was small, luckily. It fitted one pouch of the pocket-belt to -perfection, and Guy closed the flap over the instrument and snapped the -little catch with confidence. - -Guy nodded. Then he rang for his valet. - -"You rang." It was an introductory statement rather than a redundant -question, and it held none of the abruptness that a query as to the -wants of the lanee might have held. - -Guy faced the Ertinian and read in the man's mind that his name was -Willadoran. "Willadoran, when is Leilanane expected to arrive?" - -In the man's mind Guy could see admiration for his lanee, enhanced -since the busy governor had time to think of his younger sister no -matter how busy he was. - -"Sometime today," answered Willadoran. - -"I wonder if I'll have time to see Charalas first." - -An annoying thought crossed Willadoran's mind--had Elanane forgotten -that Charalas never awakened at this time? - -"I mean after Charalas arises," amended Guy. - -Elanane must be reading my mind, came the amused thought. "I'll see," -came the reply, "that he is informed of your desire as soon as he -awakens." - -"Good," said Guy. He reminded himself never to take an expressed -thought for speech. He smiled inwardly at Willadoran's amusement and -wondered what the valet would do if the truth were known. Willadoran -was highly amused at the idea that Elanane was a mind-reader, and -considered the act utterly impossible. - -A deep-seated impulse to shock the valet crossed Guy's mind, and it was -only with trouble that he stifled the impulse. - -Guy tried to discern Willadoran's thought concerning Charalas again, -but it was a blank. Thomakein was blank, as was Leilanane, and Guy -decided that his instrument was not sensitive enough to dig these -deep-seated thoughts out of the below-threshold level. Only the surface -thoughts were available--which, thought Guy, were sufficient. - -Guy spent an hour speculating, and roaming the apartment to investigate -its mysteries. Then Charalas came. - -The neuro-surgeon smiled affably, looked around, and asked: "Well, -where is it?" - -Guy started, and then smiled. "You're slightly earlier than I -expected." He went to the cupboard indicated in Charalas' mind and -returned with the toran set. He was about to ask: _white or black?_ -when he perceived that Charalas expected the black men since he -had been victorious on their last game. Reading the positions from -Charalas' mind, Guy set up the various men upon their proper squares, -and offered Charalas the first move, which was proper. - -Guy's knowledge of chess was fair, and toran was an Ertinian version of -the ancient Terran game. He had no idea as to the moves, but--Charalas -thought: _Elanane always counters my first move by counter-attacking -with his vassal._ - -Guy moved the minor piece up to confront the other. - -Charalas covered his pawn with a major piece and Guy countered with -exactly the one thought that Charalas hoped against. - -Charalas set up a complicated trap, and sat back thinking: _Let's see -you outguess that one, Elanane._ - -Guy wondered about the move of the castle piece, and touched it -briefly. _Four moves in any direction_, came Charalas' thought. Guy -moved the castle, and Charalas thought: _Now why did he do that?_ - -Guy worried. Elanane might not have made that move. - -_If I move my protector, he should fall into the trap by capturing it. -He always does._ - -Guy decided that this game was no fun at all, and took the piece. -Charalas smiled brightly and removed three of Guy's major pieces with -a single move, Guy countered by making the one move that Charalas did -not want, and the Ertinian lost the piece that he was hoping to save. -The rest was quick, Charalas moved and Guy countered, but Charalas -triumphed because Guy didn't know enough to set up his own traps. He -could avoid Charalas' traps, but in simple exchanges he lost ground, -and finally Charalas removed the last white piece from the board. - -The neuro-surgeon smiled tolerantly, "You may be lanee, Elanane, but I -am still your master at toran." - -"I'll learn some day," promised Guy. - -"You seemed preoccupied," said Charalas. "You've been worrying." - -"That's possible." - -"About Sol, I'd guess." - -"Right." - -"Why worry about them?" asked Charalas. - -"They threaten our integrity." - -"You mean since Thomakein informed us that the Terran, Gomanar, was -forced to violate his oath?" - -Guy blinked. To treat this properly, he would have to absolutely -divorce himself from his personality and treat the Terran as another -entity. "Yes," he said. "The Terrans, according to Thomakein, are more -than capable of setting up a detector that will detect the presence of -the light-shield." - -"We'll cross that bridge when it comes." - -"We should look forward to it--and plan." - -"Elanane," said Charalas, "my loyalty has never been questioned. For a -moment, I'd like to discuss this as an impartial observer." - -"Of course." - -"Ertene is stale." - -"Stale?" asked Guy in astonishment. - -"Ertene has lost the pathway that leads to the apex," said Charalas. -"We have become soft and stale." - -"I don't understand." - - * * * * * - -"When mankind came to Ertene, he was a soft, inefficient creature. -Nature had tried size, force, quantity, physical adaptability, and a -score of other concepts before she tried brains. Mankind was nature's -experiment with brains as a means of survival. We are a weakling race, -Elanane. Unarmed, we are no match for any of the beasts of the jungle. -Dropped into the depths of uncivilization--naked and alone--what -happens?" - -"We die." - -"No we do not. Within fifteen minutes we are armed with a stone bound -to a treelimb. Then we are the match for anything that lives. Within a -day, we are supreme in our jungleland. Our home is in a tree. Snares -are set for food animals, death traps are set for carnivores, and the -jungle is cleared for our safety. And, Elanane, from that time on the -beasts of the jungle avoid us. We, the weakling creature, are to be -feared mortally." - -"Granted, but what has that to do with the present?" - -"Mankind fought the jungle to supremacy. Mankind fought beasts, the -cannibals, and nature herself. He pushed himself upward by walking on -the heads of those below him. Then he fought with himself, since there -was nothing left that was worthy of his mettle. He fought himself -because he could gain no more by fighting lesser things." - -"What may we gain by fighting among ourselves?" asked Guy. - -"The right way to live," said Charalas thoughtfully. "Consider, -Elanane, the extremes of government. No matter what you call them, -they are absolute anarchy and absolute tyranny, and between these two -lie every other form of government. Obviously complete anarchy is -impossible at the present level of human nature. Equally obvious is the -impossibility of absolute tyranny in a culture based upon ambition and -education. But, Elanane, somewhere between these extremes is the best -system." - -"Can fighting find it?" asked Guy doubtfully. - -"It is the only way. Consider an hypothetical planet containing two -continents of equal size, on opposite hemispheres. One continent -is absolute anarchy, the other complete tyranny." Charalas grinned -boyishly for all of his years. "Obviously they have been living -in complete ignorance of one another up to now, for otherwise they -couldn't have arrived at those extremes. - -"Well, it is hypothetical, anyway, and there are your constants. This -goes on, and then one day one of two things happen. Either is possible -and I am not plumping for either side--but the two possibilities are: -One, the tyrant decides to gather the anarchs under his rule, or; two: -the anarchs decide to free their fellows from the tyrant rule. This, -Elanane, means war, to quote an ancient cry. - -"Immediately the tyrant finds that he cannot run the whole show by -himself, so he relegates power to able men. The anarchs decide that -they are impotent, and elect leaders to run certain phases of the -campaign. So we have less of a tyranny on one side and less anarchy on -the other. In either case, power relegated is seldom regained, and as -the years bear on, war after war is fought and either side approaches a -norm." - -Guy smiled. "Supposing one side wins." - -"That is a sign that the winning side is closer to the best form of -social co-operation." - -"And when they reach that norm, then what?" - -"They never reach," said Charalas. "Their struggles cause each of them -to rise above the norm, and then they swing like the pendulum below the -norm. It is a long, damped cycle." - -"A damped cycle must eventually cease." - -"Not when you constantly change the norm," said Charalas. "The norm -of prehistoric times is vastly different from the present. Our norm -is different than the future norm. Men advance in knowledge and in -responsibility, and they resent, bitterly, being judged on laws and -rules set up to control their forefathers. City Indilee was the object -of ridicule some hundred kilodays ago because some jurist tried to -invoke a rule against flying less than five thousand noads above the -city." - -"I've read about that," smiled Guy, reading it from Charalas' mind. "At -the time, we'd been landing on the building stages for thirty kilodays." - -"Right. Another thing, Elanane. Some day anarchy will be the government -of man. But not until man has learned to control himself as an -individual, to respect the rights of others, and to follow the common -wish. Until then we will have government." - -"Which brings us back to the original question. You said Ertene is -stale." - - * * * * * - -"I mean it. Elanane--are we capable of running ourselves?" - -"Obviously." - -"Then we shouldn't fear a test of fire." - -"Our ability to keep out of the fight should be answer enough." - -"Any coward can keep from fighting by hiding. Perhaps these Terrans are -right." - -"Right? Is it right to destroy the people of Pluto with their way of -living in comfort?" - -"Yes. We do not mind killing cattle for food, do we?" - -"Yes, but--" - -"No, Elanane, it is no different." - -"Then how about the ones used by the Terrans for medical experiments?" - -"Justified. Up to a certain point a race may experiment to good -advantage on the lower primates. Eventually, there is little to be -known, since the more delicate investigations must be carried out on -higher levels of intelligence." - -"These denizens of the outer moon of one of their planets were not of -high intelligence." - -"Wrong," said Charalas. "They are of a high order of intelligence. It -is their knowledge that is low. They have the capability. Yet, Elanane, -we have the fundamental law of the survival of the fittest. In warring -upon Mars, weapons and sciences are unloosed which out-strip the -advances made in medicine. Nothing is said against Terra for fighting -against Mars. They are traditional enemies. - -"To return to the denizens of Titan. These semi-intelligent natives -are like swine wearing diamonds. They evolved in a society in which -they had no native enemy. They were not forced to become intelligent -in order to live--if they had but one single enemy, they would have -evolved into first-rate civilization ages ago. There has been no -forward step on Titan for ten thousand Terran years. They will never -make an advance. Even if offered the sciences of the inner system, they -would shrug them off and revert back to their semi-savagery." - -"I've been told that three generations of schooling would make them -suitable allies for Terra," objected Guy. - -Charalas shook his head. "Wrong. Mankind on Terra rose because he -was ambitious--he still is. Titan is not ambitious and never will -be. They have no reason to work, and will not. Terrans--and early -Ertinians--fought their way upward because they had to in order to -live. Therefore, Elanane, the Titanians fall under the classification -of those whose lives are only to support intelligence." - -"Um," said Guy. "Then Terra is not the black race they've been painted?" - -"Not by a jugful. Nothing was said of downtrodden races of the -past--why balk at downtrodden races of the present?" - -"But they should help--" - -"Helping anyone is possible only when they want to be helped. The -Titanians are not even grateful for the comforts given to them by -Terra." - -"Comforts?" sneered Guy. "The comfort of being vivisected?" - - * * * * * - -"Terra is not a vampire race," smiled Charalas. "Terra tried to raise -their level and failed because of their lassitude. They didn't give a -hoot. Terra tried to conduct their experiments on a gentle basis; small -experiments such as testing vaccines and antibodies--all, mind, on -Titanians who were ill. They had no chance of danger, and a good chance -of living. Titan had nothing to lose; either the vaccines would work -and save the victim, or would not work and the victim would receive the -best care possible anyway. Terra offered to pay royally. Titan didn't -even care for that. They didn't care for payment; didn't care for -comfort; didn't care that some of their members died. - -"And," added Charalas pointedly, "they do not care now, when Terra uses -a few of them for medical purposes." - -"How many?" - -"There are one hundred million Titanians. Terra takes perhaps one -thousand per year. And a goodly portion of these are ill already. Terra -developed their limb-grafting method out of them, and that alone is -worth their trouble." - -"That puts a new face on it," said Guy. - -"As for their new find--Mephisto. Mephisto might have received good -friendship. The Mephistans were absolutely alien to Terrans. Mephisto -has nothing that Terra really needs, that Terra couldn't exchange for. -Terra has items that Mephisto could have had, too, thus completing the -cycle. Mephisto's atmosphere is unsuited for Terrans and vice versa. -Their body chemistry would have been poisonous to each other. Here, -then, we have a condition whereby two alien races could have lived in -peace together. Yet Mephisto, not knowing the entire story, thought -Terra a rapacious, vampire race. They, the utter fools, sought Martian -assistance." - -"That's what I'd have done." - -"Not smart," smiled Charalas. "Never, never get between traditional -enemies, Elanane. You become an innocent bystander that goes down -before the steam roller of a spite battle. That, plus the traditional -system of both planets." - -"What's that?" - -"Never fight your battles on the home ground--it spoils it badly. Fight -your battles all over some poor innocent's land and leave the homeland -unscarred. Also dirty, Elanane, but Nature is a dirty fighter." - -"So you think Terra is all right fundamentally?" - -"Obviously. Nature will not permit any unsuitable system to obtain. -Given a few hundred years and Terra will see eye to eye with Mars -against some other system." - -"Perhaps against Ertene--?" - -"I hope not," said Charalas fervently. "Yet they have some attributes -we need." - -"Have they anything we need?" - -"They have the verve, the ambition, and unbeatability of youth. We, -Elanane, are stodgy and slow and old." - -"That doesn't please me too much." - -"That's too bad. It's true. Look, Elanane, how long is our history -compared to theirs?" - -"Several hundred times as long, I believe." - -"Not quite several hundred, Elanane. But long enough--far long enough -to prove my statement. How does their scientific culture compare?" - -"Somewhat less--" - -"Equal! Or better perhaps!" - -"Oh no." - -"Oh yes. The two are divergent to the nth power, but their development -is as high as ours is. Now, Elanane, they've come up alone, driven only -by Mars and other exigencies. Mars came with them. We, Elanane, came up -by slyly taking bits of culture from this system and that system as we -came along. - -"Be that as it may," added Charalas. "The question I ponder is this: -_How do we know we're so right?_" - - - - - XVIII. - - -Guy didn't answer. And Charalas smiled. "I've said my piece," he told -Maynard. "Take it as from an old, old, bothersome man who may be bitter -because of his age." - -"Charalas, you are Ertene's foremost neuro-surgeon, and also one of the -most popular philosophers. I'll accept your arguments. But I am still -convinced that Ertene will suffer if any alliance is formed between -Terra and Ertene." - -"A little suffering might wake us from our lethargy, but it is also -human nature to let the other guy suffer. We'll go on and on until we -get caught. Some day," promised Charalas, "Ertene will suffer. It's -just a matter of time before we get caught." - -"Not if I can help it," said Maynard stoutly. - -The door opened to admit Thomakein. He bore a sheaf of papers. He -looked surprised at Charalas and then greeted the neuro-surgeon. "Been -here long?" - -"Couple of hours," answered Charalas. "Elanane and I have been -discussing the state of Ertene." - -Thomakein's forehead wrinkled, and he cast a worried look at Guy, who -smiled cheerfully. "Have you come to a conclusion?" he asked with -forced cheer. - -"We've decided that Ertene may be in for trouble some day," said -Charalas. "And also that we'll forestall it as best we can." - -"That's what I came for," said Thomakein. "We're setting up vortex -projectors on strategic places. We need your signature, Elanane, on the -orders which procure the land." - -"Upon what basis?" - -"Purchase, of course." - -"I'll sign--and pray that they are never used." - -"So will we all," smiled Thomakein. "But to need them and not have them -would be terrible." - -Guy signed the papers, and Thomakein left with Charalas. Maynard smiled -inwardly as they left. Thomakein's anxiety was so obvious; he wanted -to question Charalas to see what, if anything, was said that might lead -to trouble. He shrugged as the phone rang once and a girlish voice -told him that she was home and could she come up to see him. The voice -clicked a chord in Guy's mind, and he answered: "Come on up, Leilanane." - -He wondered whether it was customary for the lanee to kiss his sister -on every possible occasion; his thought-beam instrument gave him enough -information to make his heart beat faster. - - * * * * * - -The days passed swiftly for Guy Maynard. Had he been the real Elanane, -they would have passed slowly, for nothing of any real interest -transpired. It was a humdrum life, he found. The affairs of state -were few and far between, and more and more Guy came to believe that -Ertene's system was as good or better than the turmoil that prevailed -on Terra. The only activity that went on was the construction of the -vortex machines, and that was the job of a few, specially-trained -technicians. Guy found his time passing swiftly because of the constant -necessity of keeping his guard up. - -The thought-beam instrument kept him out of trouble, and gradually he -completed it, making the special parts in a tiny workshop that the real -Elanane had furnished. He thanked the dead lanee for having that kind -of a hobby, and used it to the best advantage. - -Leilanane helped. The affairs of state were the small part of being -lanee, but the social functions were nightly. And since Lanee Elanane -had no mate, nor cared to speak with intent, he appeared at the state -functions with his sister. He was gently criticized for this; not as -lanee, but for the fact that he prevented his sister from the company -of young men of her own set. In shorter, blunter words, Guy was -"spoiling her chances!" - -But Leilanane did not seem to care. She was happy. Guy pondered this, -and wondered whether she would have been as happy with her real -brother, or whether the facts, though unknown to her mind, were not -unknown to the chemistry that attracted men and women mutually. - -Wondering, Guy opened the gain of his instrument one evening and looked -into her mind. He wanted to know, truly, whether she preferred him, or -whether her preference was but a desire to serve him. To Guy's way of -thinking, there was a difference in love between love of the man and -love of doing things for him. - -So Guy looked and retreated blushing. For in Leilanane's mind there was -confusion and frustration; she was bitter against the laws that forbade -mating between blood relatives. That one experience told Guy how huge a -weapon the thought-beam instrument really was, and he swore never to do -that again. - -It also gave him confusion. He was in no position to ponder -the unanswerable question he put to himself. It evolved into a -merry-go-round that left him dizzy. In telling Leilanane the truth, -he could establish a right to openly court her. But it would at once -remove any possibility of remaining close to her. On the other hand -not telling her kept them together--with the most formidable barrier -between them. - -It gave Maynard sleepless nights, and in order to keep from thinking -himself into a bottomless pit, Guy started to build a thought-beam -instrument of monster proportions. What he hoped to do with the -instrument he did not know, but at one time he considered using it to -condition Ertene into believing that it would be proper to mate him -with his sister. When he analyzed the latter consideration, he scorned -himself for thinking of it. He'd be throwing Ertene to the dogs for his -own personal desire for a woman. And then he knew that no matter how he -felt, he could not use the instrument in that manner. - -It was excellent, he found, for gaining information without the giver's -knowledge. But trying to coerce the individual in the slightest thing -was impossible without letting the one know that mental tricks were -being played. - -He was forced to do some fast talking on the day he found that out, -and only managed to talk himself out of trouble by calling to mind and -attention the fact that he had known the man for many kilodays. - -If the small one were that ticklish a proposition, the larger one would -be more brutal in its operation. Yet he continued to work on the thing -as a means of keeping his mind and hands busy. So night after night he -worked in the little workshop, and then as he grew drowsy at his bench, -Guy would stand under the stars upon the spiderweb of a foot-bridge -that connected the governmental offices with the governmental -apartments. He would look Solward and wonder how and why such a mess -had been made of his life, and whether happiness would always be out of -grasp. - -He counted on his fingers. He'd been kidnaped, and he'd spent a -year on Ertene. That was one. There was a year or so developing the -barrier-screen--that made two. There were five years of advancing from -senior executive to marshal's rank, and that made seven. It was a year -since his being discharged from the Terran Space Patrol, and that made -eight years. - -Eight long years since he hadn't had a care on his mind. And in spite -of his successes, there was that constant gnawing knowledge that he was -not true to himself or his fellows. Yet, his conscience was clear. The -knowledge had not been bad for his morale; it was merely disconcerting -to know that the things they gave him credit for were not his own. - -Maynard did not consider for one moment that Ertene hadn't given him -everything. It took inventive genius to fit the barrier to spacecraft, -and the other developments were all Maynard's own. But he scorned them -all and debased himself. - -It was eight long, lonely years ago-- - -He mentally kicked himself. He wondered whether Joan Forbes would -have made a difference in his life. She might have been the outlet to -pent-up feelings that he needed so badly. Joan would have given him -rest without asking suspicious questions. It might have been better-- - -But Joan was dead, and though Thomakein claimed that she would have -been there anyway, it did little to cheer him up. Thomakein's reasoning -did not include the possibility that Joan might have been making a home -for him, or that even the tiniest mite of family would have immobilized -her against following a planet invasion. - -Joan Forbes, thought Maynard, might have been the answer--but at the -present time she was another blind alley of thought. _Might have been_ -is the cry of the second-guesser; the Monday Morning Quarterback. - - * * * * * - -The sense of thermal balance that was high in Maynard warned him first. -Then that sense that tells of another sentient being close by, its -warning, and Guy turned to see a small figure beside him on the bridge. - -"Elanane," she said. - -"Don't say it," he warned softly. "I can watch the stars, too." - -"They're so silent and quiet and big." - -"And peaceful," agreed Guy. - -"I've been lonesome," said Leilanane plaintively. It was with effort -that Maynard resisted the impulse to put his hand on her shoulder. - -"Are you now?" he asked softly. - -She shook her head. "Elanane, I want to talk." - -"Go right ahead," smiled Guy. "I like to hear you." - -"No--this is important, and it is hard for me to begin." - -"Serious?" - -She nodded. "No ... Elanane, please don't take my shoulders like -that ... it makes it more difficult." - -Guy turned her around, pointed her head at the sky. "Up there, -somewhere," he said quietly, "is the answer to everything. We'll find -it some day. Now, Leilanane, tell me what you are worrying about." - -"Thomakein asked me to marry him." - -Guy's reason beat his reflex to the muscles in his forearms and -prevented him from closing his hands tight on Leilanane's shoulders. -Thomakein perceived the emotional tangle that was becoming more and -more imminent, and by marrying Leilanane he would eliminate it. Guy -knew that Thomakein thought everything of Leilanane--possibly loved -the girl in a passive manner. Guy smiled briefly, obviously Thomakein -could have had little opportunity to make real love to her, but a man -of Thomakein's personality could carry off such a proposal by his own -sheer persuasiveness. Also, Thomakein wanted power himself. Marrying -the lanee's sister would put him in the eyes of the public, and doing -it with the approval of the lanee himself would give him the official -recognition that he needed to become lanee after Elanane. Well, Guy -would resign as soon as Thomakein wanted him to, that was reasonable -and desirable. It also solved the problem that bothered both Guy and -Leilanane. - -"Why not?" he asked softly. - -"I don't know. Something--keeps me from it." - -"Me?" asked Guy in a voice that was almost a whisper. - -Leilanane turned and buried her face in Guy's shoulder. "Am I bad?" she -cried. "Is it so terrible to love my brother?" - -"It is unfortunate, Leil," said Guy softly. "It cannot be. I, too, -am torn. We must face this thing as it is. Brothers and sisters -normally do not care for one another. Perhaps our being apart so much -has removed the usual reason. Yes, Leil, I love you too. Do you love -Thomakein at all?" - -"Thomakein attracts me," admitted Leilanane. "There is something -dynamic in him; dynamic and powerful and all-sweeping. I could learn to -love him truly." - -"Then do so. Leil, no matter what we do, you and I, if we permit this -outlandish thing to go on, it will mean unhappiness for both of us." - -"No. Couldn't we go ... to Sol ... and live there?" - -Guy shook his head. "You'd learn to hate me, Leil. In our hearts we'd -always know that what we were doing was dead wrong." - -Leilanane nodded pitifully. "There are times, though," she said -earnestly, "when you do not seem like my brother." - -"Forget it," said Guy. "There is nothing more certain in the world." -Guy's sense of humor told him that he was right, all things considered. - -"I suppose I will forget it soon enough. What will you do?" - -"What I should have done years ago--go out and find me a mate." - -"I'll hate her." - -Guy laughed, and if it sounded forced, Leilanane did not notice. He -turned her around to face him and shook her gently. "You're a silly -little lovely," he told her. "Nothing is less like the intelligent -girl I know you are. It's been my fault all along. Now you'll marry -Thomakein and you'll love it." - -"Think so?" - -"Do you think of him at all?" - -Leilanane thought for a moment. "I think so," she said slowly. "Perhaps -I might learn to love him--I've never had much chance." - -"Again my fault. Come on, I think he's up. We'll settle this right now." - - * * * * * - -They found Thomakein reading. Guy opened abruptly with: "Thomakein, -Leil says you have been talking deep." - -Thomakein smiled solemnly. "I have--and what's your answer?" - -"There can be one answer. When?" - -"As soon as possible." - -Guy searched the other man's mind for any ulterior motive and found -none. He feared to increase the sensitivity of his instrument because -of the necessity of fiddling with the tuning and gain controls before -their eyes. He nodded, smiled and gave Leilanane a little hug. "You're -it," he said. "Now go away." - -Leilanane left, and Guy sat quiet for a moment, thinking. Thomakein had -solved his problem again. No matter how he felt, Guy knew that what had -been growing was not to be. He asked: "Are you on the level?" - -"I am. I've loved her a long time." - -"Good. I think rather well of my sister." - -"I know." - -"Look, Tom, you're not doing this just to break this up?" - -"Not entirely. Forgive me if I ramble a moment, but I want you to -understand. You are never out of danger, Guy. You never will be as long -as you are lanee. Once you retire, you can accept the alternative of -utter retirement, or you may be more inclined to a less public life. -People will revere you always, but your importance will wane, and your -words will be less quoted and less watched until you are safe from -chance slips of the tongue. - -"Now I want to be lanee--permit me that. As I have said, I've been -too far from Ertene too long. People know me, but not well enough. -You sponsor this marriage, and it will be practically an endorsement -from you. Then in a kiloday you may announce your retirement and I'll -announce my candidacy. The family tie-up will run me in on a wave of -popularity. As for Leilanane, I'll be as good and as loving a husband -as I can. I know that she'll be a good wife." - -"I haven't heard the word 'love' used yet." - -Thomakein smiled wryly. "Honest, Guy, it always struck me slightly -silly to hear two grown, mature, intelligent, strong, capable men -discussing love. Forgive me. I feel that some things should be kept -between the man and the woman alone. I do love Leilanane, that I -promise." - -"O.K.," laughed Guy. "Go ahead and commit matrimony. But look, Tom, -once you get settled and running, see if you can find a friend for me." - - * * * * * - -Forty days later, Guy led Leilanane down the long aisle with a -golden cord. The choral voice of the great organ rolled sonorously, -exultantly, and then faded to a musical whisper as the couple reached -the altar bar. The ceremony started, and its origin was lost in -antiquity but returned in symbol. Guy removed the golden halo from -Leilanane's head, and burned it on the flame-blackened pedestal. -Thomakein accepted the protection of the woman as Guy's protection was -removed and destroyed by the all-consuming fire. - -Guy returned up the long aisle alone where he stood to watch the final -phases of the ceremony. - -The bridal couple clasped hands, and then as the music rolled out -again, they left the altar bar hand in hand. They stopped before Guy, -who smiled and said: "Life, love, and happiness." - -Then he shook his head. The official ceremony was over, and Guy grinned -hugely. He pried them apart and took an arm of each, leaving the chapel -with them. He handed them into their flier, and motioned them away with -a jerking movement of his thumb. "Beat it," he said, "and don't return -until you're better acquainted." - -Guy returned to his offices and called for Charalas. - - - - - XIX. - - -The period that follows defies description. It is simple to take a -protracted length of time and describe the events that transpire, but -when little or nothing of interest takes place, there is nothing to -record. It is similar to the engineering report of negative answer; it -is inconclusive and unsatisfying. - -This is an historical record of the events that took place during a -certain period, and during that period there are times such as this in -which nothing happened. - -Literally nothing. - -It is this lack of action that made the outcome. Guy Maynard was a -Terran. Terrans have been accustomed for centuries to action. From -the time of the caveman to the present, Terrans have lived in a -cultural system that was ever accelerating. They progressed from the -animal-powered vehicle to the machine-powered vehicle in a matter of -years, and they went from land-travel to air-travel in the scant -matter of years. Life on Terra has been a constantly-increasing tempo -to the present, when Terrans traverse space in velocities measured in -thousands of miles per second. - -It is improbable that Terrans will slow down. Like the Ertinians, once -a race is geared to high-velocity, slowing down is impossible. - -The Ertinians, geared to a nomad life, could not conceive of a stable -system and like the proverbial tramp, continued to think in terms of -travel. - -The Terran--Guy Maynard--found the peaceful life on Ertene suitable for -a long time. He expected that action would take place once Thomakein -and Leilanane were mated, but things fell into their grooves again, and -time went on interminably. - -Guy tried to push the physicists that were working on his pet projects -and found a placitude that maddened him. The necessities of sudden and -decisive action were not there. Ertinians didn't think as Terrans do. -Eons had passed since anything of real velocity was needed, and their -thinking habits had been trained along these lines. - -The idea of accepting an idea and developing it immediately into a -practical thing was unheard of. There had been no need. Certainly there -must be no need now. - -Guy was a dynamo of action in a world geared to ten miles per hour. - -He found that their scientific developments were slow and cumbersome. -Their science was not their own, but that of the worlds of their -passage, and with years between such contacts, scientific ambition was -low, indeed. With no competitive force driving them forward, Ertene had -assumed the role of a lazy man, content to live in indolence. - -Had any danger come to Terra, it would have been answered immediately -and more than likely Terra would have gone out to meet the threat on -the threat's home ground. But after the first flurry of worry over the -disclosure of Ertene to Terra by the man Gomanar, Ertene's concern -subsided. Half-heartedly Ertene put up vortex projectors about their -cities, and then returned to their homes. - -At first, Guy worried about these weapons. It was not fair to his peace -of mind to see on every hand the evidence of Ertene's dislike of Terra. -His own feelings were mixed; Terra hadn't played fair with him, true, -but the idea of ruling a planet that would kill thousand upon thousand -of his people stuck in Guy's throat. He worried about this, and because -he could tell no one about it--not even Thomakein for fear that his -motives be mis-read--he worried alone. - -His worry gave him something to do, at least. - - * * * * * - -But then as the days added into kilodays, and Ertene continued on -and on and on in its course through the heavens, and no Terran -forces came to contest or to seek, Guy became used to the idea that -Ertene's barrier was far more obscure than the proverbial needle -in the haystack. A magnet, well plied, will show the fallacy -of that platitude, but trying to see nothing against a field of -black--impossible. - -Guy knew that his no-radiation detectors were being used. He suspected -deeper developments, and fumed and fretted because he could not know -what they were. His imagination cooked up many ideas, possible and -impossible, for the finding of such a minute bubble in space. And it -all reduced to one thing. - -Mephisto had been unfound for hundreds of years of space travel and -exploration. Men suspected the possibility of inner- and outer-planets -and went on the search for them. They failed until the Ertinian science -provided Guy with an instrument to locate such bodies. - -Ertene's chances were excellent. - -And the mathematicians of Ertene spent kilodays in deep theory and high -abstractions and decided that the law of probabilities prohibited the -finding of Ertene. - -And instead of feeling concern at the idea of fighting his own people, -Guy looked upon the vortex projectors in the same light as a fire -department in a city of pure metal. - -Guy's life changed as a result of this. Like the man on vacation, he -began to seek something to do. The job of lanee was unexciting and drab -after the life of activity he knew on Terra. - -On every hand he saw things that would be hailed as miraculous on -Terra. Medical science was far ahead of Terra's in spite of the drive -of necessity; Ertene's science had gone forward passively and the -diseases were gone completely from the planet. Their accident-surgery -could stand a bit of Terran influence just as the Terrans could stand -some of Ertinian vaccine and antibody discoveries. - -He scorned the speed of the workmen that erected the home for Thomakein -and Leilanane--now named Leilakein, of course--because it took them -almost a thousand days. The same home, he knew, could have been erected -upon the planets Venus, with material shipped cold from Terra, and the -couple would have been living in it within sixty days. - -But Terran workmen used tiny MacMillans to drill holes instead of -the brace and bit of the ancients. Spikes and nails were unused on -Terra, instantaneous welding was done on metal, and molecular-bonding, -and forming. Wood was worked with portable power-tools, and fastened -together with huge wire staples formed as used from spools of wire, and -driven with the machine on the premises. - -In the sky, traffic moved ponderously and sedately. Even in rush -periods Ertinian traffic did not approach the mad scramble that took -place on Terra. - -Guy drove his flier through the skies with them and came to the -conclusion that the hurrying scramble of traffic and its frequent -accidents was productive of a bunch of better drivers. The percentages -of dented wings to fliers in the sky was higher on Ertene. - -He read an editorial in a paper objecting to the lanee's hairbreadth -sky-tactics and Guy scorned the words because he hadn't been in the -slightest danger. After all, Guy had learned to run a flier over -Sahara Base, where a flier sometimes cut between building tops in a -vertical bank to keep from hitting wingtips, and where one of the more -scatter-brained stunts consisted of racing another driver to the last -landing space. - -"Sure, they lost fliers that way," grinned Guy aloud. But it made for -the quick or the dead and it kept people on their toes. - -He accepted Charalas' theories about survival, and admitted that if -Terra were rotten and avaricious, so was he. He knew that if it came to -a choice, he'd prefer that they experiment on a Titanian than upon him. - -His only sore spot was the fact that Terra denied him his right to his -secret--and his life. They had been more than unreasonable in that, -expecting him to break his oath to them. - -And that brought back the old argument. Who was right? Should he have -agreed to Ertene's oath and then sold them out? - -He shook his head. Had he been that kind, Ertene would not have -permitted him to leave. - - * * * * * - -Guy had spent his life under the idea that when things went too -quietly too long grief was brewing. He had theorized upon it, and had -formulated the relation that the amount of grief was proportional to -the length of quiet time. - -His accounting was piling up to a terrible, staggering total. He -knew it wouldn't last, couldn't last. He hoped that Thomakein would -move, giving him a chance to lose himself. But Thomakein went about -his business quietly, testing the vortex projectors and handling the -details of defense. - -What form the end would take, Guy didn't know. - -He'd have welcomed it save for the one fact that if and when it came, -Guy would then be out of a place to live. Terra had made it impossible -to remain there, to have Ertene denied him would make him a man without -a planet. - -And so he fought the idea of alliance with Terra because such an -alliance would place him right in the hands of the Terrans themselves. -There would be no forgiving if they came, and once they came and -disclosed Guy's real identity, Guy would have no Ertinian shelter. -Ertene would throw him out for violating his promise never to return. - -Guy snorted at himself. His was a life of broken promises and -cross-purpose oaths. - -But there was one oath he intended to keep. He would do all he could to -keep Ertene free--his life depended upon it! It occurred to Guy that -the way to keep things that way was to remove the source of irritation, -and so he began to investigate and to reason. - -How lucky it was that Elanane had passed on as he did. How lucky -that Guy resembled him. Guy had accepted these coincidences glibly, -without question, until it came to him that Thomakein could have -done otherwise if he had found it necessary. Charalas had been lanee -once, and the neuro-surgeon would have followed Thomakein's urgings, -especially after Thomakein's stories of Terran intrigue. - -It was too trite. - -Would a popular ruler, professing isolation, refuse to arm his planet -against invasion? Perhaps. There are men who think that if they mind -their business, others will mind theirs. But not Terra. Not when known -otherwise, would such a policy work. The idea of passive resistance -went out when the airplane came in. - -The real Elanane was quite a man. He was loved, admired, and eulogized. -He was intelligent, well-balanced mentally, morally, and physically. -Elanane was neither crank nor crackpot, and Guy knew that his theories -of government were stable and sensible. - -Therefore Guy reasoned that Elanane would be certain to take any -measures to insure the safety of Ertene. - -That would mean absolute co-operation with Thomakein. Elanane had -appointed Thomakein to study Terra and to report. A spy, if the word -must be used. Elanane would accept the word of his friend and do as -that friend suggested. - -But Elanane might go so far and no more. There is a vast difference -between preparing to stand off a possible invasion and preparing to -fight an offensive war. Elanane might believe that the best defense is -a quick offense. - -Would Thomakein do away with a friend for that? - -Hardly. It must be deeper. - -Coincidence was too thick. That alcohol and irritation business did not -make sense. Ertinian anti-lamine drugs were similar to Terra's, and -furthermore Ertinians used alcohol which would mean that the Ertinian -drug must have been tested under these conditions. That brought up -another thought. - -If Thomakein had slipped a neutralizer into Guy's drinks, he could -almost be certain that exposure would follow. - -Would Thomakein gain by such a deal? - -Well, would he? - -Guy's hand found the sensitivity control and stepped the power high. -His sensitive fingertips tuned for maximum contact with Thomakein. - -The answer he sought exploded in his mind with clearness and -conciseness. Its sheer audacity staggered Guy. The very gall of the man -was appalling, and yet the utter forcefulness of Thomakein might push -it through. The plan itself was so daring that Thomakein would stun -those who were against him. Not permanently, but they would be amazed -long enough for the Ertinian to take his toll. - -Once Thomakein unwound his plot, it would defy catching. - - * * * * * - -Guy headed for Thomakein's office on the run, and caught him present. - -"I've just figured it," snapped Guy. - -"So? Figured what?" - -"That little plot you've been cooking!" - -"Plot? You mean my plan for--" - -"It's a stinking plot and nothing more." - -"You're a little upset, Elanane. Remember that you live only at my -bidding." - -"What did you do to Elanane?" - -"It was unfortunate--" - -"The men who permitted his death were dealt with," admitted Guy harshly. - -"So?" - -"But removing Elanane permanently didn't bother you at all." - -"No, not too much. But remember that Elanane was my friend." - -"I hope that I never have such a friend." - -"You have," smiled Thomakein in a superior manner. - -"You? God forbid!" - -"Look, hothead, cool down. If you get tossed off of Ertene, then what?" - -"I made an oath to protect Ertene." - -"You made an oath never to return." - -"I also made an oath never to tell. Also one previous to tell Terra of -anything I discover." - -"Do you suppose that Ertene will believe anything you tell them once -the truth of your broken oaths are known?" - -"They needn't know. I--am Elanane." - -"We can put a stop to that," snapped Thomakein. - -"I think that I can stop you first." - -"No doubt," said Thomakein easily. "The Terran methods of hand-to-hand -fighting are devastating. But you'll never conceal your victory." - -"You stinker," snarled Guy. "How about Leil?" - -Thomakein's face fell. "I will be blamed for Elanane's death," he said -solemnly. "I am more than sorry about that." - -"Being sorry is not enough." - -"What do you intend to do about it?" - -"Thomakein"--Guy opened the phonoscope key, dialed government -headquarters, and continued--"I arrest you, Thomakein, for treason -against the integrity of Ertene!" - -The faces on the plate registered horror, and then action. The plate -continued to register as headquarters kept the circuit open. Guy -dropped his hold on the audio key to cut the sounds of men in full cry. - -"Now we'll see." - -"You idiot," laughed Thomakein. "You'll see how Ertinians stick -together!" - -"We'll see." - -"You might have come in," said Thomakein. "Together we could have ruled -the entire System." - -"You planned to rule it alone," sneered Guy. - -"I shall--now." - -"You're the kind of man to share such power with me." - -"Certainly." - -"Rot." - -"Have it your way." - -"I'll have it my way," said Guy. "It's not your way." - -"Nor yours. I don't particularly care," said Thomakein easily. "My -plans are about set anyway. A day or so means little." - -"Days--even hours can ruin anything." - -"Not when the plan includes the possibility of something slipping." - -"Nice trick you played on me." - -"Thank you, Guy. That's just an idea. If I can play puppets with a -ruler of Ertene, an ambitious young man from Terra, and the fate of -worlds and make everything come out even--I can run the show." - -"You controlled the election of Elanane because he resembled me." - -"Naturally. That was part of it." - -"Why?" - -"Because I knew that no Ertinian would permit me to arm Ertene for -power and invasion. It took an energetic man, with will, force, and -fear of discovery to push it through. Guy, you'd have been safe if I'd -been permitted to run this freely. Terra couldn't touch you. But you -choose to pit your futile will against mine. Mine--and Ertene's!" - -"I am going to keep Ertene free!" shouted Guy, hammering on the desk -with his fist. - -"You mean, 'Gomanar is going to save his skin!' don't you?" sneered -Thomakein. - -"I'll shoot the works, Thomakein, if it's necessary." - -"Poor lad. You had promise." - -The door flung open, and police entered. They begged Thomakein's -forgiveness, and then marched him from the office to the great hall -wherein the Council met. - -The great Hall of History brought back the memory of his first visit, -and Guy smiled. Then as the Council entered and seated itself, Guy -faced them. In the balcony above, faces peered over at the governmental -representatives. The wall below the balcony's edge came alive with the -hundred and eighty phonoscopes that would take this proceeding to all -Ertene. - -"A grave charge has been made," said the leader of the group. "Who -brings this charge." - -"I, Lanee Elanane, charge that this man, Thomakein, has plotted against -the Will of Ertene." - -"The charge is treason, then?" - -"Yes." - -"Explain the reason for these charges. Remember, Lanee Elanane, this is -no trial, but a pretrial to arrive at the decision as to the graveness -of the crime. Evidence for such a crime must be collected, and if the -charge is allowed, you will be permitted to gather such evidence during -a period of time decided by this Council." - -"I have reason to believe that Thomakein is plotting to take Ertene -into the Solar System," said Guy. - -The Council exploded. The austere meeting broke into a riot of talk -until Guy shouted: "Quiet!" - -"Proceed, Elanane." - -"In addition, Thomakein has ambition to become the supreme ruler over -the allied Solar System and Ertene." - -Harabond, the head of the Council, arose. "Assuming that Thomakein were -successful in his mechanical intrigue--he might be elected to rule. The -accomplishment of such a feat would prove his ability." - -"Ertene can be swung, can't it?" asked Guy. - -"Yes--but only if it is universally agreed on Ertene." - -Guy leaned forward and his voice was dry and hard. "Harabond, on Terra -it is reported that many times a brilliant but dishonest leader of -minorities has succeeded in making a shambles of the world before he -was subdued. It is fear of this that has made Terrans distrustful -of everyone who is not openly for them. And do you think that a man -capable of running this intrigue to its present state of completion -would stop at elections? He'll grab!" - -"Thomakein, will you offer defense?" - -Thomakein stood forward with a cryptic smile upon his lips. "Harabond, -how long have you been Leader of the Council?" - -"Proceed, Thomakein. Leave the personalities out of this." - -"You do not know the man before you," said Thomakein. "Those of you who -were here when we first met a denizen of Sol--do you remember Gomanar? -This is he!" - -"Impossible." - -"Not at all. I remembered how he resembled the lanee-assistant. Elanane -became lanee later, remember. This man before you, Members of the -Council, is the man who promised never to tell of Ertene. He was -willing to violate his initial oath to Terra and keep us from exposure. -This is the man who spoke openly on Terra, violating his oath to us. -This is the man who is now violating his oath to us by being here--he -promised never to return." - -"Get Charalas," said Harabond. A courier left silently, scowling that -his absence would deprive him of some interesting scenes. - - * * * * * - -"Now," said Harabond, "if this is whom you say, prove it here and now!" - -"Have I no time to gather evidence?" asked Thomakein cynically. - -"His charge against you was first. This matter of counter-charges -complexes the proceedings. Must we hold our lanee in trial to prove his -right to charge another with treason?" - -"I need no time," said Thomakein. "I can prove that he is not Elanane." - -"Perhaps I can disprove you," smiled Guy. - -"He thinks to baffle us all," laughed Thomakein. "Harabond, so great is -his deceit that he thinks to fool us all." - -"You may answer his charge," said Harabond to Guy. - -"Harabond, do you recall thrashing me for swimming in your abandoned -quarry as a youngster? I was four kilodays old, then. At four point -three kilodays, Neilamon, your son and I--we were of an age--skipped -school and ran away to become vagrants. They found us and we were again -thrashed. It is laughable, gentlemen, but I find that I cannot recall -any incidents of good, bright, intelligent youth. Apparently I was a -healthy, normal youth that got into trouble as any healthy schoolboy -will. And there is Tocamay. He knocked out one of my baby teeth for -pulling the hair of the girl that sat in front of me in school. -Afterwards, we split an apple stolen from Harabond's orchard, and swore -never to trust a woman again--she walked home with the school sissy -whom we both hated. The sissy, remember him, Tocamay? He sits beside -you, now one of the better philosophers of Ertene and destined to go -down in history. Did you marry her, Diamony?" - -"No," grinned the philosopher. - -"Shall we take a vote?" asked Harabond. - -"No impostor can be that well read," said Tocamay. - -"To become educated in the present society might be accomplished, but -never to recall childhood things from learning. Impossible." - -"Then you admit that Elanane is Elanane?" - -"We do." - -"I wish to add something," smiled Guy. "If I am this Gomanar, I want to -know what Thomakein did with Elanane?" - -"You answer me that," smiled Thomakein. Guy started. The Ertinian -looked as though he were enjoying himself immensely. It worried Guy, -and he knew that Thomakein must have a pair of aces up his sleeve. - -"Then we proclaim that this man is Elanane," said Harabond, "and Lanee -Elanane may proceed with the charges against Thomakein." He thought -for a moment. "No, we must--by law--listen to any evidence offered by -Thomakein that this man is not Elanane." - -"I'll take the chance," said Thomakein brightly. Harabond looked at -Thomakein in amazement. - -"Yes," nodded Thomakein. "I'll take the initiative now. Members of the -Council, a mind-reader could baffle us all. He could recall things of -our childhood at will, by reading our minds. This impostor--Gomanar by -Ertinian pronunciation--Guy Maynard by his mother on Terra--Elanane by -his own selection, has a mental amplifier, which enables him to read -thought!" - -"Incredible!" - -"Impossible!" - -"Not at all," said Thomakein. "It is fact. This instrument is not -perfect. It reads surface thoughts only--unless the subject is thinking -at you. Then the deeper thoughts are clear." - -"But if this is true, and he is not Elanane, how can he read deep -thoughts directed at Elanane?" - -"Misdirection," said Thomakein. "You and I and Ertene thought he was -Elanane. We thought at him as Elanane. He used these thoughts for his -own purpose." - -"Can you prove this?" - -"Am I talking for fun?" sneered Thomakein. He stepped to the -phonoscope, snapped the key, and said: "Bring it in, Lentanar." - -The door opened and the man brought in the huge thought-beam instrument -that Guy built in Elanane's workshop. "This is it," said Thomakein. - -"What have you to say?" asked Harabond. - -"May I show you how it works?" asked Guy. He stepped forward, turned it -on, tuned it to Thomakein and himself, and broadcast their thoughts. - -"Now," he said, "read and think!" - - - - - XX. - - -An hour passed in silence. Then Harabond held up a hand and Guy turned -the instrument off. "So," he said to the Council, "you see that my -interest is for Ertene!" - -"A man who is capable of developing an instrument such as this," said -Harabond, "is more than capable of distorting its output to his own -purpose!" - -"But thought--" said Guy. - -Harabond shook his head. "To think that Thomakein would plot this -way against Ertene is unbelievable. Were this charge brought by an -Ertinian, we might consider it valid. There is too much at stake to -believe a Terran, whose word has proven to be none too good." - -"Use this thing for yourself," Guy directed. "Put technicians on it, -build several and prove that you cannot distort its output. Then -believe me." - -"An instrument such as this would deprive all of us of our sacred -privacy. I direct that it be destroyed and that no research be -permitted along these lines," said Harabond. "As for the incredible -story I see--or was directed to witness--at the operation of this -machine, I can only shake my head. I reiterate, any man possessing -genius enough to build an instrument like this is more than capable -of making it perform to his will. Therefore its evidence will not be -allowed. And, furthermore, the Terran, Guy Maynard, will be charged -with the murder of Elanane!" - -"But--!" - -"Take him away!" - -Guy was marched from the room before the same policemen that he had -summoned to bring Thomakein. As they passed the portal, Charalas -entered, shook his head in puzzlement and asked Thomakein what was this -all about? - -"An incredible impersonation," said Thomakein, "plus the loss of a -loved leader," Guy heard him explaining as the door closed behind them. - - * * * * * - -Halfway across the rotunda between the buildings, the whine of sirens -climbed up the scale and shook the very ground with their power. It was -a frightening sound, and the men clinging to Guy's arms let go to look -around in wonder. - -Guy might have run, but he was too stunned and bitter to react -properly. The very gall of Thomakein! The utter blindness of the -Council! - -Guy envisioned the end of Guy Maynard's unhappy life at the end of a -rope--or according to the Ertinian plan of painless removal. He went -limp and beaten. He was licked. He was a poor pawn, and all that he -could do to sway the lives of worlds was to push in futility and fall -below them when they refused to move. It would have been better-- - -"Terrans!" - -"The Space Patrol!" - -"You summoned them!" snarled one captor. - -"No--" - -"Liar!" - -"I swear not." - -"We believe not!" - -Down out of the clear sky came the Terran Patrol in battle formation. -With the precision that spoke volumes, the space pattern flowed from -the closed cylinder to a lenticular disk and the massed ships of the -task force sped across the city at fifty thousand feet. - -"They've come for you!" - -"No," swore Guy. - -"They'll not get you!" - -"We'd best give him," argued the other. "They'll fire!" - -"They're firing." - -"No, they're not," said Guy. "That's signaling." - -"Either signaling or poor marksmanship," said the captor. "Nothing's -hit." - -"Terra doesn't miss," said Guy. - -From the ringed emplacements, the vortex projectors vomited their -toroids. Upward went the pattern of vortexes, and the Patrol broke -formation in an effort to elude the whirling toroids. - -"Did you?" asked Charalas, coming up behind. - -"Send for them? No." - -"Your story is true?" - -"I swear it!" - -"Then what of them?" - -The pattern of toroidal vortices went up and up, and caught Terran -ships, passed on, and left the Terran ships to fall inert. Pressor -beams cradled the falling ships and lowered them to ground. The rest of -the Terran Patrol drove inward on a slant, with the turreted AutoMacs -blazing purple at the snouts and the invisible beams cutting flaring -furrows across the city. - -Another toroid went up before them, and pilots fought their controls to -divert the ships. The slow-moving vortex hovered, and the high-velocity -ships arrowed through the vortex in spite of the pilots. More pressor -beams caught the inert ships. - -Torpedoes started to burst in the city, and with each explosion a -building leaped skyward in a mass of flame and dropped in ruin. The sky -crisscrossed with flaring beams, and the vortex projectors spewed forth -again and again, filling the air with death. - -The Patrol drove high, hovered. They fenced with MacMillans on -automatic, and then fled precipitately as a super-sized toroid formed -and raced upwards. - -"Beat 'em off." - -Guy nodded. - -Then he turned and slugged his nearest captor. He took the man's -MacMillan and faced the rest. "I'm leaving," he snarled. - -He backed carefully away, keeping his back against the building. A -movement caught his eye, and Guy's quick hand dropped an Ertinian from -a high window. With the diversion, the other policeman reached for his -MacMillan, and Guy blasted the hand as it grabbed, and then drilled the -man behind him for trying to reach forward for it. - -"I'm not fooling," snarled Guy. "And I'll take hostage. Charalas, come -along!" - -"Me?" asked the aged man, stalling for time. - -"You--and jump!" yelled Guy, sniping a swift shot at his feet. Guy -reached the parked police flier, pushed Charalas in, and then took off -on a screaming zoom upwards. - -A MacMillan flared and missed, a vortex rolled upwards too slow by -half, another MacMillan missed, and then Guy was off and far away and -free once more. He grinned. They'd left him his personal thought-beam -instrument. They'd find it hard to run him down when he could read -their minds. He turned the gain a little lower so that they couldn't -read his, and he wondered whether the more powerful instrument would -really be destroyed now. - - * * * * * - -An hour later, along near the ocean's edge, Guy dropped the flier. -"Charalas," he said, offering a hand, "I'm sorry." - -"You're in a real mess," said the neuro-surgeon. - -"I know--but what's Ertene going to do now?" - -He snapped on the flier-radio and caught Thomakein in the act of -speaking: "--obviously came at the call of the impostor. He was a high -official in the Patrol, and was working undercover here. People of -Ertene, we must reply! We may not hold up our heads until this insult -has been repaid. We now have a fine space fleet, thanks to the vortex -and the pressors, and the Terrans. Never could we have built such a -fleet here on Ertene; but it is now ours." - -Guy growled and snapped Thomakein off. - -"What are your plans?" asked Charalas. - -"I'm going to drop you off here. Then I'm going somewhere." - -"Where?" - -"That's it. I don't know where. I'm barred from everything but Mars--I -might try there." - -"You loved Ertene, didn't you?" asked Charalas. - -Guy nodded. "Until I found out how blind they are. A fine thing! They -give credence to a plotter because his accuser is not of Ertene. And -this last--I hate them and him!" - -"This last?" - -"Thomakein dropped the barrier so that the Terrans would come to -investigate. He planned it all--and got his fleet ready-made." - -"They came to fight--" - -"They wouldn't have come if Thomakein hadn't started it all. Blame whom -you will, but Thomakein saw his plan start when he found me alive in -the _Mardinex_. My life has been just a pusharound for Thomakein for -nine years." - -"You think Ertene will win?" - -"Thomakein may be highly successful for a long time--but Terra will -win," said Guy. "Remember, Charalas, when you strike a rat, the rat -bites back. That slaughter of Terrans back there is just nasty enough -to make Terra completely mad. It happened before, on Mephisto III, and -when we cooled down to the mere screaming point, there wasn't a living -thing on Mephisto proper. Berserk, is the word for angry Terrans, -Charalas. And I say Beware." - -"And you?" - -"Me, I'd like to push something around. I'm getting sick of being a -pawn. I've reached the last straw, Charalas, and something's going to -be crowned. That utter murder of Terrans just about broke me, and if I -break completely, I'll take after Ertene single-handed." - -"Slaughter?" asked Charalas. - -"It was downright murder. If I only had an army." - -"That's not murder. Ertene seldom kills." - -"Look, Charalas, I'm in no mood for foolishness. I saw those ships come -down after the vortex hit them. Terrans do not scare stiff, Charalas, -they fight to the last." - -"I know, but the vortex does not kill." - -"The ... vortex ... does ... not ... kill?" repeated Maynard dully. - -"No." - -"It doesn't kill?" came the dazed repeat again. - -"No. The vortex slows the life processes to almost zero, but not quite. -Several, repeated exposures will kill, of course, but two or three -aren't too dangerous to healthy people." - -"What do they do to recover them?" - -"Heat lamps, massage, and a shot of cuperenalin." - -"I've got my army then," said Guy quietly. "I've got my army!" His -voice repeated the phrase, and his tone crescendoed from stunned -quietness to an exultant roar. "_I've got my men!_" - -"I don't understand," said Charalas. - -"I don't expect you to," smiled Guy. "Below here, in the ocean, is my -spacecraft. I'm leaving Ertene--but I'll be back. Oh, will I be back! -Terra needs some Ertinian love of leisure, and Ertene needs some of -Terra's ambition. As a team, they should get on fine!" - -"What are you going to do?" asked Charalas in alarm. - -"Terra pushed me around for trying to protect Ertene. Ertene shoved me -out for being Terran. They're both blindly unreasonable. I'm going to -play Kilkenny cats, Charalas." - -"Play what?" - -"The Kilkenny cats were tied by the tails and hung over a line. They -clawed each other to death. I'm going to break up this balance of power -in Sol, with Mars and Terra always running the main show, by hanging -Ertene in an orbit. Then there'll be three to treat with, plus the -minority on Venus, and they'll all be standing around with their hands -in one another's pockets. Mars will have to come off of her high horse -or lose her shirt when Terra and Ertene get together, and Terra will -have to listen to Mars if and when Ertene takes a notion to let Mars -into confidence. Ertene will have to play baseball with both Terra -and Mars or the Solarians will gang up in spite of themselves. And -eventually there'll be less isolationism around Sol, and we'll all be -better off. I'm going out to get me enough people to do the job--and -now I know where to get 'em!" - -Guy grinned at Charalas, stepped to the high bluff over the ocean, and -dived. - - * * * * * - -The _Loki_ emerged from the ocean an hour later. It went high and -arrowed into the sky, and it was out of sight in seconds. Charalas -wondered if followers would come, certainly the detectors would be -running full power and would catch this ship and register it as -nonconforming to the licensed ships of Ertene. - -But the followers did not come, and Charalas realized that Guy Maynard -was once a high officer in the Terran Patrol, and that he was more than -familiar with the technical details of such a small craft. Charalas -grinned, and wondered which one of Ertene's destroyed ships was now -being detected in action again, and not being recorded because of -matrices that eliminated unwanted alarms. - -But Charalas wondered most about Guy's future plans. How and what was -he going to do--and alone, too! - -"Also unarmed," added Guy to himself. "Nice to know you, Charalas. -And if you'll wonder about me for a week, I'll appreciate it. Bet the -Ertinian land forces are on the prod right now--and you'll be found -directly. No matter, I can take care of Guy Maynard from here." - -Guy nosed the _Loki_ cautiously toward the moon of Ertene. Their -synthetic sun, dimming a bit now that the unbounded energy-intake was -cut, shone full and bright upon one side, and Guy wasted precious -minutes circling to the dark side. - -It was mostly wasteland, yet Guy went die-straight to the -half-concealed emplacement. - -With callousness born of necessity, Guy rammed the dome and the _Loki_ -was flung away in the out-rush of air. Guy set his grapples, and -literally tore the building apart, brick by brick, and then hooked -onto the great vortex projector and lifted it high into the sky. He -returned for the power equipment and took that also. He thanked his -lucky star that the _Loki_ was a Terran ship and not one of the less -agile Ertinian jobs. The fact that it was fitted with everything but a -set of turret-mounted MacMillans made Guy jump up and down in glee. He -recalled the game of hide-and-seek of a couple of years ago, and knew -that the _Loki_ could take it. - -He set the _Loki_ down on a barren plain on the side away from Ertene, -and donned space garb. Welding the vortex projector on the top of -the _Loki_ made a strange-looking spacecraft, but streamlining was -unimportant in space anyway. He hooked girder after girder on the huge -parabolic reflector, welding them securely to his hull. He fitted the -supply cables with air-tight bushings through the walls, and then -spent several hours fitting up a series of relays to a thumb-button on -the pilot's levers. - -His detector rang as he was finishing, and Guy poked the drive control -without waiting to see the nature of the approaching ship. - -He grinned as he arrowed away from Ertene, because he knew that no -matter whose ship it was, it was against him. They'd given him the -time he needed, and if he managed to get through the next phase, they -would never be able to stop him again. No one would ever collect the -price that was upon his head--a double price, one in Solar coin, one in -Ertinian. - -His detector rang again, and Guy saw a small Terran ship approaching. -Its turrets jerked forward, and Guy's thumb hit the button. The _Loki_ -bucked to avoid the discharge of the AutoMacs, but the velocity of the -Terran was too high to swerve. It ran into the floating vortex and went -dead, at full velocity, on and on into the nothing of the sky. It was -picked up later by Ertinians, who added it to their captured fleet. - -And Guy, knowing that his life might control the future of billions of -lives, hardened. Friend or foe, all must fall before him until he had -reached the end of this phase of his life. If he fell, the Solar System -itself might never recover from the outcome of his failure. - -For Maynard, knowing his Terrans, his Martians, and also his Ertinians, -could have pointed out the moves of the next five years on the fingers -of his hand--and no one alive could have denied him. - - * * * * * - -From ten thousand miles above, Guy looked at Mephisto III. "Two or -three aren't dangerous," muttered Guy, repeating Charalas' statement. -"Please God it be three with no danger, for they will have had two!" - -His thumb pressed the button, and the vortex formed, whirled, and -then went racing forward in a boiling toroid of energy. It spread as -it went, widening swiftly and encompassing the entire moon before it -wrapped itself about the ground, closing like a monstrous blanket on -the far side in curlers of lightnings and fire. The vortex died, and -Mephisto III was again lifeless. Guy dropped quickly, and landed the -_Loki_ on the same spaceport that he had created from the hard ground -years ago. He looked about him at the supplies and the ships lying -mute, and shuddered at the bodies that lie a-sprawl. Then he smiled -wryly and apologized mentally. There were but few of the big guns of -the Terran Patrol present--but they would be a good nucleus. - -For now, though, Guy had work to do. - - - - - XXI. - - -Maynard looked at the ground, and wondered. It was cold--deathly -cold--in spite of the years of the barrier-input. Cold enough to give -him hope. - -Guy set his crowbar into the grave and pried. The dirt came out in -lumps--the same lumps blasted long ago to create the shallow trench. -The white wrappings were not soiled; the ground was frozen hard enough -to prevent bits of grime from working their way into the soft cloth. -The body was stiff and utterly cold beneath the wrappings, and it was -more like carrying a log than a human being. But Guy took the exhumed -one to the _Loki_, removed the white wrappings, and snapped on the -battery of heat lamps. - -Losses made the air grow unbearably hot in the little cabin, but Guy -worked woodenly and did not notice. He forced himself to this. The -handling of a corpse--for until it showed the sign of life it was a -corpse--made Guy's stomach crawl and made his hands feel as though they -never would be clean again. Time and again he looked away to keep from -screaming aloud. - -And when it came time to insert the needle containing superenalin into -the body, Guy's fingers went cold and insensitive. The needle did not -slide in the way it should, it entered with that dead feeling similar -to cutting dead flesh with a dull knife. It sickened him, and after -emergence, when the tiny droplet of blood did not come, it brought on -that nausea again. - -Massage! It was a gruesome thing, this fondling and stroking of cold, -stiff limbs. The heat seemed to be doing no good, for Guy could discern -no softening of the joints. They creaked and cracked as he moved the -arms and legs, and it worried him because he knew the brittleness of -frozen flesh. Was he breaking bone and flesh deep within this body? - -More--was it worth it? - -Guy's mind recoiled and rejected the horror that he felt. This body -was no stranger to him. Alive, physical contact would not have been -distasteful. Now that it was dead, why did he feel horror? - -Alive, it might have fought him because of the liberties he was taking; -with no objections to his ministrations possible, why did he feel -horror and fear? - -It struck Guy as insanely funny and he laughed uproariously. The cabin -rocked to the sound of his laughter, and as he stopped, the echo -reminded him of the cackle of an idiot. He stopped with indrawn breath, -shook his head, and returned to his task. - -The body moved perceptibly, and Guy recoiled from the table with the -same feeling of horror and fear. This was too much like awakening the -dead. - -A gasp of indrawn breath came, and the body choked on the volume of -air that entered the lungs. Color returned to the cheeks, and the eyes -opened, fluttered, and then looked at Guy full and open. - -The lips parted. - -"Guy!" - -"Joan! You're all right?" - -"Of course--shouldn't I be?" - -"But--" - -"That toroid in the sky--what was it?" - -"It came from Mephisto." - -"Then it is not dangerous?" - -"Not when you understand it." - -Joan snorted. "If that's the best they can do--we'll lick them easy." - -Guy nodded foolishly. How was he going to tell Joan the whole story in -short of a lifetime? - -She looked around. "This isn't the _Orionad_. Why did you bring me -here?" - -"I ... we--" - -"Guy!" she came from the table, put her hands on his shoulders, and -looked up into his face. "It's been long, hasn't it?" - -He nodded. - -She searched his face understandingly, comprehended the suffering and -worry there, and said: "Tell me." - - * * * * * - -It came then, all in a burst of words. The entire tale from start to -finish with nothing withheld. It took an hour solid, and when Guy -finished, Joan looked up and asked: - -"You're still going on?" - -He nodded, but asked: "Should I?" - -"You must. First off, Guy, you are a man alone. That might be fine for -you, but life demands that you do your utmost to progress. You know -what will happen." - -"Ertene and Terra will fight. Ertene will fight to join the System as -ruling planet, and Terra will fight to haul Ertene in by brute force. -Eventually, Terra will win, partly, and subdue Ertene. Ertene will -reply by swerving outward again, and try to continue on the roaming, -nomad life. As a last measure, Ertene will hit Sol with a vortex. That -will set things off--how, I do not know. Nova, perhaps. Instability, -definitely. Or Ertene will hit Terra with a vortex. At any rate, -super-vortexes will be hurled back and forth, and Ertene--if she isn't -a black ruin--will go on through space with no man alive. Sol will -continue to run as a dead, sterile system. - -"So long as they are permitted to fight, complete ruin will be the -outcome. I must ... I MUST prevent that." - -"You must," agreed Joan. "You must be ruthless and calloused. You -mustn't hesitate to kill and maim--though it sounds against all nature. -Ertene must be chastened--and Ertene must be brought into the System! -To let Ertene go will constitute a constant threat to Sol--no constant, -but lasting for a hundred years. So long as Ertene can hurl a vortex at -Sol, we are endangered. Ertene must be immobilized, and placed under -the same necessities--those of keeping Sol alive and stable. Terra must -be taught to accept Ertene as an equal. - -"And since a three-world system must become interwoven to remain, -Terra, Ertene, and Mars will lose their isolationism. But it's your -job, Guy. You're the only man who understands. You are the only man who -can bring a balance of power to bear. Take it and knit a new system!" - -"You'll help?" - -Joan smiled. "Naturally." She lifted herself on tiptoe and held him -close. "I've always wanted to help, Guy. Anything you say--name it!" - -Guy choked. - -"You've"--and Guy recalled years ago when Joan said the same words to -him--"been lonely, Guy." - -Years of loneliness and yearning and heartbreak expended themselves in -a matter of minutes, and the long, bitter years dropped away, bringing -them right up to the present moment. Then the future promised briefly -before they broke apart. They regretted the break, though something -unspoken made them stop; they could not seek the future with so much to -be done in the present: They must cross this bridge first. - - * * * * * - -Gradually, the scene took on a busy appearance. Men in suits bustled -around the ships, and they rang with the sound of repair and servicing. -And across the plain there came a steady stream of men carrying -white-swathed bodies, and when six came in, twelve left to continue -the work. With progressingly larger numbers at work, the stream of -men entering the huge, squat building became a double line, a triple -line, and then a sixfold line. Other buildings opened, and the stream -continued to expand. - -Projectors and turret-mounted MacMillans roved the sky and the -detectors went out to their extreme limit. - -Technicians worked over Guy's thought-beam, and produced a large one -for each ship in the small group. Maynard's fleet would be knit with -thought-communications, and no interference would cause them to lose -control. Other technicians toyed with the vortex projectors, and though -Guy saw no more success here than on Ertene, the amount of activity -was higher by far, and in a few weeks the Terrans had passed the most -advanced researches of the Ertinians. - -A convoy of Terran ships approached, and Guy merely smiled. - -"I've been expecting them. Go get 'em, Harrison!" - -"Right. They're replacements for this gang?" - -"Were." - -"Why don't we wake up the gang that was here when you came?" - -"You know that. I can't trust 'em. I brought you fellows back--at least -you owe me your lives." - -"I'll argue that point when I get back. Ships, supplies, and men! We -need 'em!" - -The little fleet sped out to contact the larger convoy. Unlike the -usual Terran procedure, Maynard's fleet spread wide apart, and waited -in the dark of space, behind barriers. - -It would have been slaughter again. This convoy expected to find its -own men awaiting supply and materials. Instead, the vortex projectors -spewed. - -Out they rolled, and the barriers went down as they passed. Turreted -MacMillans whirled, and the invisible energies laced the sky. Torpedoes -winked in gouts of flame and the interferers chopped the communications -band into uselessness. Maynard's ships fired a second series before -the first reached the Terrans, and the Terrans, fighting their own -velocity, rolled into the whirling toroids firing their AutoMacs to the -last. - -Ships rained out of the sky in flaming ruin, cut bright arcs in the -sky, and died. - -And then it was all over. Massacre it would have been if the vortex -projectors had been deadly. The Terran convoy was not prepared to meet -a powerful fleet, and it succumbed in a matter of seconds. - -Cradling pressors lowered the Terran ships to ground, and Maynard's men -took possession. - -"Well?" asked Harrison. "Have we got what it takes?" - -"Not enough," said Guy glumly. "There was one constellation craft -in that bunch--the _Leoniad_. It's a creaky old crate that uses -co-ordinator fire in the turrets instead of autosyncs. Her torpedo -tubes are rusty, her generator room reeks, and her drive is one of -those constantly variable affairs that never settles down to a smooth -run. The _Leoniad_ is a derelict, as far as I'm concerned. The smaller -stuff is fine business, though I doubt that they could stand up to a -half dozen constellations. We'll fit the old tub up, though, and use -her. She's all we have in that class." - -"Any chance of getting more?" - -"Might raid Ertene. I think it might be easy--Ertene is none too sharp -invasionwise. They're armed to the teeth with vortex jobs, though." - -"Vortexes aren't deadly." - -"A local anaesthetic would be a killer-weapon if you could numb up a -man's trigger finger only," grinned Guy. "Might as well be dead as -sleeping it off on Ertene." - -"I get you. How about raiding Sahara Base?" - -"We might duck their mounted stuff. I wish I knew what they are doing -with the vortex projectors." - -"Let's wake up the commanding officer of the convoy and ask. He'd know." - -"Good idea," said Maynard, and gave the order over the phone. - - * * * * * - -Eventually, the man was brought in. He was indignant, defeated, angry, -and anxious about his future in turns, and his emotions changed from -one to the other swiftly. He was Sector Commander Neville. - -"What is the meaning of this outrage?" he asked. "I know you. You're -the renegade, Maynard." - -"Stop it!" exploded Harrison. "He is Guy Maynard, and a better man than -you and I, Neville." - -"You, too, must have turned pirate, commander." - -"I'm no pirate. What I'm doing is by sheer choice. Wait until you hear -his story, and you may wish to join us." - -"Never." - -"Never say 'never'," grinned Harrison. "It shows how much you don't -know about everything--especially human nature." - -"Look, Neville, I want to know what Terra is doing with the vortex gun." - -"I'll never tell you." - -"I'll tell you, then," smiled Maynard. "Emplacements augmenting -the planet-mounted MacMillans are being set up around Sahara Base. -Luna is being set up with them, too, since the moon is a natural -invasion-springboard. The main cities are being protected, too, and -some long-range stuff is being put in the remote spots to stave off -any attempt at entry. The triple-mounts in the midships turret of all -constellation craft are being changed from MacMillan to vortex, and the -fore turret on all cruisers. Destroyers will carry a smaller edition in -a semi-mobile mount in the nose, and the fighter craft of the heavier -classes are to have vortex projectors in fixed position. The three -MacMillans will drop to two, the center being replaced in the lighter -ships. - -"Oh, and yes, Neville, I mustn't forget the super-sized job that is -being erected on Luna for cross-space work. That's a nice, brutal, -long-futured thought, Neville, and it can do nothing but bring -reprisals." - -"That one will not be used except in self-defense--" - -"Sky-juice! I only hope that it can be destroyed before it is used. The -fools! Can't you realize that Mars is erecting one on Phobos, too?" - -Neville blanched. "Hadn't considered it." - -"Why not? Why shouldn't they? They're no less intelligent than we -are ... don't jump up and down, Neville, they are and you know -it ... and they react in about the same fashion. The only thing that -has enabled us to stay ahead of Mars is the fact that we can take -three times the acceleration standing up. Another item of general -interest. Ertene--you've heard of that one--is erecting a projector of -super-size, too. Guess where it will be used." - -Neville thought, and then asked: "How do you know these things?" - -Guy tapped the thought-beam on his belt. "Thought-reading gadget," he -said quietly, and then proceeded to read Neville's thoughts to him, -saying them word for word as Neville expressed them in his mind. - - * * * * * - -"Now," said Guy, "Sol is in for trouble. That is, unless we get Ertene -in here too. That'll mean invasion. But, Neville, I don't want Ertene -overrun like we did on Mephisto. Ertene is like Terra, but its culture -is just enough different and its physiology different enough to make a -separate entity in the System. They think somewhat differently, too, as -you'll see later. But, Neville, getting Ertene here as a prime power -will entail much work." - -"Why must she be a power?" - -"Because this projector is a final weapon. With it, I alone in a tiny -fighter, can lay every living thing down on Terra, and then proceed -onward to Mars, Ertene, the inhabited planetoids, moons, asteroids, -meteors, spacecraft, and anything else I've forgotten to mention. The -planets of Sol must be stripped of their militant attitude. Otherwise -any progress we might make is stopped. With Mars and Ertene, Sol may -have the combination to the long-sought space drive. Centauri lies -beyond the horizon, Neville, and we may reach it if we forget our petty -quarrels." - -"Why couldn't Terra get that herself?" - -"Because Ertene and Mars hold certain keys. Neither will work for -Terra, either freely or under duress. If this war is fought to the -finish, there'll be no great minds left to carry on the research. -Remember that." - -"What do you intend to do?" - -"I intend to conquer them all!" - -"You deluded idiot--" - -"Look, Neville, I've got this," and Guy slapped the mind instrument. -"I've got this," and Guy waved a hand at the field, teeming with its -workmen, awakened from the vortex-induced sleep. "And, I've got this!" -and Guy pointed outside to the great vortex projector that stood on the -ordnance field. "Do you think I can be beaten?" - -"Eventually, you will. No dictator ever held out against the entire -System." - -"I don't intend to hold out. All I want to do," said Guy pointedly, "is -to set up this mind-reading, thought-beam instrument on every planet, -in every congress, in every voting booth, and in every home! Then we'll -see what happens to warmongers, hate-raisers, and petty politicians! -The will of the people is to work in peace, and peace they will get -when each knows the will of the other, alien races. Fear drives men to -fight, Neville, and if any group decides to get up and run things, the -vast majority will know it first." - -"It'll destroy our privacy," whispered Neville. - -"With everyone wearing one, the effects cancel pretty well," said Guy. -"Except when the wearer intends to have his thoughts read. And the -larger models, set in voting places and congressional groups, will be -used to broadcast on frequencies open to anyone who cares to listen. I -don't intend that this thing will be used to deprive people of their -right to think as they please, but it can be used wisely and well -to prevent criminal cliques, ill-advised minorities, and individual -criminals." - -"It won't work." - -"That I want to see for myself. At any rate, either we put a stop to -this warfare that will leave Sol lifeless or we will never be able to -look up into the sky ourselves." - -"Far too much time and wealth is spent," said Neville slowly, "in -fighting or preparing for war. The research--could use some of that -money. No one has even got the first inkling of a defense against the -vortex--you're right, if all have it, it will wind up in death to all. -I'll help Maynard." - -"Because you think that Terra is unable to accomplish her purpose -alone?" - -"No," answered Neville. "It's because you are sincere. You let me read -your mind--and I know." - -"If used for nothing else," grinned Guy, "we can assume right now that -any candidate for high office must use this machine. Any who do not -will find their qualifications and intentions up for argument. The -graft it will kill will be wonderful." - - - - - XXII. - - -Maynard's force swept out from Mephisto, drove in toward Sol, and -slipped between Terra and Venus. They passed Sol just outside of the -orbit of Mercury and headed outward again. - -Just beyond the orbit of Terra, the souped-up detectors flared briefly -and then burst into full indication. Maynard smiled wryly and said: -"How can any military strategy work when both sides have mental -telepathy, even though it is mechanical?" - -The Martian task force was plunging into space almost on an opposite -course, coming forward under battle acceleration. "We're not having -any," snapped Guy. - -"They must have heard of the trouble Terra had with us," observed -Turretman Holmes. "Maybe they'd like Mephisto?" - -"They aren't heading for Terra," said Guy. "Well, we're being attacked, -technically. Let's have at them." - -The indication in the detector opened, and the pattern of the Martian -fleet became clear. Guy shook his head at the perfection of the space -lattice. Against the vortex, a perfect space lattice meant ruin. - -Into the Martian fleet went Maynard's group. At terrific velocity, -the two fleets met, and the vortexes flowed from Guy's ships and ran -together in a mad pattern through which there was no place to pass -unharmed. - -There was a flash of MacMillan fire. Crossed beams radiated, and the -space between the ships dotted with blinding flashes of premature -torpedoes. - -The Martians were more interested in avoiding the toroids, and their -fire was desultory. The Terrans were more interested in the Martian -ships, and their fire was defensive only. - -Then at once, the Martians were through, passed, and inert. They sped -on at zero drive, and their courses diverged. - -"After 'em!" grunted Maynard. "Get 'em on detectors!" - -The Martians went out of sight. The contact-detectors stretched as -the two opposing velocities caused the separation to add into the -unthinkable miles. Days passed before the velocity of Guy's fleet -dropped to turn-back velocity, and more days passed before Guy's ships -were within sight of their quarry. By then, no ship was within detector -range of its fellow; the sky was clear save for the inert Martian and -the pursuing ship. - -Slowly, the _Leoniad_ crept up beside the Martian ship. And then as -the velocity of _Leoniad_ approached zero relative to the Martian, -there was motion in the sky, the detectors flared bright, and the alarm -bells rang with ear-splitting loudness. The detector showed a Martian -sub-ship at pointer range. - -Its barrier had been blasted open by the huge vortex that crept and -rolled towards the _Leoniad_. - -"Pilot! Vortex at fourteen--seven ten!" - -_Leoniad_ creaked. Ponderously, it swapped ends. A seam split, and the -intercom became hoarse with the shrill of escaping air and the cries -of the repair crew. An alarm rang loud, which stopped when the split -seam was plastered. Acceleration took hold, and the men were nailed -to their places. The generator alarm pealed, indicating dangerous -overload. More plates creaked as the drivers took the power and -strained against the mass and inertia of the _Leoniad_. - -"Not enough!" - -The turrets of the _Leoniad_ whipped around and the sub-ship was -blasted in a vast, expanding flare. - -But its work was done. Though the drivers, straining their best, were -fighting the _Leoniad_ into velocity, there was too little time. The -vortex caught up with the _Leoniad_, passed upward from base to top, -and went on to die in the remoteness of space. - -The breakers blew, the fuses sputtered, and _Leoniad_ went inert. - -She coasted away from the Martian at much less than one mile per second. - - * * * * * - -Maynard bumped gently into the wall of his scanning room and the pain -wakened him. Dazedly, he passed a hand over his face, and the movement -turned him over in midair. He clutched foolishly at the wall, and then -waited until he found a handhold. He handed himself to the floor of the -room, and sought the desk. - -Forcing himself into the seat, Guy snapped the safety belt and then -reached for the communicator. - -"Pilot! Technician! Navigator! Isn't there anybody alive on this crate!" - -He sat and thought. Something had happened that was not in the books. -He'd hit a vortex and had awakened without help. The others--what had -happened to them? - -The communicator spoke tinnily: "Is there anybody else on this space -can?" - -"Maynard--who's speaking?" - -"You and I are all?" came the return. "This is Hume, the assistant -calculator." - -"Might as well get together," said Maynard. "Come on in." - -"This is Evans, of the Technician's crew. Can I come in, too?" - -"Wait a minute, both of you," said Guy. "Go take a look around. Someone -else may be alive, too." - -"How many?" asked another voice. "In case anyone's interested, this is -Ted Jones, of the power gang." - -"Pete Rivers and I ... I'm Jim Phelps ... are both O.K." - -"Wait a minute," said Guy. "Someone run into the turretman's office, -and the other go into the navigator's office. If either of them come -out of it, let me know immediately." - -"Pilot Tinsley, sir. Just came out of it." - -"Were you on duty?" - -"No, sir. Assistant Pilot Adcock was on the board." - -"Oh," answered Guy. "He's still in the greenhouse, then." - -"Did you expect him?" - -"Dunno," said Guy slowly. "The passage of the vortex effect is leaving -this office spherically. Or roughly so. Spread out--" - -"Turretman Greene just came to, sir." - -"You beat me by ten seconds. Navigator Sampson just took up _his_ -interest in life." - -"See?" continued Guy. "As I was saying; spread out and cover the ship. -Record each awakening time precisely. Later we'll get the dimensions of -this can to the fractional millimeter, and we can chart what happened." - -As time went on, the communicator took up the clamor, swelling from -individual calls to the full cry of the personnel in a regular increase. - -The calculator and Guy sat before the plans of the _Leoniad_ and drew -lines, scribed curves, and calculated in simple trigonometry. It did -not take long. Guy put a pinprick in the plan and said: - -"It's right here!" - -"You suspected that," answered the other. - -"I know--but what's in here that would nullify that effect? It takes -heat, work, and superenalin." - -"Haven't you anything odd?" - -"Nothing that the other ships haven't got ... no, wait ... no, can't -be." - -"What?" - -"Can't possibly be." - -"Name it, Maynard. No matter how silly it may seem, that's it!" - -"This thought-beam gadget--the heavy-duty one." - -"That's it." - -"But Mephisto went down under the vortex projector. To the last man. -They had these things." - -"You fired and fired and fired, though. Hundreds and hundreds of -vortexes. The effect is cumulative, I've heard. But for a single shot, -Guy, we've got a remedy." - -The ship took control as the instrument gang replaced the fuses, threw -in the breakers, and reset the balancing controls. The _Leoniad_ -swapped ends, raced for the quarry that was invisible in the distance, -and took over the Martian. - - * * * * * - -It was days before the combined fleets were collected again. They -converged upon a million cubic miles of space, and mulled around in a -mad pattern before they turned and headed for Mephisto. - -The commander of the Martians came before Guy. - -"I am defeated," said the Martian stiffly. "I would have preferred it -at the hands of--" - -"One who is not a traitor?" asked Guy. "Marshal Monogon, why am I a -traitor?" - -"You betrayed your oath." - -"My oath," said Guy, "was intended to set up a condition in which a man -will do the best thing for his homeland. That I am doing." - -"You think so." - -"They'll all think so." - -"I am defeated," repeated Monogon. "I hope to see the day when you are -caught." - -"You may, at that." - -"But to what end are you working? You fought Terrans. You fight us. -Why?" - -"Monogon, you have a super vortex machine set up on Phobos. Terra has -one on Luna. You now know that the vortex will not kill on a single -try. But how much less dead will the entire System be if either of us -fires?" - -"I ... yes, the speed will permit you to fire once we have fired. You -would be able to detect the operation of the projector hours before the -toroid envelops Terra." - -"And with no one alive to awaken any of us--those who are not on Terra -will fight one another to the death--vortexes will be coming from every -solid body in the Solar System within a week. Do you think I want that?" - -"You hope to accomplish something?" asked Monogon. "What--and how and -why?" - -"I hope to unify. I cannot appeal directly because of my ... my -traitorous past. But Monogon, I can and will fight to the last breath -to try my plan. Never forget Ertene, Monogon. They'll be here next, -looking for me--or something. They've got to have their trouble, and -they well know that a good offense is the best defense. They've got -vortexes too, you know. As a last resort, they'll fire on us both. What -I've got to do is to hold off both Mars and Terra--and then go out and -take Ertene!" - -"Madness." - -"Necessary. Ertene must be brought in, so that she will depend on Sol -and the rest of us." - -"You're mad, Guy Maynard. Stark mad. But I agree with you. The vortex -is deadly, and with things at the breaking-point as they are now, -oblivion is but a step. Can you believe me?" - -"Yes," smiled Guy. He tapped the thought-instrument and explained. - -"Then you can also believe me when I offer you my aid?" - -"Yes." - -"I'll make no move against Mars, understand." - -"I'll not ask you to. You'll go to--" - -The radiation alarm broke. - -"What's up?" asked Maynard. - -"Nothing dangerous. We just uncovered a Terran crate trying to run -through us under a barrier." - -Maynard looked at Monogon. "We'd better hurry," he told the Martian. -"They'll be tearing up the Solar System before we can stop them." - -The combined fleet increased its acceleration towards Mephisto. - - * * * * * - -The spaceport on Mephisto became a mad place. Terran ships stood -plate to plate against Martian ships, and the sky above the port was -interlaced with the invisible communication beams that connected -incoming and outgoing ships. At no time was the sky ever completely -clear of spacecraft. - -They came in sight out of the clear black sky of the moonlet, and -hovered until the ship before them had landed. Then they dropped slowly -into the landing place assigned to them, coming to a full landing just -in time to see the next ship begin to drop. Another ship would come -from outer space at this time, and assume the hovering area, awaiting -its turn. - -Ships took off at the same rate. But unlike the cumbersome landing -feat, they leaped upward into the sky, running a direction-beam before -them, and disappeared in seconds. - -The nerve center of this activity was a squat building on the edge of -the port. In it worked Maynard's spies--his _agents provocateur_. A -black chamber of intense men, all working their shifts over huge mental -projectors. - -Solarian shipping was being completely disrupted. - -No ship took off from any of the spaceports without Guy's knowledge. -And no cargo worth having ever reached its destination. Mephisto was -becoming the most valuable planet-system in the Solar sphere, for the -cargoes that were pirated and brought to Mephisto were those items that -Terra and Mars could not find in plenty at home. - -The capture of single ships had gone on unchecked for a long time. Then -protection began to go with the shipping, and finally the spacelines -were running in full convoys that sported constellation craft for -protection. But Guy's fleet collected the constellation craft as easily -as they caught tramp spacers. When a spaceship is going a thousand -miles per second, a barrier-sown toroid could burst from space before -the huge ship. It was a matter of dropping the toroid so close to the -nose of the ship that the turreted AutoMacs had no time to answer the -impulses that came from the detector-couplers. The huge ship plunged -through the toroid, and left the rest of the unprotected convoy for -Maynard's choice. - -And when they sent decoys, Maynard's men ignored them. Only when the -carriers held valuable material did they suffer. - -The ships of Ertene came in for their share. Guy worried about the -thought-beam instrument that he had left there; he knew that no -sensible world would adhere to a program of destroying such a device. -One of the main thought-beam jobs was continually directed at Ertene -and the thought-beam instrument that Guy had left. So far, they had -done nothing but use the thing locally. It would not reach Mephisto by -a billion miles, and so Guy knew his secret was safe. - -At least for the time being. - -But molesting Ertene on Ertene's own ground was not possible; once they -came within range of Ertene's thought-beam, the secret of avoiding the -vortex would be out. Only those ships of Ertene that came outside of -range were taken--and they were all too few. - -But there are ways of starting trouble-- - - * * * * * - -The intercom pealed in Maynard's office. "Andrew has escaped," came the -message. - -Maynard smiled. "Good. As we planned?" - -"According to clockwork," came the amused answer. "He bopped Timmy -over the head with that hunk of plastic, used the same plastic rod to -pry his way out of the house, and then he took off like a demon in the -_Ursiad's_ lifeship." - -"I wonder what he thought we had it out for," laughed Guy. "Also I -wonder what he thought we were using to keep him in?" - -"He's not too well informed. He knows, for instance, that we can avoid -the vortex--and that some sort of mind-reading gadget is available. -Furthermore, he knows that there is one on Ertene. Nothing about the -stuff, understand, but just that such a thing exists." - -"That's the ticket," smiled Guy. "Now we'll get action!" - -Detector operation of the following events were impossible. In their -place, the men in Maynard's black chamber controlled a model of the -System, synchronized with others throughout the Mephistan system of -planet and moons. - -And for the first time in history, Mars and Terra took off in battle -array and headed together in the same direction. And Mephisto followed -them, watching all the way. - -At nightside, the combined fleets dropped onto Ertene, showered the -area with toroids, and landed. They forced the heavy doors open and -emerged again with the machine. - -Up they drove, into the Ertinian sky, and away. Ertene came to life -then, and vortex projectors hurled their toroids into the sky after the -fleeting ships of Sol. - -Sol's ships scattered and avoided the toroids, and then answered by -dropping their own onto a greater area than before. They silenced those -that might give danger, and then sped away in a die-true line for Sol. -From Ertene there arose the Ertinian fleet to give chase. - -Normally, Terra could have out-distanced them, for they had the head -start in an accelerative race. But Mars could not keep that killing -pace, and Terra was forced to hang back; they hoped to best Ertene in -full battle, if escape were impossible. - -Conquest would give them Ertene, and that would have been desirable, -too. But conquest of Ertene was planned for the future, and -well-planned. - -So Ertene caught up with the slower fleet of Sol, and the two -intermingled. - -Space filled with the myriad winking spots of prematured torpedoes. -Gouts of released energy burst in empty space as crossed MacMillans -backfired. Energy bombs were strewn as a matter of course to prevent -the operation of sub-ships, and the milling mass circled in a battle -plan that no space marshal had ever planned. - -The ship that had Ertene's thought-beam was known. Battle centered -about it, and it became evident that neither side cared to direct its -fire in that direction. The whirling melee spread out into a vast -sphere of fighting ships, with the thief in the middle. Wide spread -the battle; the thickness of the fighting globe dropping as the sphere -increased. - -Maynard smiled. "Now!" he said. - - * * * * * - -And from the _Leoniad_ there dropped a torpedo in a barrier. Invisibly -and indetectably it sped, led by the radiation from the thief. Through -the fighting globe it went safely, and inside, where no bit of stray -energy filled space. Not even detector beams entered this space, and -the men in the thief looked out on all sides at the mighty globular -battle with wonder. They realized that this fight was over them, and -that because of their loot--the thought-beam instrument--neither side -would strike at them. - -But the barrier-covered torpedo found them. The barrier hid the torpedo -from them, but the barrier permitted the detecting radiation to enter -and energize the director. - -The thief exploded in one coruscating flash. The white-hot gases -expanded rapidly, wildly, cooling as they spread. - -Action stopped. - -Had this been a fight on land between men, they would have turned as -one and looked at the ruin. They would have stood elbow to elbow with -their enemies, and wondered. Both sides knew the value of what they -were fighting for, and they knew the other side knew its value, too. -Loss of the thief stunned them beyond belief-- - -And stunned them beyond the desire to fight one another. - -The flashing lights of prematured torpedoes died as the mechanical -finders still worked on the already-launched missiles. No more came -from the tubes, and gradually the flaring died, leaving the ether clear -of crackling radiation. - -Far-flung detectors flared, and the cardex machines in hundreds of -ships purred, and came up with a single answer. It was called aloud, -and on the throats of a million men, Terrans, Ertinians, and Martians, -there came the single word: - -"_Leoniad!_" - -With no order from High Command, every ship turned and headed for the -_Leoniad_. - -The _Leoniad_ lazed along, waiting. Just ahead of MacMillan range, the -_Leoniad_ ran before the combined fleets. From all sides there came the -rest of Maynard's fleet, making a space pattern about the _Leoniad_. - -Within the Solarian fleet, quick orders and consultations passed. The -fleet took battle shape, spread out, and gave chase according to plan. -Their space pattern became that which was developed by the Terran -command to avoid sown toroids, and in comparative safety, they settled -down to the long, stern chase. - -Before them, Maynard's fleet ran easily. Forward-flying toroids -died abruptly, killed by the anti-radiations of Guy's high-powered -projectors; torpedoes were sought and prematured in space; and -MacMillan fire was not answered save to cross the oncoming beam with a -backward-flung beam. The initial flurry of fire stopped, then, and the -chase became a matter of hare and hounds. - -The Solarian fleets were forcing the flight. Mephisto's fleet was -obviously running to their base. That meant, to the Solarians, that -at midway, there must be a turnover maneuver so that Mephisto's fleet -could decelerate for their landing. Then they would catch up, for -the velocity attained by Maynard's outfit must be forced down. The -Solarians were not trying to effect a Mephistan landing, but were -after the other fleet. They would not turnover at mid-point, and then -they could catch that fleet of pirates that stayed just out of range. - - - - - XXIII. - - -Turnover came, inevitably. Maynard's fleet flashed up to the "fix" in -space and began the end-swapping job. Solarians watched, gloating. -Maynard _was_ going to turnover! The gap closed. Terra and Ertene -alerted for action, and the entire personnel of the combined fleets -went on double-watch. No one knew how much stuff Maynard's men had -developed. - -Vortex projectors sowed toroids that floated with Guy's ships. In and -about the pirate fleet, the huge vortexes of energy roamed, covering -the fleet by sheer number. - -Torpedoes directed against the toroids prematured. MacMillan fire -entered them, and added to their total energy. Other toroids flung into -them merely added to their number. - -And the very number of them made operations in the combined fleets -difficult. The space pattern was never intended to fight into a massed -effect. Ertene and Terra spread slightly, opening up a hole. Through -this hole flowed the toroid-covered Mephistan fleet, and Maynard's -men were behind. Turnover was completed, and with the indifference -to the Solarian fleet that was maddening, Maynard gave the order to -decelerate for landing on Mephisto. - -Solarians fell behind--below, now, for they were dropping onto -Mephisto, the deceleration creating a false gravity. - -They crammed on the deceleration too; not to do so would have put them -far beyond Mephisto. They crammed on all they had, and it was just -enough to stay below Maynard's fleet-- - -Just outside of range. - -The men in the combined fleets of Ertene and Terra writhed in hatred. -Mars, unable to keep up with the man-killing gravities, laughed -nastily--she thought that the fun would have been over before her -slower ships could join. - -But though amused, Mars was none the less angry. Her men in her ships -were killing themselves to keep from arriving too late. They knew now -that the big fight would be around Mephisto. - - * * * * * - -It takes but a minute to tell, but it was days and days in the action. -Men slept and changed watches and went through the tiresome routines of -space travel across the System. And ever before them was the specter of -Maynard's fleet, just out of range. It maddened them, and it made them -sacrifice a few fighter ships that tried to run ahead, into the other -fleet. They were lost, every time, without doing any damage. - -And the temper of the men increased by the minute--and days and days -with hours full of minutes went by with not one bit of action to salve -their hatred. - -Mephisto loomed in the sky below, eventually, and the fleets swept down -to Mephisto, and the Solarian fleet spread wide and passed the planet. -They did not like the idea of being between a fighting fleet and its -home base. Maynard landed easily, and was able to consolidate his force -on the ground before the combined Ertinian and Terran fleets circled -and returned. - -"Just hold 'em off," said Guy. - -And again there passed the maddening job of not being able to -do anything to the enemy. They patrolled the planet, but it was -unsatisfactory patrol. Any ship that came too low was fired upon and -collected by Guy's planet-mounted projectors. Solarians thought that -they knew how to arm a planet, but Mephisto was well-nigh impregnable. -Toroids stopped, torpedoes prematured, and MacMillans flashed in the -sky, dissipating the energy with no harm save the blown fuses in the -ships. - -"How long?" asked Neville. - -"Wait for Mars," smiled Monogon. "I insist that Mars be not left out. -What's good enough for them is good enough for my world, too." - -"He's right," said Guy. "We'll wait." - -And finally Mars arrived on the scene, and the fleets went high to -discuss the problem of extinguishing this menace. Guy followed their -conference--and they suspected that he did. Their plan was bold. A -power play, and it came in a down-thrust of the ships of three worlds. -They drove toroids before them, filled the air with torpedoes, and -interlaced the sky with MacMillans. - -"Now?" asked Neville. - -"Now," smiled Guy. His smile was bitter and hard. He stepped to the -vast instrument and put the helmet over his head. His left hand turned -the switch and the right hand adjusted the intensity. "Cease fire!" - -The fighting stopped. - -"Land!" - -The inrushing of fighting ships continued, and they landed quietly, one -after the other. Immediately, doors opened in three of them and three -men emerged. Stiffly they walked to Maynard's headquarters where they -were greeted and taken to Guy's room. - - * * * * * - -"You can not touch me," said Guy in a hard, cool voice. "I am -impregnable. You will never be able to touch me!" - -"You stinker," snarled Space Marshal Mantley. - -Guy faced Thomakein next. "Have you anything to say?" he snapped. - -"We are defeated," said Thomakein. "What would you have me say?" - -Guy turned to the Martian. "Marshal Ilinoran, any comment?" - -"We are defeated--but we need take no insult! What have you in mind?" - -"At the present time, the carriers of your fleets are being packed -with your men. Some of them will remain, of course. But I like the -size of your fleet, gentlemen. I'm keeping most of it for my own. I -have prepared a little proclamation which you may take back to your -respective governments. I, gentlemen, proclaim myself the Emperor of -Sol!" - -"Megalomaniac!" - -"As Emperor of Sol, I will tell you," continued Guy, indifferent to the -snarl, "how and when to collect the yearly tribute from each and every -Terran, Martian, and Ertinian. You may suit yourselves to any other -arrangements. Mephisto is mine, and will stay mine. But I shall require -money, merchandise, and supplies to stock the planet. - -"And if you think differently, you may try to defeat me! _And I hope -you try!_" - -"We'll pay nothing--" - -"I hope you try that, too," snapped Maynard. "You have no idea of how -tough a real tyrant can get! A single lesson might convince you. A -super-toroid hurled into the Manhattan area--?" - -"You're a fiend!" - -Guy nodded. "Never make me prove it," he said quietly. "Now, gentlemen, -you will receive your instructions as you leave, if you prefer to -leave. I offer you the chance to join me--but remember that I can read -your mind and find out how true you intend to be. I intend to be very -harsh with spies." - -"I'm leaving--but I'll be back!" promised Mantley. He tried to sound -ominous, but his position was not firm to carry it away. He knew that -he sounded flat and it enraged him. - -"We'll both be back, together!" snapped Ilinoran. - -"Ertene will be back, too!" added Thomakein. "You wouldn't permit us to -leave, and I know it!" - -Guy nodded. "I'll be waiting. But don't forget that I am still master -of you all. And I'm going to stay master. I've spent ten years being -pushed around, and now I'm going to do some pushing myself! I have very -little affection for any of you; Terra disowned me, Ertene did not want -my offer of fidelity; Mars wanted to torture me and did, partly. Had -any one of you taken me for what I had to offer, this would never have -happened." - -Mantley and Ilinoran left. But Thomakein came forward and put out a -hand. - -Guy looked at the hand and then at Thomakein. "Why?" he said sharply. - -"You did it!" - -"I did it, all right. But look at me. And what have you to offer?" - -"You still do not know. Guy, forgive me. I tried, myself, and failed. -Your plan is superior to mine--yours works." - -"Plan? Know?" - -"I forced you into this." - -"Yes, but you had no plan except a sort of self-aggrandizement." - -Thomakein shook his head. "You didn't read my mind deep enough, Guy. -The instrument you carried was never perfect and deep-seated concepts -are often hidden because of the more powerful surface thoughts. I -thought of conquest--and realized that sleepy, lazy Ertene couldn't -conquer the Solar System and keep it conquered. What Sol needed was a -man with drive and ability. No one wanted you, Guy, because you were -continually torn between your own promises. I was responsible for that, -I fear. I took you because of your latent ability, those long years -ago, and planned well." - -"And so you forced me into this place?" - -"Yes," smiled Thomakein. "But the only way that you'll hold this sun -full of cross-purposes together is to provide a common menace. Terra -hates you more than she hates Mars, and Mars will co-operate with -Ertene to get you. Ertene, burning mad because her desire to wander is -curtailed by you, will throw in with both of them. Perhaps they will -get used to co-operation after a bit, but never forget that competition -will make advances far quicker than complete co-operation. - -"Yes," said Thomakein, "I tried. I plotted and tried, and then knew -that Ertene did not have the drive, the ambition. You, Guy, had the -ambition, and all you needed was to get the killer-instinct, so to -speak. You had to be driven to it. You did it. Can you hold it once -someone finds the key to the mental-gadget?" - -Guy grinned. "They never will. Mephisto is the only world with normal -temperatures low enough to make key more than a feeble-order effect. -Upon Mephisto, it becomes evident in the third decimal place; on any -other world it is several decimal places beyond the experimental error. -Besides," Guy said with a hardening of the jaw muscles, "I've got the -whole System under coverage. I'll permit no experiments along those -lines!" - -"I see what you mean. Well, Guy, you're the Emperor. For the love -of God, stay that way! The first time you abdicate, hell will break -loose all over the System. You are the common menace that will hold us -together." - -Guy smiled wryly. "So you drove me to it. It was necessary. I know. But -it was a dirty trick to play on any man. It goes deeper than that. Joan -and I can't see raising a kid in this mess." - -"Your children must be raised absolutely incognito. I owe you more than -life, Guy. May I help, please?" - -Maynard took Thomakein's outstretched hand. - -"Finished," said Thomakein, shaking the hand hard. - -"Not finished--nor will it be. I have a lifetime job of making myself -more hated than any traditional enemy." - -Thomakein nodded. He stepped back and saluted. - -"Farewell, Guy Maynard--Ruler of The Solar Worlds!" - - - THE END. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOMAD *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. 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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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Nomad</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Wesley Long</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: Orban</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: June 16, 2022 [eBook #68325]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOMAD ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter x-ebookmaker-drop"> - <img src="images/illusc.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>Nomad</h1> - -<h2>By WESLEY LONG</h2> - -<p>Illustrated by Orban</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Astounding Science-Fiction, December 1944, January, February 1945.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">I.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard left the Bureau of Exploration Building at Sahara Base and -walked right into trouble. It came more or less of a surprise; not the -trouble as a condition but the manner and place of its coming was the -shocking quality. Guy Maynard was used to trouble but like all men who -hold commissions in the Terran Space Patrol, he was used to trouble in -the proper places and in the proper doses.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>But to find trouble in the middle of Sahara Base was definitely -stunning. Sahara Base was as restricted an area as had ever been -guarded and yet trouble had come for Guy.</p> - -<p>The trouble was a MacMillan held in the clawlike hand of a Martian. The -bad business end was dead-center for the pit of Guy's stomach and the -steadiness of the weapon's aim indicated that the Martian who held the -opposite end of the ugly weapon knew his MacMillans.</p> - -<p>Maynard's stomach crawled, not because of the aim on said midriff, but -at the idea of a MacMillan being aimed at any portion of the anatomy. -His mind raced through several possibilities as he recalled previous -mental theories on what he would do if and when such a thing happened.</p> - -<p>In his mind's eye, Guy Maynard had met MacMillan-holding Martians -before and in that mental playlet, Guy had gone into swift action using -his physical prowess to best the weapon-holding enemy. In all of his -thoughts, Guy had succeeded in erasing the menace though at one time -it ended in death to the enemy and at other times Guy had used the -enemy's own weapon to march him swiftly to the Intelligence Bureau -for questioning. The latter always resulted in the uncovering of some -malignant plot for which Maynard received plaudits, decorations, and an -increase in rank.</p> - -<p>Now Guy Maynard was no youngster. He was twenty-four, and well -educated. He had seen action before this and had come through the -Martio-Terran incident unscathed. Openly he admitted that he had been -lucky during those weeks of trouble but in his own mind, Maynard -secretly believed that it was his ability and his brain that brought -him through without a scratch.</p> - -<p>His dreaming of action above and beyond the call of duty was normal for -any young man of intelligence and imagination.</p> - -<p>But as his mind raced on and on, it also came to the conclusion that -the law of survival was higher than the desire to die for a theory.</p> - -<p>Therefore it was with inward sickness that Guy Maynard stopped short on -the sidewalk before the Bureau of Exploration Building and did nothing. -He did not look around because the fact that this Martian was able to -stand before him in Sahara Base with a MacMillan pointed at his stomach -was evidence enough that they were alone on the street. Had anyone -seen them, the Martian would have been literally torn to bits by the -semi-permanent MacMillan mounts that lined the roof tops.</p> - -<p>The Martian had everything his own way, and so Maynard waited. It was -the Martian's move.</p> - -<p>"Guy Maynard?"</p> - -<p>Maynard did not feel that such an unnecessary question required an -answer. The Martian would not have been menacing him if he hadn't known -whom he wanted.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Guy Maynard, I advise that you do nothing," said the Martian. -His voice was flat and metallic like all Martian voices, and the -sharply-chiseled features were expressionless as are all Martian faces. -"You are to come with me," finished the Martian needlessly. He had not -concluded the last bit of information when invisible tractor beams -lashed down and caught the pair in their field of focus and lifted -them straight up.</p> - -<p>The velocity was terrific, and the only thing that saved them -suffocation in the extreme upper stratosphere was the entrapped air -that went along with the field of focus.</p> - -<p>The sky went dark and the stars winked in the same sky as the flaming -sun.</p> - -<p>And then they entered the space lock of an almost invisible spaceship. -The door slammed behind them and air rushed into the confines of the -lock just as the tractors were snuffed.</p> - -<p>Maynard arose from the floor to face once more that rigidly held -MacMillan. Before he could move, the door behind him flashed open and -three Martians swarmed in upon him and trussed him with straps. They -carried him to a small room and strapped him to a surgeon's table.</p> - -<p>The one with the MacMillan holstered the weapon as the ship started off -at 3-G.</p> - -<p>"Now, Guy Maynard, we may talk."</p> - -<p>Maynard glared.</p> - -<p>"It is regrettable that this should be necessary," apologized the -Martian. "I am Kregon. Your being restrained is but a physical -necessity; I happen to know that you are the match for any two of us. -Therefore we have strapped you down until we have had a chance to speak -our mind. After which you may be freed—depending upon your reception -of the proposition we have to offer."</p> - -<p>Maynard merely waited. It was very unsatisfactory, this glaring, -for the Martian went on as though Maynard were beaming in glee and -anxiously awaiting for the "Proposition." He recalled training which -indicated that the first thing to do when confronted by captors is to -remain silent at all cost. To merely admit that your name was correctly -expressed by the captor was to break the ice. Once the verbal ice was -broken, the more leading information was easier to extract; a dead and -stony silence was hard to break.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Guy Maynard, we would like to know where the <i>Orionad</i> is," said -Kregon. "We have here fifty thousand reasons why you should tell. Fifty -thousand, silver-backed reasons, legal for trade in any part of the -inhabited Solar System and possibly some not-inhabited places."</p> - -<p>No answer.</p> - -<p>"You know where the <i>Orionad</i> is," went on Kregon. "You are the aide -to Space Marshal Greggor of the Bureau of Exploration who sent the -<i>Orionad</i> off on her present mission. The orders were secret, that we -know. We want to know those orders."</p> - -<p>No answer.</p> - -<p>"We of Mars feel that the <i>Orionad</i> may be operating against the -best interests of Mars. Your continued silence is enhancing that -belief. Could it be that we have captured the first prisoner in a new -Terra-Martian fracas? Or if the <i>Orionad</i> is not operating against -Mars, I can see no reason for continued silence on your part."</p> - -<p>No answer, though Maynard knew that the <i>Orionad</i> was not menacing -anything Martian. He realized the trap they were laying for him and -since he could not avoid it, he walked into it.</p> - -<p>Kregon paused. Then he started off on a new track. "You are probably -immunized against iso-dinilamine. Most officials are, and their -aides are also, especially the aide to such an important official as -Space Marshal Greggor. That is too bad, Guy Maynard. Terra is still -behind the times. Haven't they heard that the immunization given by -anti-lamine is good except when anti-lamine is decomposed by a low -voltage, low frequency electric current? They must know that," said -Kregon with as close to a smile as any Martian could get. It was also -cynically inclined. "After all, it was Dr. Frederich of the Terran -Medical Corps who discovered it."</p> - -<p>Maynard knew what was coming and he wanted desperately to squirm and -wriggle enough to scratch his spine. The little beads of sweat that had -come along his backbone at Kregon's cool explanation were beginning to -itch. But he controlled the impulse.</p> - -<p>"We are not given to torture," explained the Martian. "Otherwise we -could devise something definitely tongue-loosening. For instance, -we could have you observe some surgical experiments on—say—Laura -Greggor."</p> - -<p>The beads of sweat broke out over Maynard's face. It was a harsh -thought and very close to home. And yet there was a separate section -of his mind that told him that Laura would undergo that treatment -without talking and that he would have to suffer mentally while he -watched, because she would hold nothing but contempt for a man who -would talk to save her from what she would go through herself. He -wondered whether they had Laura Greggor already and were going to do as -they said. That was a hard thing to reason out. He feared that he would -speak freely to save Laura disfigurement and torture; knowing as he -spoke that Laura would forever afterward hate him for being a weakling. -Did they have her—?</p> - -<p>"Unfortunately for us, we have not had the opportunity of getting the -daughter of the Space Marshal. But there are other things. They are far -superior, too. I was against the torture method just described because -I know that Mars would never have peace again if we destroyed the -daughter of Space Marshal Greggor. Your disappearance will be explained -by evidence. A wrecked spaceship or flier, will take care of the -question of Guy Maynard, whereas Laura Greggor is forbidden to travel -in military vehicles."</p> - -<p>Kregon turned and called through the open door. His confederates came -with a portable cart upon which was an equipment case, complete with -plug-in cords, electrodes, and controls.</p> - -<p>"You will find that low frequency, low voltage electricity is very -excruciating. It will not kill nor maim nor impair. But it will offer -you an insight on the torture of the damned. Ultimately, we will have -decomposed the anti-lamine in your system and then you will speak -freely under the influence of iso-dinilamine. Oh yes, Guy Maynard, we -will give you respite. The current will be turned off periodically. -Five minutes on and five minutes off. This is in order for you to rest."</p> - -<p>"—<i>to rest!</i>" said Maynard's mind. Irony. For the mind would count the -seconds during the five free minutes, awaiting with horror the next -period of current. And during the five minutes of electrical horror, -the mind would be counting the seconds that remain before the period of -quiet, knowing that the peaceful period only preceded more torture.</p> - -<p>Kregon's helpers tied electrodes to feet, hands, and the back of his -head. Then Kregon approached with a syringe and with an apologetic -gesture slid the needle into Maynard's arm and discharged the -hypodermic.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus4.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Now," he asked, "before we start this painful process, would you care -to do this the easy way? After all, Maynard, we are going to have the -answer anyway. For your own sake, why not give it without pain. That -offer of fifty thousand solars will be withdrawn upon the instant that -the switch is closed."</p> - -<p>Maynard glared and broke his silence. "And have to go through it -anyway? Just so that you will be certain that I'm not lying? No!"</p> - -<p>Kregon shook his head. "That possibility hadn't really occurred to -us. You aren't that kind of man, Maynard. I think that the best kind -of individual is the man who knows when to tell a lie and when not -to tell. Too bad that you will never have the opportunity of trying -that philosophy, but I think it best for the individual, though often -not best for society in general. Accept the apology of a warrior, Guy -Maynard, that this is necessary, and try to understand that if the -cases were reversed, you would be in my place and I in yours. I salute -you and say good-by with regrets."</p> - -<p>Maynard strained against the straps in futility. He felt that sense of -failure overwhelm him again, and he fought against his fate in spite of -the fact that there was nothing he could do about it. Another man would -have resigned himself, realizing futility when it presented itself, and -possibly would have made some sort of prayer. But Guy Maynard fought—</p> - -<p>And the surge of low frequency, low voltage electricity raced into his -body, removing everything but the torture of jerking muscle and the -pain of twitching nerves. It was terrible torture. He felt that he -could count each reversal of the low frequency, and yet he could do -nothing of his own free will. The clock upon the wall danced before his -jerking eyeballs so that he could not see the hands no matter how hard -he tried. Ironically, it was a Martian clock and not calibrated into -Terran time; it would have had no bearing on the five-minute periods of -sheer hell.</p> - -<p>Ben Williamson raced across the sand of Sahara Base, raising a curling -cloud of dust behind him. The little command car rocketed and careened -as Williamson approached his destroyer, and then the long, curling -cloud of dust took on the appearance of a huge exclamation point as -the brakes locked and the command car slid to a stop beside the space -lock. Williamson leaped from the command car and inside with three long -strides.</p> - -<p>He caught the auxiliary switch on his way past, and the space lock -whirred shut. "Executive to pilot," he yelled. "Take her up at six."</p> - -<p>The floor surged, throwing Williamson to his knees. Defiantly, -Ben crawled to the executive's chair and rolled into the padded, -body-supporting seat. He lay there for some seconds, breathing heavily. -Then from the communicator there came the query:</p> - -<p>"Pilot to executive: Received. What's doing?"</p> - -<p>"Executive to crew: Martian of the <i>Mardinex</i> class snatched Guy -Maynard on a tractor. We're to pursue and destroy."</p> - -<p>"Golly!" breathed the pilot. "Maynard!"</p> - -<p>"That's right," said Williamson. "They grabbed him right in front of -the BuEx and that's that."</p> - -<p>"But to destroy them—?"</p> - -<p>"We're running under TSI orders, you know," reminded Williamson.</p> - -<p>"Yeah, I know. But killing off one of our own people doesn't sound good -to me. Makes me feel like a murderer."</p> - -<p>"I know," said Ben. "But remember, Maynard was grabbed by a Martian. -Being an aide to Greggor, he was filled to the eyebrows with -anti-lamine. That means the electro-treatment for him, plus a good shot -of iso-dinilamine. All we're doing is giving peace to a man who is -suffering the tortures of hell. After all, would any of you care to go -on living after that combination was finished?"</p> - -<p>"No, I guess not. Must be worse than death not to have a mind."</p> - -<p>"What's worse is what happens. You haven't a mind—and yet you have -enough mind to realize that fact. Strange psychological tangle, but -there it is. Tough as it is, we've got to go through with it."</p> - -<p>"They're after some information on the <i>Orionad</i>?"</p> - -<p>"Probably. That's why we're taking out after them. It's the only reason -why Guy Maynard was covered under the TSI order."</p> - -<p>"Too bad," said the pilot.</p> - -<p>"It is," agreed Williamson. "But—prepare for action. Check all -ordnance."</p> - -<p>It was almost an hour later that the communicator buzzed again. -"Observer to executive: Martian of <i>Mardinex</i> class spotted."</p> - -<p>"Certain identification?"</p> - -<p>"Only from the cardex file. Can't see her yet, but the spotters have -picked up a ship having the characteristics of the <i>Mardinex</i> class. -It's the <i>Mardinex</i> herself, Ben, because she's the only one left in -that class. Old tub, not much good for anything except a fool's errand -like this."</p> - -<p>"Turretman to executive: Have we got a chance, tackling a first-line -ship like the <i>Mardinex</i> in a destroyer?"</p> - -<p>"Only one chance. They probably didn't staff it too well. On an -abortive attempt like this, they'd put only those men they could -afford to lose aboard. Probably a skeleton crew. Also the knowledge -that detection meant extermination, therefore go fast and light and as -frugal as possible on crewmen. That's our one chance."</p> - -<p>"One more chance," interrupted the technician. "We have the drive -pattern of the <i>Mardinex</i> in the cardex. We can bollix their drive. -That's one more item in our favor."</p> - -<p>"Right," said Ben. "What's our velocity with respect to theirs?"</p> - -<p>"Forty miles per second."</p> - -<p>"Tim, launch two torpedoes immediately. Pete, continue course above -<i>Mardinex</i> and cross their apex at two hundred miles. Tim, as we cross -their apex, drop a case of interferers. Once that is done, Pete, drop -back and give Tim a chance to say hello with the AutoMacs."</p> - -<p>"Giving them the whole thing at once?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. And one thing more, Jimmy?"</p> - -<p>"Technician to executive," answered Jimmy. "I'm here."</p> - -<p>"Can you rig your drive-pattern interferer?"</p> - -<p>"In about a minute. I've been setting up the constants from the cardex -file."</p> - -<p>"And hoping they've not been changed?" asked Ben with a smile.</p> - -<p>"Right."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The little destroyer lurched imperceptibly as the torpedoes were -launched, and then continued on its course a hundred miles to the south -of the Martian ship, passing quickly above the <i>Mardinex</i> and across -the apex of the Martian's nose. The turretman was busy for several -seconds dropping his case of interferers from the discharge lock. The -little metal boxes spread out in space and began to emit signals.</p> - -<p>Then the destroyer dropped back, and from the turret there came the -angry buzz of the AutoMacs. On the driving fin of the <i>Mardinex</i> -appeared an incandescent spot that grew quickly and trailed a fine line -of luminous gas behind it. Then the turrets of the <i>Mardinex</i> whipped -around and Tim shouted: "Look out!"</p> - -<p>His shout was not soon enough. On the turret of the Martian ship there -appeared two spots of light that were just above the threshold of -vision against the black sky. The destroyer bucked dangerously, and the -acceleration fell sharply.</p> - -<p>"Hulled us."</p> - -<p>On the pilot's panel there appeared a number of winking pilot lights. -"We'll get along," said he, studying the lights and interpreting their -warning.</p> - -<p>"Got him!" said the turretman. The top turret of the <i>Mardinex</i> erupted -in a flare of white flame blown outward by the air inside of the ship.</p> - -<p>"Can we catch him for another shot?" asked Ben pleadingly.</p> - -<p>"Not a chance," answered Pete. "We're out of this fight."</p> - -<p>"No, we're not," said Ben. "Look!"</p> - -<p>Before the <i>Mardinex</i> there began to erupt a myriad of tiny, winking -spots. The meteor spotting equipment and projectile intercepting -equipment were flashing the interferers one after the other with huge -bolts from the secondary battery of the <i>Mardinex</i>.</p> - -<p>Ben counted the flashes and then asked the technician: "How many -spotters has the <i>Mardinex</i>?"</p> - -<p>"Thirty."</p> - -<p>"Good. The torps have a chance then." The nonradiating torpedoes -would be ignored by the spotting equipment since the emission of -the interferers made them appear gigantic and dangerously close to -the nonthinking equipment. The torpedoes, on the other hand, would -be approaching the <i>Mardinex</i> from below and slowly enough to be -considered not dangerous to the integrating equipment. If they arrived -before the spotting circuits destroyed the entire case of interferers—</p> - -<p>The lower dome of the <i>Mardinex</i> suddenly sported a jagged hole. And -almost immediately there was a flash of explosive inside of the lower -portion of the Martian ship. The lower observation dome split like a -cracked egg, and the glass shattered and flew out. Portholes blew out -in long streamers of fire around the lower third of the <i>Mardinex</i> and -a series of shattering cracks started up the flank of the ship.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"There goes number two—a clean miss," swore Ben.</p> - -<p>"Number one did a fine job."</p> - -<p>"I know but—"</p> - -<p>"This'll polish 'em off," came Jimmy's voice. "Here goes the drive -scrambler."</p> - -<p>"Hey! No—!" started Ben, but the whining of the generators and the -dimming of the lights told him he was too late.</p> - -<p>The <i>Mardinex</i> staggered and then leaped forward until six full -gravities. Bits of broken hull and fractured insides trailed out behind -the <i>Mardinex</i> as the derelict's added acceleration tore them loose. -Within seconds, the stricken Martian warship was out of the sight of -the Terrans.</p> - -<p>"No reprimand, Jimmy," said Ben Williamson soberly. "I did hope to -recover Guy's body."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II.</p> - -<p>Thomakein, the Ertinian, stopped the recorder as the Terran ship -reversed itself painfully and began to decelerate for the trip back to -home. He nodded to himself and made a verbal addition to the recording, -stating that the smaller ship had been satisfied as to the destruction -of the larger, otherwise a continuance of the fight would have been -inevitable. Then Thomakein placed the recording in a can and placed it -on a shelf containing other recordings. He forgot about it then, for -there was something more interesting in view.</p> - -<p>That derelict warship would be a veritable mine of information about -the culture of this system. All warships are gold mines of information -concerning the technical abilities, the culture, the beliefs, and the -people themselves.</p> - -<p>Could he assume the destruction of the crew in the derelict?</p> - -<p>The smaller ship had—unless they were out of the battle and forced -to withdraw due to lack of fighting contact. That didn't seem right -to Thomakein. For the smaller ship to attack the larger ship meant a -dogged determination. There would have been a last-try stand on the -part of the smaller ship no matter how much faster the larger ship -were. At worst, the determination seemed to indicate that ramming the -larger ship was not out of order.</p> - -<p>But the smaller ship had not rammed the larger. Hadn't even tried. In -fact, the smaller ship had turned and started to decelerate as soon as -the larger ship had doubled her speed.</p> - -<p>Thomakein couldn't read either of the name plates of the two fighting -ships. He had no idea as to the origin of the two. As an Ertinian, -Thomakein couldn't even recognize the characters let alone read them. -He was forced to go once more on deduction.</p> - -<p>The course of the larger vessel. It was obviously fleeing from the -smaller ship. Thomakein played with his computer for a bit and came to -two possibilities, one of which was remote, the other pointing to the -fourth planet.</p> - -<p>A carefully collected table of masses and other physical constants of -the planets of Sol was consulted.</p> - -<p>Thomakein retrieved his recording, set it up and added:</p> - -<p>"The smaller ship, noticing the increased acceleration of the larger, -assumed—probably—that the larger ship's crew was killed by the -increased gravity-apparent. Since the larger ship was fleeing, it -would in all probability have used every bit of acceleration that the -crew could stand. Its course was dead-center for the fourth planet's -position if integrated for a course based on the larger ship's velocity -and direction and acceleration at and prior to the engagement.</p> - -<p>"This fourth planet has a surface gravity of approximately one-eighth -of the acceleration of the larger ship. Doubling this means that the -crew must withstand sixteen gravities. The chances of any being of -intelligent size withstanding sixteen gravities is of course depending -upon an infinite number of factors. However, the probable reasoning of -the smaller ship is that sixteen gravities will kill the crew of the -larger ship. Otherwise they would have continued to try to do battle -with the larger ship. Their return indicates that they were satisfied."</p> - -<p>Thomakein nodded again, replaced the recording, and then paced the -derelict <i>Mardinex</i> for a full hour with every constant at his disposal -on the recorders.</p> - -<p>At the end of that hour, Thomakein noted that nothing had registered -and he smiled with assurance.</p> - -<p>He stretched and said to himself: "I can stand under four gravities. I -can live under twelve with the standard Ertinian acceleration garb. But -sixteen gravities for one hour? Never."</p> - -<p>Thomakein noted the acceleration of the derelict as being slightly over -six gravities on his own accelerometer, which registered the Ertinian -constant.</p> - -<p>Then he began to maneuver his little ship toward the derelict.</p> - -<p>Entering the <i>Mardinex</i> through the blasted observation dome was no -great problem. The lower meteor spotters and most of the machinery had -gone with the dome and so no pressor came forth to keep Thomakein from -his intention.</p> - -<p>The insides were a mess. Broken girders and ruined equipment made a bad -tangle of the lower third of the great warship. Thomakein jockeyed the -little ship back and forth inside of the derelict until he had lodged -it against the remainder of a lower deck in such a manner as to keep it -there under the six Terran gravities of acceleration. Then he donned -spacesuit and started to prowl the ship. It was painful and heavy -going, but Thomakein made it slowly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>An hour later, Thomakein heard the ringing of alarms, coming from -somewhere up above, and the sound made him stop suddenly. Sound, he -reasoned, requires air for propagation. The sound came through the -floor, but somewhere there must be air inside of the derelict.</p> - -<p>So upward he went through the damage. He found an air-tight door and -fought the catch until it puffed open, nearly throwing him back into -the damaged opening. White-faced, Thomakein held on until his breath -returned, and then with a determined look at the gap below—and -the place where he would have been if he had fallen out of the -derelict—Thomakein tried the door again. He closed the outer door and -tried the inner.</p> - -<p>His alien grasp of mechanics was not universal enough to discover his -trouble immediately. But it was logical, and logic told him to look for -the air vent. He found it, and turned the valve permitting air to enter -the air-tight door system. The inner door opened easily and Thomakein -entered a portion of the hull where the alarm bells rang loud and clear.</p> - -<p>He found them ringing in a room filled with control instruments. -Throwing the dome of his suit back over his head, Thomakein looked -around him with interest. There was nothing in the room that logic or a -grasp of elementary mechanics could solve. It did Thomakein no good to -look at the Martian characters that labeled the instruments and dials, -for he recognized nothing of any part of the Solar System.</p> - -<p>He did recognize the bloody lump of inert flesh as having once been the -operator of this room—or one of them he came to conclude as his search -found others.</p> - -<p>Thomakein was not squeamish. But they did litter up the place and the -pools of blood made the floor slippery which was dangerous under 6-G -Terran—or for Thomakein, five point six eight. So Thomakein struggled -with the Martian bodies and hauled them to the corridor where he let -them drop over the edge of the central well onto the bulkhead below. -He returned to the instrument room in an attempt to find out what the -bell-ringing could mean.</p> - -<p>He inspected the celestial globe with some interest until he noticed -that the upper limb contained some minute, luminous spheres—prolate -spheroids to be exact. Wondering, Thomakein tried to look forward and -up with respect to the ship's course.</p> - -<p>His anxiety increased. He was about to meet a whole battle fleet that -was spread out in a dragnet pattern. Then before he could worry about -it he was through the network and some of the ships tried to follow but -with no success. The <i>Mardinex</i> bucked and pitched as tractors were -applied and subsequently broken as the tension reached overload values.</p> - -<p>Thomakein smiled. Their inability to catch him plus their obvious -willingness to let the matter drop with but a perfunctory try gave him -sufficient evidence as to their origin.</p> - -<p>They could never catch a ship under six gravities when the best they -could do was three. The functions with respect to one another would be -as though the faster ship were accelerating away from the slower ship -by 3-G plus the initial velocity of the faster ship's intrinsic speed, -for the pursuers were standing still.</p> - -<p>The <i>Mardinex</i> swept out past Mars and Thomakein smiled more and more. -This maze of equipment was better than anything that he had expected. -The Ertinians would really get the information as to the kind of people -who inhabited this system.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Thomakein wandered idly from room to room, finding dead Martians and -dropping them onto the bulkhead. Two he saved for the surgeons of -Ertene to inspect; they were in fair physical condition compared to the -rest but they were no less dead from acceleration pressure.</p> - -<p>Eventually, Thomakein came to the room wherein Guy Maynard was lying -strapped to the surgeon's table. The Ertinian opened the door and -walked idly in, looking the room over quickly to see which item of -interest was the most compelling.</p> - -<p>His glance fell upon Maynard and passed onward to the equipment on -the cart beyond the Terran. Then Thomakein's eyes snapped back to the -unconscious Terran and Thomakein's jaw fell while his face took on an -astonished look.</p> - -<p>Thomakein often remarked afterwards that it was a shame that no one -of his photographically inclined friends had been present. He'd have -enjoyed a picture of himself at that moment and he realized the fact.</p> - -<p>Thomakein had ignored the dead Martians. They were different enough to -permit him a certain amount of callousness.</p> - -<p>But the man strapped to the table, and hooked up to the diabolical -looking machine was the image of an Ertinian! Thomakein didn't know -what the machine was for, but his logical mind told him that if this -man, different from the rest, were strapped to a table with some sort -of electronic equipment tied to his hands, feet, and head, it was -sufficient evidence that this was a captive and the machine some sort -of torture. He stepped forward and jerked the electrodes from Maynard's -inert frame and pushed the machine backward onto the floor with a foot.</p> - -<p>A quick check told Thomakein that the unknown man was not dead, though -nearly so.</p> - -<p>He raced through the derelict to his own ship and returned with a -stimulant. The man remained unconscious but alive. His eyes opened -after a long time, but behind them was no sign of intelligence. They -merely stared foolishly, and closed for long periods.</p> - -<p>Thomakein tended the man as best he could with the limited supplies -from his own ship and then began to plan his return to Ertene with his -find.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Days passed, and Thomakein unwillingly abandoned any hope of having -this man give him any information. The man was as one dead. He could -not speak, nor could he understand anything. Thomakein decided that -the best thing to do was to take the unknown man to Ertene with him. -Perhaps Charalas, or one of his contemporary neuro-surgeons could bring -this man to himself. Thomakein diagnosed the illness as some sort of -nerve shock though he knew that he was no man of medicine.</p> - -<p>Yet the surgeons of Ertene were brilliant, and if they could bring this -unknown man to himself, they would have a gold mine indeed.</p> - -<p>So at the proper time, Thomakein took off from the derelict with the -mindless Guy Maynard. By now, the derelict was far beyond the last -outpost of the Solar System and obviously beyond detection. Thomakein -installed a repeater-circuit detector in the wrecked ship; it would -enable him to find the <i>Mardinex</i> at some later time.</p> - -<p>So unknowing, Guy Maynard came to Ertene.</p> - -<p>The first thing that reached across the mental gap to Guy Maynard was -music. Faint, elfin music that seemed to sway and soothe the ragged -edges of his mind. It came and it went depending on how he felt.</p> - -<p>But gradually the music increased in strength and power, and the -lapses were shorter. Warm pleasant light assailed him now and gave -him a feeling of bodily well-being. Flashes of clear thinking found -him considering the satisfied condition of his body, and the fear and -nerve-racking torture of the Martian method of extracting information -dropped deeper and deeper into the region of forgetfulness.</p> - -<p>Then he realized, one day, that he was being fed. It made him ashamed -to be fed at his age, but the thought was fleeting and gone before he -could clutch at it and consider why he should be ashamed. One portion -of his mind cursed the fleetingness of such thoughts and recognized the -possibilities that might lie in the sheer contemplation of self.</p> - -<p>There were periods in which someone spoke to him in a strange tongue. -It was a throaty voice; a woman. Maynard's inquisitive section tried -the problem of what was a woman and why it should stir the rest of -him and came to the meager conclusion that it was standard for this -body to be stirred by woman: especially women with throaty voices. The -tongue was alien; he could understand none of it. But the tones were -soothing and pleasant, and they seemed to imply that he should try to -understand their meaning.</p> - -<p>And then the wonder of meaning came before that alert part of Maynard's -mind. What is meaning? it asked. Must things have meaning? It decided -that meaning must have some place in the body's existence. It reasoned -thus: There is light. Then what is the meaning of light? Must light -have a meaning? It must have some importance. Then if light has -importance and meaning, so must all things!</p> - -<p>Even self!</p> - -<p>So the voices strived to teach Ertinian to the Terran while he was -still in the mindless state, and gradually he came to think in terms of -this alien tongue. But he had been taught to think in Terran, and the -Terran words came to mind slowly but surely.</p> - -<p>And then came the day when Guy Maynard realized that he <i>was</i> Guy -Maynard, and that he had been saved, somehow, from the terrors of -the Martian inquisition. He saw the alien tongue for what it was and -wondered about it.</p> - -<p>Where was he?</p> - -<p>Why?</p> - -<p>The days wore on with Maynard growing stronger mentally. They gave -him everything they could, these Ertinians. Scrolls were given to him -to read, and the movement of reflections from his eyeballs motivated -recording equipment that spoke the word he was scanning into his ear -in that pleasant throaty voice. It was lightning-fast training, but -it worked, once Guy's mentality went to work as an entity. Maynard -learned to read Ertinian printing and lastly the simplified cursory -writing.</p> - -<p>Then with handwriting at the gate of learning, they placed his hand -around a controlled pencil, and the voice spoke as the controlled -pencil wrote. They spoke Ertinian to him, not knowing Terran, though -his earlier replies were recorded.</p> - -<p>And as he strengthened, his replies made sense, and for every Ertinian -word impressed upon his mind, he gave them the Terran word. They taught -him composition and grammar as he taught them, and whether it was by -the written script or the spoken word, the interchange of knowledge was -complete.</p> - -<p>One day he asked: "Where am I?"</p> - -<p>And the doctor replied: "You are on Ertene."</p> - -<p>"That I know. But where or what is Ertene?"</p> - -<p>"Ertene is a wandering planet. We found you almost dead in a derelict -spaceship and brought you back to life."</p> - -<p>"I recall parts of that. But—Ertene?"</p> - -<p>"Generations ago, Ertene left her parent sun because of a great, -impending cataclysm. Since then we have been wandering in space in -search of a suitable home."</p> - -<p>"Sol is not far away—you will find a home there."</p> - -<p>The doctor smiled sagely and did not comment on that. Maynard wondered -about it briefly and tried to explain, but they would have none of it.</p> - -<p>He tried at later times, but there was a reticence about their -accepting Sol as a home sun. No matter what attack he tried, there was -a casual reference to a decision to be made in the future.</p> - -<p>But their lessons continued, and Guy progressed from the hospital to -the spacious grounds. He sought the libraries and read quite a bit, -for they urged him to, saying: "We can not entertain you continually. -You are not strong enough to work, nor will we permit you to take any -position. Therefore your best bet is to continue learning. In fact, -Guy, you have a job to perform on Ertene. You are to become well -versed in Ertinian lore so that you may converse with us freely and -draw comparisons between Ertene and your Terra for us. Therefore apply -yourself."</p> - -<p>Guy agreed that if he could do nothing else, he could at least do their -bidding.</p> - -<p>So he applied himself. He read. He spoke at length with those about -him. He practised with the writing machine. He accepted their customs -with the air of one who feels that he must, in order that he be -accepted.</p> - -<p>And gradually he took on the manner of an Ertinian. He spoke with a -pure Ertinian accent, he thought in Ertinian terms, and his hand was -the handwriting of an Ertinian. And from his studies he came to the -next question.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Charalas, how could you tell me from an Ertinian?"</p> - -<p>Charalas smiled. "We can."</p> - -<p>"But how? It is not apparent."</p> - -<p>"Not to you. It is one of those things that you miss because you are -too close to it. It is like your adage: 'Cannot see the forest for the -trees.' It will come out."</p> - -<p>"Come out?"</p> - -<p>"Grow out," smiled the neuro-surgeon. "Your ... beard. You notice that -I used the Terran name. That is because we have no comparable term -in Ertinian. That is because no Ertinian ever grew hair on his face. -Daily, you ... shave ... with an edged tool we furnished you upon your -request. You were robotlike in those days, Guy. You performed certain -duties instinctively and the lack of ... shaving equipment ... caused -you no end of mental concern. Thomakein studied your books and had -a ... razor ... fashioned for you."</p> - -<p>"Whiskers. I never noticed that."</p> - -<p>"No, it is one of those things. Save for that, Guy, you could lose -yourself among us. The ... mustache ... you wear marks you on Ertene as -an alien."</p> - -<p>"I could shave that off."</p> - -<p>"No. Do not. It is a mark of distinction. Everyone on Ertene has seen -your picture with it and therefore you will be accorded the deference -we show an alien when people see it. Otherwise you would be expected to -behave as we do in all things."</p> - -<p>"That I can do."</p> - -<p>"We know that. But there is another reason for our request. One day you -will know about it. It has to do with our decision concerning alliance -with Sol's family."</p> - -<p>Guy considered. "Soon?"</p> - -<p>"It will be some time."</p> - -<p>Again that unwillingness to discuss the future. Guy thought it over and -decided that this was something beyond him. He, too, let the matter -drop for the present and took a new subject.</p> - -<p>"Charalas, this sun of yours. It is not a true sun."</p> - -<p>"No," laughed Charalas. "It is not."</p> - -<p>"Nor is it anything like a true sun. Matter is stable stuff only -under certain limits. If that size were truly solar matter, it would -necessarily be so dense that space would be warped in around it so -tight that nothing could emerge—radiation, I mean. To the observer, it -would not exist. That is axiomatic. If a bit of solar matter of that -size were isolated, it would merely expand and cool in a matter of -hours—if it were solar-core matter it would probably be curtains for -anything that tried to live in the neighborhood. Matter of that size is -stable only at reasonable temperatures. I don't know the limits, but -I'd guess that three or four thousand degrees kelvin would be tops. Oh, -I forgot the opposite end; the very high temperature white dwarf might -be that size—but it would warp space as I said before and thus do no -good. Therefore a true sun of that size and mass is impossible.</p> - -<p>"Another thing, Charalas. We are close to Sol. A light-week or -less. That would have been seen ... should have been seen by our -observatories. Why haven't they seen it?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Our shield," explained Charalas, "explains both. You see, Guy, in -order that a planet may wander space, some means of solar effect must -be maintained. As you say, nothing practical can be found in nature. -Our planet drive is poorly controlled. We can not maneuver Ertene -as you would a spaceship. It requires great power to even shift the -course of Ertene by so much as a few degrees. We've taken luck as a -course through the galaxy and have visited only those stars that have -lain along our course. Trying to swing anything of solar mass would be -impossible. Ertene would merely leave the sun; the sun would not answer -Ertene's gravitational pull.</p> - -<p>"But this is trivial. Obviously we have no real sun. But we needed -one." Charalas smiled shyly. "At this point I must sound braggart," he -said, "but it was an ancestor of mine—Timalas—who brought Ertene her -sun."</p> - -<p>"Great sounding guy," commented the Terran.</p> - -<p>"He was. Ertene left the parent sun with only the light-shield. The -light-shield, Guy, is a screen of energy that permits radiation to pass -inwardly but not outwardly. Thus we collect the radiation of all the -stars and lose but a minute quantity of the input from losses. That -kept Ertene warm during those first years of our wandering.</p> - -<p>"It also presented Ertene with a serious problem. The entire sky was -faintly luminous. It was neither night nor day at any place on Ertene, -but a half-light all the time. Disconcerting and entirely alien to the -human animal. Evolutionary strains might have appeared to accept this -strange condition, but Timalas decided that Intis, the lesser moon, -would serve as a sun. He converted the screen slightly, distorting -it so that the focal point for incoming radiation was at Intis. The -lesser moon became incandescent, eventually, and serves as Ertene's -sun. It is synthetic. The other radiations that prove useful to growing -things and to man but which are not visible are emitted right from -the inner surface of the light-shield itself. Intis serves as the -source of light and most of the heat. It is a natural effect, giving -us beautiful sunrises and peaceful sunsets. The radiation that causes -growth and healthful effects is ever-present, because of the screen. -Some heat, too, for that is included in the beneficial radiation. But -the visible spectrum is directed at Intis along with a great quantity -of the heat rays. Intis is small, Guy, and it is also beneficial that -the re-radiation from Intis that misses Ertene and falls on the screen -is converted also. Much of Ertene's power is derived from the screen -itself—a back-energy collected from the screen generator."</p> - -<p>"So the effective sun is the result of an energy shield? And this same -shield prevents any radiation from leaving this region. I can see why -we haven't seen Ertene. You can't see something that doesn't radiate. -But what about occultation?"</p> - -<p>"Quite possible. But the size of the screen is such that it is of -stellar size as seen from stellar distances. It is but a true point in -space." Charalas smiled. "I was about to say a point-source of light -similar to a star but the shield is a point-source of no-light, really. -Occultation is possible but the probabilities are remote, plus the -probability of a repeat, so that the observer would consider the brief -occultation of the star anything but an accident to his photographic -plate."</p> - -<p>"Don't get you on that."</p> - -<p>"It's easy, Guy. Take a star-photograph and lay a thin line across it -and see how many stars are really covered by this line—which is of -the thickness of the stars themselves. Too few for a non-suspecting -observer to tie together into a theory. No, we are safe from detection."</p> - -<p>"Detection?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Call it that. Suppose we were to pass through a malignant -culture. We did, three generations ago and it was only our shield that -saved us from being absorbed into that system. We would have been -slaves to that civilization."</p> - -<p>"I see."</p> - -<p>"Do you?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly," said Guy. "You intend to have me present the Solar -Government to your leaders. Upon my tale will rest your decision. You -will decide whether to join us—or to pass undetected."</p> - -<p>"I believe you understand," said Charalas. "So study well and be -prepared to draw the most discerning comparisons, for the Council will -ask the most delicate questions and you should be able to discuss any -phase of Ertene's social system and the corresponding Terran system."</p> - -<p>Mentally, Guy bade good-by to Sol. He applied himself to his Ertinian -lessons because he felt that if Sol were lost to him—as it might -be—he could at least enter the Ertinian life as an Ertinian.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard, the Terran, became steeped in Ertinian lore. He went at -it with the same intensity that he went at anything else, and possibly -driven with the heart-chilling thought that he might not be able to -convince Ertene that Sol had a place for her. He saw that possibility, -and prayed against it, yet he realized that Ertene was a planet of her -own mind and that they might decide against alliance. It was a selling -job he had to do.</p> - -<p>And if not—</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard would have to remain on Ertene. Therefore in either case -it would serve him best to become as Ertinian as possible. He did not -believe that they would exile him—that would be dangerous. Nor did he -believe that death would accompany his failure to convince Ertene of -their place around Sol. The obvious course in case of failure would -be to permit him the freedom of the planet; to become in effect, an -Ertinian.</p> - -<p>He'd be under watch, of course. Escape would prove dangerous for their -integrity. Imprisonment was not impossible, but he hoped that his -failure to convince would not be so sorry as to have them suspect him.</p> - -<p>Of course, an opportunity to escape would be taken, unless he gave his -word of honor. Yet, he had sworn the oath of an officer in Terra's -space fleet, and that oath compelled him to serve Terra in spite of -danger, death, or dishonor to self. He must not give his parole—</p> - -<p>Guy fought himself over that problem for days and days. It led him in -circular thinking, the outlet to which would be evident only when he -found out the Ertinian reaction. Too much depended on that trend; there -were too many <i>if's</i> standing between him and any plan for the future.</p> - -<p>He forgot his mental whirl in study. He investigated Ertinian science -and tucked a number of items away in his memory. He visited the -observatory and after a number of visits he plotted Ertene in the -celestial sphere within a few hundred thousand miles. That, too, he -filed away in his memory along with the course of the wanderer.</p> - -<p>He learned that his place of convalescence was no hospital, but -Thomakein's estate. It staggered him. Thomakein was—must be—a -veritable dynamo of energetic mentality to have the variety of -interests as reflected in the trappings about the estate. The huge -library, the observatory, the laboratories. How many of the things he -saw and studied were Thomakein's personal property he would never know; -though he did know that some of them came from museums and institutes -across the planet.</p> - -<p>He wondered about Thomakein. He had never seen his saviour since his -mind had come back. He recalled vague things, but nothing cogent. He -asked Charalas about Thomakein.</p> - -<p>"Thomakein's main problem is Sol," explained Charalas. "A problem which -you have made easy for him. However, he is on the derelict, studying -the findings there. A warship is a most interesting museum of the -present, you know. Often things of less than perfect operation are -there; things that will eventually become perfected and established -into private use. It is almost a museum of the future. Thomakein will -learn much there and he has been commissioned to remain on the derelict -until he has catalogued every item on it."</p> - -<p>"Lone life, isn't it?" asked Guy.</p> - -<p>"He has friends. Last I heard from him, he had sealed the usable -portion of the derelict against the void, and was turning the course -to bring it toward Ertene. Eventually the wreck will circle Ertene. -Perhaps we may attempt to land it here."</p> - -<p>"It'll be a nice museum piece," said Guy, "but it will not endear you -to those of Mars."</p> - -<p>"I know. Of course if we accept Sol's offer, we will destroy it -completely."</p> - -<p>"Keep it," said Guy, shrugging his shoulders. "Ertene will find little -in common with Mars. It will be Terra and Ertene; together we will form -the nucleus of Solar power."</p> - -<p>"So?"</p> - -<p>"Naturally. Ertene and Terra are the most alike, even to the flora and -fauna."</p> - -<p>"I see."</p> - -<p>Charalas let the matter drop as he did before. Guy tried to open the -line of thought again, but met with no success. It was not a matter of -indifference to Guy's arguments, but more a complete disinclination -to make any sort of statement prior to the decision of the Council of -Ertene. Realizing that this decision was one of the single-try variety, -Guy studied hard during the next few days. There would be no appeal -even though he tried to get another hearing during the rest of his life.</p> - -<p>He wondered how soon it would be.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Charalas landed on Thomakein's estate in a small flier and asked Guy if -he would like to see the famous Hall of History. They flew a quarter -of the way around the planet, and during the trip, Charalas pointed -out scenes of interest. It was enlightening to Guy, who hadn't seen -anything beyond a few miles of Thomakein's estate. There were farms -laid out on the production-line scale while the cities and towns that -housed the farmers were sprawling, rustic villages of simple beauty. -The larger cities had evolved from the square-block and rubber-stamp -home kind to specialized aggregations in which the central, business -sections were close-knit while the residences were widespread and well -apart, giving each family adequate breathing room.</p> - -<p>"The railroad," smiled Charalas, "is still with us. It will never -leave, because shipments of heavy machinery of low necessity can be -transported cheaper that way. Like the barges that ply the rivers with -coal, ore, and grain, they are powered with adaptations of the space -drive, but they are none the less barges or trains."</p> - -<p>"They've found that, too," laughed Guy. "There is little economic value -in trying to ship a million tons of coal by flier."</p> - -<p>"Normally, you should say. The slowest conveyor system is rapid if the -conveyor is always filled and the material is not perishable. Coal and -ore have been here for eons. Therefore it is no hardship to wait for -six weeks while a given ton of ore gets across the continent, provided -that the user can remove a ton of ore from the conveying system -simultaneously with the placement of another ton that will not get -there for six weeks."</p> - -<p>"Sounds correct, though I've never thought of it in that manner," said -Guy thoughtfully. "But that must be why it is done. We hull ore across -space untended, and in pre-calculated orbits, picking it up at Terra -from Pluto, for instance. The driverless and crewless hull is packed -with ore, towed into space by a space tug and set into its orbit, the -tug then returning to the shipping area to await the next hull. The -hull may take a couple of years to get to Terra, but when it does, it -begins to emit a finder-signal and Terran space tugs pick the hull -up and lower it to Terra. The hulls are returned with unperishable -supplies to the Plutonian miners."</p> - -<p>"We hadn't the necessity of applying that thought to space shipping," -answered Charalas. "Tonis, the larger moon, is so close that special -shipping methods are not needed. We have but a few colonists there, -most of which are members of the laboratory staff."</p> - -<p>"You've found moon laboratories essential in space work, too?" asked -Guy.</p> - -<p>"Naturally. Tonis is airless and upon it is the Ertinian astronomical -laboratory."</p> - -<p>"Moons—even sterile moons—are good for that," said Guy. "They—Say, -Charalas, what is that collection of buildings below here? They look -like something extra-special."</p> - -<p>"They are. That is the place we're going to see."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Charalas put the flier into a steep dive and landed in the open space -between the buildings. They entered the long, low building at the end -opposite the most ornate building of the seven that surrounded the -landing area and Charalas told the receptionist that they were expected.</p> - -<p>The long hall was excellently illuminated, and on either side of the -corridor were murals; great twelve-foot panels of rare color and of -photographic detail. Upon close examination they proved to be paintings.</p> - -<p>The first panel showed an impression of the formation of Ertene, along -with the other eleven planets of Ertene's parent sun. It was colorful, -and impressionistic in character rather than an attempt to portray -the actual cataclysm that formed the planets. The next few panels -were of geologic interest, giving the impressions of Ertene through -the long, geologic periods. There were dinosaur-picturizations next, -and the panels brought them forward in irregular steps through the -carboniferous; through the glacial ages; through the dawn ages; and -finally into the coming of man to power.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus5.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The next fourteen panels were used in the rise of man on Ertene from -the early ages to full, efficient civilization. They were similar to a -possible attempt to portray a similar period on Terra, showing wars, -life in the cities of power during the community-power ages, and the -fall of several powerful cities.</p> - -<p>Then the rise of widespread government came with its more closely-knit -society made possible by better means of communication and -transportation. This went on and on until the facility of the combining -factors made separate governments on Ertene untenable, and there were -seven great, fiery panels of mighty, widespread wars.</p> - -<p>"Up to here, it is similar to ours," commented Guy.</p> - -<p>"And here it changes," said Charalas. "For the next panels show the -impending doom of Ertene's parent sun. The problem of space had been -conquered but the other planets were of little interest to Ertene. We -fought about four interplanetary wars as you see here, all against -alien races. Then came trouble. The odd chance of a run-away star -coming near Ertene did happen, and we faced the decision of living near -an unstable sun for centuries, for our astronomers calculated that the -two stars would pass close enough to cause upheavals in the suns that -would result in instability for thousands, perhaps millions of years."</p> - -<p>"Instability might not have been so bad," said Guy thoughtfully, "if -it could be predicted. No, I'm not speaking in riddles," he laughed. -"I may sound peculiar, saying that it would be possible to predict -instability. But a regular variable of the cepheid type is predictable -instability."</p> - -<p>"True. But we had no basis for prediction. After all, it would have -been taking a chance. Suppose that the instability had caused a nova? -Epitaphs are nice but none the less final. We left hundreds of years -before the solar proximity. Now we know that we might have survived, -but as you know, we can not swerve Ertene's course readily and though -we are slowly turning, the race may have died out and gone for a -galactic eon before we could return. Once the race dies out—or the -interest in returning to a certain sun back there in the depths of the -galaxy dies—we will cease to turn. We may find a haven somewhere, -before then."</p> - -<p>"You were speaking of years," said Guy. "Was that a loose reference or -were you approximating my conception of a year?"</p> - -<p>"A <i>year</i> is a loose term indeed, no matter by whom it is used," said -Charalas. "To you, it is three hundred and sixty-five, and about a -quarter, days. A day is one revolution of Terra. From Mars, say, a -Terran year is something else entirely. Mars, of course, is not too -good an example for its sidereal day is very close to Terra's. But -your Venus, with its eighteen hour day—eighteen Terran hours—sees -Terra's year as four hundred eighty-six, plus, days. On Ertene, we -have no year. We had one, once. It was composed of four hundred twelve -point seven zero four two two nine three one days, sidereal. Now, our -day is different, since the length of the solar day depends upon the -progression of the planet about its luminary. Our luminary behaves -as a moon with a high ecliptic-angle as I have explained. No, Guy, -I have been mentally converting my <i>year</i> to your year, by crude -approximation."</p> - -<p>The next panel was an ornate painting of the Ertinian system, -showing—out of scale for artistic purpose—the planets and sun, with -Ertene drawing away in a long spiral.</p> - -<p>"For many years we pursued that spiral, withdrawing from the sun by -slow degrees. Then we broke free." Charalas indicated the panel which -showed Ertene in the foreground while the clustered system was far -behind.</p> - -<p>They passed from panel to panel, all of which were interesting to Guy -Maynard. There was a series of the first star contacted by Ertene. It -was a small system, cold and forbidding, or hot and equally forbidding. -The outer planets were in the grip of frozen air, and the inner planets -bubbled in moltenness "This system was too far out of line to turn. It -was our first star, and we might have stayed in youthfulness. Now, we -know better."</p> - -<p>The next panel showed a dimly-lighted landscape; a portrayal of -Ertene without its synthetic sun. The luminous sky was beautiful in -a nocturnal sort of way; to Guy it was slightly nostalgic for some -unknown reason, at any rate it was the soul of sadness, that landscape.</p> - -<p>Charalas shook his head and then smiled. He led Guy to the next panel, -and there was a portrait of an elderly man, quite a bit older than -Charalas though the neuro-surgeon was no young man. "Timalas," said -Charalas proudly. "He gave us the next panel."</p> - -<p>The following panel was a similar scene to the dismal one, but now -the same trees and buildings and hills and sky were illuminated by a -sun. It was a cheerful, uplifting scene compared to the soul-clouding -darkness.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ertene was a small sphere encircled by a band of peaceful black in -a raving sky of fire and flame. Three planets fought in the death -throes, using every conceivable weapon. Space was riven with blasting -beams of energy and segregated into square areas by far-flung cutting -planes. Raging energy consumed spots on each of the planets and the -corners of the panel were tangled masses of broken machinery and -burning wreckage, and the hapless images of trapped men. But Ertene -passed through this holocaust unseen because of Timalas' light-shield.</p> - -<p>"He saved us that, too," said Charalas reverently. "We could not have -hoped to survive in this. Our science was not up to theirs, though the -aid of a derelict or two gave us most of their science of war. I doubt -that Terra herself could have survived. We passed unseen, though we -worried for a hundred years lest they find us."</p> - -<p>A race of spiders overran four of the planets of the next panel. They -were unintelligent, there was a questioning air to the panel, as though -posing the query as to how this race of spiders had crossed the void. -And the picture of an Ertinian dying because contact with one of the -spiders indicated their reason for not remaining.</p> - -<p>The next panel showed a whole system with ammoniated atmosphere. "It -was before the last panel," said Charalas, "that Ertene became of age -as far as the wanderlust went. We knew that we could survive. We wanted -no system wherein Ertene would be alone. Of what use to civilization -would a culture be if its people could never leave the home planet?"</p> - -<p>"No," agreed Guy. "Once a race has conquered space, they must use it. -It would restrict the knowledge of a race not to use space."</p> - -<p>"So we decided never to accept a system wherein we could not travel -freely to other planets. Who knows, but the pathway to the planets may -be but the first, faltering step to the stars?"</p> - -<p>"We'd never have reached the planets if we'd never flown on the air," -agreed Guy.</p> - -<p>"We prefer company, too," smiled Charalas, pointing out the next -panels. One was of a normal system but in which the life was not -quite ready for the fundamentals of science and therefore likely to -become slave-subject to the Ertinian mastery. The next was a system -in which the intelligent life had overrun the system and had evolved -to a high degree—and Ertene might have been subject to them if they -had remained. "Unfortunately we could learn nothing from them," said -the Ertinian. "It was similar to an ignorant savage trying to learn -something from us."</p> - -<p>Then they came to a panel in which there were ten planets. It was a -strange collection of opposites all side by side. There were several -races, some fighting others, some friendly with others. Plenty and -poverty sat hand in hand, and in one place a minority controlled the -lives of the majority while professing to be ruled by majority-rule. -Men strived to perfect medicine and increase life-expectancy and -other men fought and killed by the hundreds of thousands. A cold -and forbidding planet was rich in essential ore, and populated by a -semi-intelligent race of cold-blooded creatures. The protectors of -these poor creatures were the denizens of a high civilization, who -used them to fight their petty fights for them, under the name of -unity. For their trouble, they took the essential ores to their home -planet and exchanged items of dubious worth. The trespass of a human -by the natives of a slightly populated moon caused the decimation of -the natives, while the humans used them by the hundreds in vivisection -since their anatomy was quite similar to the human's.</p> - -<p>"Where is Ertene?" asked Guy.</p> - -<p>"Ertene is not yet placed," said Charalas.</p> - -<p>"No?" asked Guy in wonder.</p> - -<p>"No," said Charalas with a queer smile. "Ertene is still not sure of -her position. You see, Guy, that system is Sol."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy Maynard stood silent, thinking. It was a blow to him, this -picturization of the worlds of Sol as seen through the eyes of a -totally alien race. His own feelings he analyzed briefly, and he -knew that in his own heart, he was willing to shade any decisions -concerning the civilization of Ertene in the Ertinian favor; had any -dispute between Ertene and a mythical dissenter, Guy would have had his -decision weighted in favor of the wanderer for one reason alone.</p> - -<p>Ertinians were human to the last classification!</p> - -<p>Guy smiled inwardly. "Blood is thicker than water," he thought to -himself, and he knew that while the old platitude was meant to cover -blood-relations who clung together in spite of close bonds with friends -not of blood relationship, it could very well be expanded to cover this -situation. Obviously he as a Terran would tend to support a <i>human</i> -race against a merely <i>humanoid</i> race. He would fight the Martians for -Ertene just as he would fight them for Terra.</p> - -<p>Fighting Ertene itself was unthinkable. They were too human; Ertene -was too Terran to think of strife between the two worlds. Being of -like anatomy, they would and should cling together against the whole -universe of alien bodies.</p> - -<p>But—</p> - -<p>He had spoken to Charalas, to the nurses, to the groundkeepers, and to -the scientists who came to learn of him and from him. He had told them -of Terra and of the Solar System. He had explained the other worlds in -detail and his own interpretation of those other cultures.</p> - -<p>And still they depicted Terra in no central light. Terra did not -dominate the panel. It vied with the other nine planets and their -satellites for the prominence it should have held.</p> - -<p>What was wrong?</p> - -<p>Knowing that he would have favored Ertene for the anatomical reasons -alone, Guy worried. Had his word-picture been so poor that Ertene gave -the other planets their place in the panel in spite of the natural -longing to place their own kind above the rest?</p> - -<p>"I should think—" he started haltingly, but Charalas stopped him.</p> - -<p>"Guy Maynard, you must understand that Ertene is neutral. Perhaps the -first neutral you've ever seen. Believe that, Guy, and be warned that -Ertene is capable of making her own, very discerning decision."</p> - -<p>Guy did not answer. He knew something else, now. Ertene was not going -to be easily convinced that Sol was the place for them. She was -neutral, yes, but there was something else.</p> - -<p>Ertene had the wanderlust!</p> - -<p>For eons, Ertene had passed in her unseen way through the galaxy. She -had seen system after system, and the lust for travel was upon her. -Travel was her life, and had been for hundreds of generations.</p> - -<p>Her children had been born and bred in a closed system, free from -stellar bonds. Their history was a vast storehouse of experience such -as no other planet had ever had. Every generation brought them to -another star and each succeeding generation added to the wisdom of -Ertene as it extracted or tried to extract some bit of knowledge from -each system through which Ertene passed.</p> - -<p>With travel her natural life, the wandering planet would be loath to -cease her transient existence.</p> - -<p>Like a man who has spent too many years in bachelorhood, flitting like -a butterfly from lip to lip, Ertene had become inured to a single -life. It would take a definite attraction to swerve her from her -self-sufficiency.</p> - -<p>These things came to Maynard as he stood in thought. He knew then that -his was no easy job. Not the simple proposition of asking Ertene to -join her own kind in an orbit about Sol. Not the mere signing of a pact -would serve. Not the Terran-shaded history of the worlds of Sol with -the Terran egotism that did not admit that Terra could possibly be -wrong.</p> - -<p>Ertene must be made to see the attractiveness of living in Maynard's -little universe. It must be made more attractive than the interesting -possibilities offered by the unknown worlds that lie ahead on her -course through the galaxy.</p> - -<p>All this plus the natural reticence of Ertene to become involved in a -system that ran rife with war. The attractiveness of Sol must be so -great that Ertene would remain in spite of war and alien hatred.</p> - -<p>And Maynard knew in his heart that he was not the one to sway them -easily. Part of his mind felt akin to their desire to roam. Even -knowing that he would not live on Ertene to see the next star he wanted -to go with them in order that his children might see it.</p> - -<p>And yet his honor was directed at the service of Terra. His sacred oath -had been given to support and strive to the best interest of Terra and -Sol.</p> - -<p>He put away the desire to roam with Ertene and thought once more of -the studying he must do to convince Ertene of the absolute foolishness -of continuing in their search for a more suitable star than Sol about -which to establish a residence.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Maynard turned to Charalas and saw that the elderly doctor had been -watching him intently. Before he could speak, the Ertinian said: "It is -a hard nut to crack, lad. Many have tried but none have succeeded. Like -most things that are best for people, they are the least exciting and -the most formal, and people do not react cheerfully to a formal diet."</p> - -<p>Maynard shook his head. "But unlike a man with ulcers, I cannot -prescribe a diet of milk lest he die. Ertene will go on living no -matter whether I speak and sway them or whether I never say another -word. I am asked to convince an entire world against their will. I can -not tell them that it is the slightest bit dangerous to go on as they -have. In fact, it may be dangerous for them to remain. In all honesty, -I must admit that Terra is not without her battle scars."</p> - -<p>Charalas said, thoughtfully: "Who knows what is best for civilization? -We do not, for we <i>are</i> civilization. We do as we think best, and if it -is not best, we die and another civilization replaces us in Nature's -long-time program to find the real survivor."</p> - -<p>He faced the panel and said, partly to himself and partly to Guy:</p> - -<p>"Is it best for Ertene to go on through time experimenting? Gathering -the fruits of a million civilizations bound forever to their stellar -homes because of the awful abyss between the stars? For the planets -all to become wanderers would be chaos.</p> - -<p>"Therefore is it Nature's plan that Ertene be the one planet to gather -unto herself the fruit of all knowledge and ultimately lie barren -because of the sterility of her culture? Are we to be the sponge for -all thought? If so, where must it end? What good is it? Is this some -great master plan? Will we, after a million galactic years, reach a -state where we may disseminate the knowledge we have gained, or are we -merely greedy, taking all and giving nothing?</p> - -<p>"What are we learning? And, above all, are we certain that Ertene's -culture is best for civilization? How may we tell? The strong and best -adapted survive, and since we are no longer striving against the lesser -forces of Nature on our planet, and indeed, are no longer striving -against those of antisocial thought among our own people—against whom -or what do we fight?</p> - -<p>"Guy Maynard, you are young and intelligent. Perhaps by some whimsy -of fate you may be the deciding factor in Ertene's aimlessness. We -are here, Guy. We are at the gates to the future. My real reason for -bringing you to the Center of Ertene is to have you present your case -to the Council."</p> - -<p>He took Guy's arm and led him through the door at the end of the -corridor. They went into the gilt-and-ivory room with the vast -hemispherical dome and as the door slowly closed behind them, Guy -Maynard, Terran, and Charalas, Ertinian, stood facing a quarter-circle -of ornate desks behind which sat the Council.</p> - -<p>Obviously, they had been waiting.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard looked reproachfully at Charalas. He felt that he had been -tricked, that Charalas had kicked the bottom out of his argument and -then had forced him into the debate with but an impromptu defense. He -wondered how this discussion was to be conducted, and while he was -striving to collect a lucid story, part of his mind heard Charalas -going through the usual procedure for recording purposes.</p> - -<p>"Who is this man?"</p> - -<p>"He is Junior Executive Guy Maynard of the Terran Space Patrol."</p> - -<p>"Explain his title."</p> - -<p>"It is a rank of official service. It denotes certain abilities and -responsibilities."</p> - -<p>"Can you explain the position of his rank with respect to other ratings -of more or less responsibility?"</p> - -<p>Charalas counted off on his fingers. "From the lowest rank upward, the -following titles are used: Junior Aide, Senior Aide, Junior Executive, -Senior Executive, Sector Commander, Patrol Marshal, Sector Marshal, and -Space Marshal."</p> - -<p>"These are the commissioned officers? Are there other ratings?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, shall I name them?"</p> - -<p>"Prepare them for the record. There is no need of recounting the -noncommissioned officials."</p> - -<p>"I understand."</p> - -<p>"How did Guy Maynard come to Ertene?"</p> - -<p>"Maynard was rescued from a derelict spaceship."</p> - -<p>"By whom?"</p> - -<p>"Thomakein."</p> - -<p>"Am I to assume that Thomakein brought him to Ertene for study?"</p> - -<p>"That assumption is correct."</p> - -<p>"The knowledge of the system of Sol is complete?"</p> - -<p>"Between the information furnished by Guy Maynard and the observations -made by Thomakein, the knowledge of Sol's planets is sufficient. More -may be learned before Ertene loses contact, but for the time, it is -adequate."</p> - -<p>"And Guy Maynard is present for the purpose of explaining the Terran -wishes in the question of whether Ertene is to remain here?"</p> - -<p>"Correct."</p> - -<p>The councilor who sat in the center of the group smiled at Guy and -said: "Guy Maynard, this is an informal meeting. You are to rest -assured we will not attempt to goad you into saying something you do -not mean. If you are unprepared to answer a given question, ask for -time to think. We will understand. However, we ask that you do not try -to shade your answers in such a manner as to convey erring impressions. -This is not a court of law; procedure is not important. Speak when and -as you desire and understand that you will not be called to account for -slight breaches of etiquette, since we all know that formality is a -deterrent to the real point in argument."</p> - -<p>Charalas added: "Absolute formality in argument usually ends in the -decision going to the best orator. This is not desirable, since some of -the more learned men are poor orators, while some of the best orators -must rely upon the information furnished them by the learned."</p> - -<p>The center councilor arose and called the other six councilors by name -in introduction. This was slightly redundant since their names were all -present in little bronze signs on the desks. It was a pleasantry aimed -at putting the Terran at ease and offering him the right to call them -by name.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Now," said Terokar, the center one, "we shall begin. Everything we -have said has been recorded for the records. But, Guy, we will remove -anything from the record that would be detrimental to the integrity of -any of us. We will play it back before you leave and you may censor it."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said Guy. "Knowing that records are to be kept as spoken -will often deter honest expression."</p> - -<p>"Quite true. That is why we permit censoring. Now, Guy, your wishes -concerning Ertene's alliance with Sol."</p> - -<p>"I invite Ertene to join the Solar System."</p> - -<p>"Your invitation is appreciated. Please understand that the acceptance -of such an invitation will change Ertene's social structure forever, -and that it is not to be taken lightly."</p> - -<p>"I realize that the invitation is not one to accept lightly. It is a -large decision."</p> - -<p>"Then what has Sol to offer?"</p> - -<p>"A stable existence. The commerce of an entire system and the -friendship of another world of similar type in almost every respect. -The opportunity to partake in a veritable twinship between Ertene and -Sol, with all the ramifications that such a brotherhood would offer."</p> - -<p>"Ertene's existence is stable, Guy. Let us consider that point first."</p> - -<p>"How can any wandering program be considered stable?"</p> - -<p>"We are born, we live, and we die. Whether we are fated to spend our -lives on a nomad planet or ultimately become the very center of the -universe about which everything revolves, making Ertene the most stable -planet of them all, Ertinians will continue living. When nomadism -includes the entire resources of a planet, it can not be instable."</p> - -<p>"Granted. But do you hope to go on forever?"</p> - -<p>"How old is your history, Guy?"</p> - -<p>"From the earliest of established dates, taken from the stones of -Assyria and the artifacts of Maya, some seven thousand years."</p> - -<p>Charalas added a lengthy discussion setting the length of a Terran year.</p> - -<p>"Ertinian history is perhaps a bit longer," said Terokar. "And so who -can say 'forever'?"</p> - -<p>"No comment," said Guy with a slight laugh. "But my statements -concerning stability are not to be construed as the same type of -instability suffered by an itinerant human. He has no roots, and few -friends, and he gains nothing nor does he offer anything to society. -No, I am wrong. It <i>is</i> the same thing. Ertene goes on through the eons -of wandering. She has no friends and no roots and while she may gain -experience and knowledge of the universe just as the tramp will, her -ultimate gain is poor and her offering to civilization is zero."</p> - -<p>"I dispute that. Ertene's life has become better for the experience she -has gained and the knowledge, too."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps. But her offering to civilization?"</p> - -<p>"We are not a dead world. Perhaps some day we may be able to offer -the storehouses of our knowledge to some system that will need it. -Perhaps we are destined to become the nucleus of a great, galactic -civilization."</p> - -<p>"Such a civilization will never work as long as men are restrained as -to speed of transportation. Could any pact be sustained between planets -a hundred light-years apart? Indeed, could any pact be agreed upon?"</p> - -<p>"I cannot answer that save to agree. However, somewhere there may be -some means of faster-than-light travel and communication. If this is -found, galactic-wide civilization will not only be possible but a -definite expectation."</p> - -<p>"You realize that you are asking for Ertene a destiny that sounds -definitely egotistic?"</p> - -<p>"And why not? Are you not sold on the fact that Terra is the best -planet in the Solar System?"</p> - -<p>"Naturally."</p> - -<p>"Also," smiled Charalas, "the Martians admit that Mars is the best -planet."</p> - -<p>"Granted then that Ertene is stable. Even granting for the moment -that Ertene is someday to become the nucleus of the galaxy. I still -claim that Ertene is missing one item." Guy waited for a moment and -then added: "Ertene is missing the contact and commerce with other -races. Ertene is self-sufficient and as such is stagnant as far as -new life goes. Life on Ertene has reached the ultimate—for Ertene. -Similarly, life on Terra had reached that point prior to the opening -of space. Life must struggle against <i>something</i>, and when the -struggle is no longer possible—when all possible obstruction has been -circumvented—then life decays."</p> - -<p>"You see us as decadent?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet. The visiting of system after system has kept you from total -decadence. It is but a stasis, however. Unless one has the samples of -right and wrong from which to choose, how may he know his own course?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Of what difference is it?" asked the councilor named Baranon. "If -there is no dissenting voice, if life thrives, if knowledge and science -advance, what difference does it make whether we live under one social -order or any other? If thievery and wrongdoing, for instance, could -support a system of social importance, and the entire population lives -under that code and thrives, of what necessity is it to change?"</p> - -<p>"Any social order will pyramid," said Guy. "Either up or down."</p> - -<p>"Granted. But if all are prepared to withstand the ravages of their -neighbors, and are eternally prepared to live under constant strife, no -man will have his rights trod upon."</p> - -<p>"But what good is this eternal wandering? This everlasting eye upon the -constantly receding horizon? This never ending search for the proper -place to stop in order that this theoretical galactic civilization may -start? At Ertene's state of progress, one place will be as good as any -other," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"Precisely, except that some places are definitely less desirable. -Recall, Guy, that Ertene needs nothing."</p> - -<p>"I dispute that. Ertene needs the contact with the outside worlds."</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"You are in the position of a recluse who loves his seclusion."</p> - -<p>"Certainly."</p> - -<p>"Then you are in no position to appreciate any other form of social -order."</p> - -<p>"We care for no other social order."</p> - -<p>"I mentioned to Charalas that in my eyes, you are wrong. That I am -being asked to prescribe for a patient who will not die for lack of -my prescription. I can not even say that the patient will benefit -directly. My belief is as good as yours. I believe that Ertene is -suffering because of her seclusion and that her peoples will advance -more swiftly with commerce between the planets—and once again in -interstellar space, Ertene will have no planets with which to conduct -trade."</p> - -<p>"And Sol, like complex society, will never miss the recluse. Let -the hermit live in his cave, he is neither hindering nor helping -civilization."</p> - -<p>"Indirectly, the hermit hinders. He excites curiosity and the wonder -if a hermit's existence might not be desirable and thus diverts other -thinkers to seclusion."</p> - -<p>"But if the hermit withdraws alone and unnoticed, no one will know of -the hermitage, and then no one will wonder."</p> - -<p>"But <i>I</i> know, and though no one else in the Solar System knows, I am -trying to bring you into our society. I have the desire of brotherhood, -the gregarious instinct that wants to be friend with all men. It annoys -me—as it annoys all men—to see one of us alone and unloved by his -fellows. I have a burning desire to have Ertene as a twin world with -Terra."</p> - -<p>"But Ertene likes her itinerant existence. The fires that burn beyond -the horizon are interesting. Also," smiled Terokar, "the grass is -greener over there."</p> - -<p>"One day you will come to the end of the block," said Guy, "and find -that the grass is no greener anywhere, with the exception that you now -have no more grass to look at, plus the sorry fact that you cannot -return. A million galactic years from now, Ertene will have passed -through the galaxy and will find herself looking at intergalactic -space. Then what?"</p> - -<p>"Then our children will learn to live in a starless sky for <i>a</i> hundred -thousand generations. Solarians live in a sky of constant placement; -Ertene's sky is ever changing and all sky maps are obsolete in thirty -or forty years. You must remember that to us, wandering is the normal -way of life. Some of us believe that we may eventually return to our -parent sun. We may. But all of us believe that we would find our parent -sun no more interesting than others. No Guy, I doubt that we will stop -there either."</p> - -<p>"You are assuming that you will not remain at Sol?"</p> - -<p>"We are a shy planet. We do not like to change our way of life. You are -asking us to give up our life and to accept yours. It is similar to a -man asking a woman to marry. But a woman is not completely reversed in -her life when she marries. Here you are asking us to cleave unto you -forever—and there is no bond of love to soften the hard spots."</p> - -<p>"I did mention the bond of brotherhood," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"Brotherhood with what?" asked Terokar. "You ask us to enter a bond -of twinship with a planet that is the center of strife. You ask us in -the name of similarity to join you—and help you gain mastery over the -Solar System."</p> - -<p>"And why not?"</p> - -<p>"Which of you is right? Is the Terran combine more righteous than the -Martian alliance?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>Guy asked for a moment to think. The room was silent for a moment and -then he said, slowly and painfully: "I can think of no other reason -than the trite and no-answer reason: 'We're right because we're right!' -The Martian combine fights us to gain the land and the commerce that we -have taken because of superiority in space."</p> - -<p>"A superiority given merely because of sheer size," said Baranon. "The -Martians, raised under a gravity of less than one third of Terra's find -it difficult to keep pace with the Terrans, who can live under three -times as much acceleration. Battle under such conditions is unfair, and -the fact that the Martians have been able to survive indicates that -their code is not entirely wrong."</p> - -<p>Charalas nodded. "Any code that is entirely in error will not be able -to survive."</p> - -<p>"So," said Terokar, "you ask us to join your belligerent system. You -ask us to emerge from our pleasure and join you in a struggle for -existence. You ask that we give up the peace that has survived for a -thousand years, and in doing so you ask that we come willingly and -permit our cities to be war-scarred and our men killed. You ask that we -join in battle against a smaller, less adapted race that still is able -to survive in spite of its ill-adaption to the rigors of space."</p> - -<p>Guy was silent.</p> - -<p>"Is that the way of life? Must we fight for our life? Strife is -deplorable, Guy Maynard, and I am saying that to you, who come of a -planet steeped in strife. You wear a uniform—or did—that is dedicated -to the job of doing a better job of fighting than the enemy. Continual -warlike activity has no place on Ertene.</p> - -<p>"Plus one other thing, Guy Maynard. You are honorable and your intent -is clear. But your fellows are none too like you. Ertene would become -the playground of the Solar System. There would be continual battles -over Ertene, and Ertene with her inexperience in warfare would be -forced to accept the protection of Terra. That protection would break -down into the same sort of protection that is offered the Plutonians by -a handful of Terrans. In exchange for 'protection' against enemies that -would possibly be no better or worse, the Plutonians are stripped of -their metal. They are not accorded the privilege of schooling because -they are too ignorant to enter even the most elementary of schools. -Besides, schooling would make them aware of their position and they -might rebel against the system that robs them of their substance under -the name of 'protection.' Protection? May the Highest Law protect me -from my protectors!" Terokar's lips curled slightly. "Am I not correct? -Have not the Plutonians the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of -happiness? It would be a heavy blow to Terra if the third planet were -forced to pay value for the substance that comes from Pluto."</p> - -<p>"After all," said Guy, "if Terra hadn't got there first, Mars would be -doing the same thing."</p> - -<p>"Granted," said Baranon. "Absolutely correct. But two wrongs do not -make a right. Terra is no worse than Mars. But that does not excuse -either of them. They are both wrong!"</p> - -<p>"Are you asking Terra to change its way of life?" demanded Guy.</p> - -<p>"You are asking Ertene to change. We have the same privilege."</p> - -<p>"Obviously in a system such as ours a completely altruistic society -would be wiped out."</p> - -<p>"Obviously," said Baranon.</p> - -<p>"Then—"</p> - -<p>"Then Ertene will change its way of life—providing Terra changes hers."</p> - -<p>"Mars—"</p> - -<p>"Mars will have to change hers, too. Can you not live in harmony?"</p> - -<p>"Knowing what the Martians did to me—can you expect me to greet one of -them with open arms?"</p> - -<p>"Knowing what you have done to them, I wouldn't expect either one -of you to change your greetings. No, Guy, I fear that Ertene will -continue on her path until such a time as we meet a system that is less -belligerent and more adapted to our way of life."</p> - -<p>"Then I have failed?"</p> - -<p>"Do not feel badly. You have failed, but you were fighting a huge, -overwhelming force. You fought the inheritance of a hundred generations -of wanderers. You fought the will of an integrated people who deplore -strife. You fought the desire of everyone on Ertene, and since no -Ertinian could change Solar society, we cannot expect a Terran to -change Ertinian ideals. You failed, but it is no disgrace to fail -against such an overwhelming defense."</p> - -<p>Guy smiled weakly. "I presume that I was fighting against a determined -front?"</p> - -<p>"You were trying to do the most difficult job of all. In order to -have succeeded, you would first have had to unsell us on our firm -convictions, and then sell us the desirability of yours. A double job, -both uphill."</p> - -<p>"Then I am to consider the matter closed?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. We have decided not to remain."</p> - -<p>"You decided that before I came in," said Guy bitterly.</p> - -<p>"We decided that a thousand years before you were born, so do not feel -bitter."</p> - -<p>"I presume that a change in your plans is out of the question even -though further information on Sol's planets proves you wrong?"</p> - -<p>"It will never be brought up again."</p> - -<p>"I see," said Guy unhappily. "Part of my desire to convince you was the -hope of seeing my home again."</p> - -<p>"Oh, but you will," said Charalas.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy was dumfounded. He could hardly believe his ears. He asked for -a repeat, and got it. It was still amazing. To Guy, it was outright -foolishness. He wouldn't have trusted anyone with such a secret. To -permit him to return to Terra with the knowledge he had—</p> - -<p>"Charalas, what would prevent me from bringing my people to Ertene? I -could bring the forces of Terra down about your very ears."</p> - -<p>"But you will not. We have a strict, value-even trade to offer you."</p> - -<p>"But it would be so easy to keep me here."</p> - -<p>"We could not restrain you without force. And if we must rely upon your -honor, we'd be equally reliant whether you be here or on Terra."</p> - -<p>"Here," said Guy dryly, "I'd be away from temptation. If I were tempted -to tell, there'd be no one to tell it to."</p> - -<p>"We must comply with an ancient rule," explained Terokar. "It says -specifically that no man without Ertinian blood may remain on Ertene. -It was made to keep the race pure when we were still about our parent -sun and has never been revoked. We wouldn't revoke it for you alone."</p> - -<p>"But permitting me to go free would be sheer madness."</p> - -<p>"Not quite. We are mutually indebted to one another, Guy. There is the -matter of knowledge. You gave freely of yours, we gave you ours. We -have gained some points that were missing in our science, you have a -number of points that will make you rich, famous, and remembered. Use -them as your own, only do it logically in order that they seem to be -discoveries of your own. You admit the worth of them?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, but yes," said Guy eagerly. "Wonderful—"</p> - -<p>"Then there is no debt for knowledge?"</p> - -<p>"If any, I am in your debt."</p> - -<p>"We'll call it even," said Baranon, dryly.</p> - -<p>"Then there is the matter of life," said Terokar. "You know how you -were found?"</p> - -<p>Guy shook his head in wonder. "I had been through the Martian idea of -how to get information out of a reluctant man," he said slowly. "I know -that their methods result in a terrible mindless state which to my own -belief is worse than death itself. I know that as I lost consciousness, -I prayed for death to come, even though I knew that they would not -permit it."</p> - -<p>"We found you that way. You know. And we brought you back to life. You -owe us that."</p> - -<p>"Indeed I do."</p> - -<p>"Then for your life, we demand our life in return."</p> - -<p>"I do not understand."</p> - -<p>"Your life is yours. We ask that you say nothing of us—for we feel -that we will die if we are found. At least, the integrity of Ertene -is at stake. In any event, we will not be taken, you may as well know -that. And when I say die, I mean that Ertene will not go on living in -the way we want her to live. Therefore you will disclose nothing that -will point our way to anyone."</p> - -<p>"And you are willing that I should return to Terra with such an oath? -What of my oath to Terra?"</p> - -<p>"Do you feel that your presence on Ertene will benefit Terra in some -small way?" asked Charalas.</p> - -<p>"Now that you have given me the things we spoke of before, I do."</p> - -<p>"Then," said Charalas, "consider this point. You may not return unless -you swear to keep us secret. You may not give Terra the benefit of your -knowledge unless you deprive them of Ertene. Is that clear?"</p> - -<p>"If I may not return to Terra, and may not remain on Ertene, I can -guess the other alternative and will admit that I do not like it. On -the returning angle, about all I can do is to justify myself in my own -mind that I have done all that I can by bringing these scientific items -back with me. Since doing the best I can for Terra includes keeping -your secret, I can do that also. But tell me, how do you hope to cover -the fact that I've been missing for almost a year? That will take more -than mere explanation."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"The process is easy," said Charalas. "We have one of the lifeships -from the derelict. It was slightly damaged in the blast. It is -maneuverable, but unwieldy. Evidence has been painstakingly forged. -Apparently you will have broken your straps under the shock of the -blast—and before the torture reached its height—and you found -yourself in a derelict with no one left alive but yourself. You were -hurt, mentally, and didn't grasp the situation clearly. There was no -way to signal your plight in secrecy, and open signaling would have -been dangerous since you were too close to Mars.</p> - -<p>"You found the lifeship and waited until you could safely take off. -The derelict took a crazy course, according to the recorded log in your -own handwriting, and headed for interstellar space. You took off at the -safe time and have been floating free in the damaged lifeship. You've -been on a free orbit for the best part of a year."</p> - -<p>"Sounds convincing enough."</p> - -<p>"The evidence includes empty air cans, your own fingerprints on -everything imaginable, a dulled can opener and the remnants of -can labels that have fallen into nooks and crannies of the ship. -The water-recovery device has been under constant operation and -examination will show about a year's accumulation of residual matter. -A scratch-mark calendar has been kept on the wall of the lifeship, and -daily it has been added to. That is important since the wall will show -more oxidation in the scratches made a year ago than the ones made -recently. The accumulators of the ship have been run down as if in -service while you were forcing the little ship into its orbit, and the -demand recorder shows how the drain was used. The lights in the ship -have been burned, and the deposits of fluorescent material in the tubes -have been used about the calculated number of hours. Books have been -nearly worn out from re-reading and they were used with fingerprint -gloves though they were studied by us. Instruments and gadgets are -strewn about the ship in profusion, indicating the attempts of an -intelligent man trying to kill time. Also you will find the initial -findings on the energy collector we used in conjunction with the -light-shield.</p> - -<p>"Now, yourself. Into your body we will inject the hormones that occur -with fear and worry. You will not enjoy a bit of atmosphobia, but -believe us, it is necessary. You will have the appearance and attitude -of a man who has been in space alone for a year, and luckily for you, -you are a spaceman and inured to the rigors of space travel so that it -will not be necessary to really give you the works in order to make you -seem natural.</p> - -<p>"As a final touch, both for our safety and yours, we will inject in -your body a substance far superior to your anti-lamine. This is not -destroyed by electrolysis, but only by a substance made from the -original base. This will protect you against any attempt to make you -talk. As long as it is your will, consciously or subconsciously, our -secret will be kept. Is there anything we may have overlooked?"</p> - -<p>"One thing. The space tan."</p> - -<p>"That you will get before you leave."</p> - -<p>"Then that sounds like the works."</p> - -<p>"It is. Guy Maynard, we wish you the best of luck. We are all sorry -that you must leave, but it is best that way. Sooner or later you would -become homesick for the things you knew on Terra. Ertene will not last -in your memory, we have been careful not to let you indulge in anything -that will leave memories either pleasant or unpleasant, and forgetting -is easy when the subject was uneventful. Farewell, Guy Maynard."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye. And if you ever decide whether your way is at all -questionable, have someone look me up. I'll be around Sol."</p> - -<p>Terokar laughed. "And if you find that Sol changes her way of living, -you may see if you can find us!"</p> - -<p>Charalas smiled: "No need. They will not. This is farewell forever, -Guy. Good luck."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was little more than an hour later that Guy Maynard, inoculated with -all kinds of shots, was lifted into the sky in a heavy spaceship and on -the way for a predetermined section of the Solar sky.</p> - -<p>They left him, a couple of weeks later.</p> - -<p>And Guy Maynard was headed for Terra in a broken lifeship saved from -the derelict of the Mardinex. He thought of Ertene briefly, and then -put the thought from him. He would never see Ertene again.</p> - -<p>But the things he had in his mind would make Ertene's influence -everlasting over an unknown Terra. That alone made the contact worth -while.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard stumbled upon another thought. He had accused them of -going on forever like an itinerant, taking nothing and giving nothing -and living sterile as far as their good toward civilization. He was -wrong, and now he knew it. Ertene did not go on her lonely path. She -had strewn the fruits of experience in Sol's path as best she could and -still maintain safety for herself. It was reasonable to suppose that -Ertene had done the same things for those other systems.</p> - -<p>Hers was not a useless existence. Ertene was doing as much for -civilization as Terra, surely.</p> - -<p>And though he would never see Ertene again, his own personal gain from -having been to Ertene would cause him to remember the wanderer. And -even though Terra would never know of Ertene's existence, she would -benefit from their experience.</p> - -<p>Ertene—completely altruistic.</p> - -<p>Or was she completely selfish?</p> - -<p>Terra would never know.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">V.</p> - -<p>Ben Williamson sat bolt upright in his chair and listened to the faint -piping whistle that came through the communicator along with the sounds -from the communications office. He snapped the button calling for -silence in order to hear better, and then scratched his head in wonder.</p> - -<p>"Executive to Communications and Pilot: Tune in that signal better and -get a fix on it. Prepare to follow the fix."</p> - -<p>"Received," came the laconic reply, and then the less formal: "What's -in the sky, Ben?"</p> - -<p>"Whether you know it or not, that signal was Guy Maynard's private -sign."</p> - -<p>"I thought so," said the communications officer. "I wasn't certain."</p> - -<p>"We'll not court-martial you for that," laughed Ben. "After all, you -didn't know Maynard personally."</p> - -<p>"Right. I didn't know him at all. But this fix—I've got it."</p> - -<p>"Can you get range and possible track?"</p> - -<p>"Fairly well." There was silence for several minutes and then the -communications officer announced the figures concerning the distance -and probable course constants of the emitting source.</p> - -<p>"Executive to Technician: Jimmy, have you got the cards on the -<i>Mardinex</i> or did we put them in the morgue after we slipped her the -slug?"</p> - -<p>"Still got 'em. BuSI thought we should keep 'em a bit just in case. -After all, the <i>Mardinex</i> was a secret proposition and to remove her -cards from the Terran cardexes would be like the guy in that story."</p> - -<p>"Which guy in what story."</p> - -<p>"The fellow who suspected his neighbor of stealing his chickens just -because he found the neighbor garbaging chicken feathers and chicken -carcasses. They've made no announcement of the <i>Mardinex's</i> failure -to return. To have Terra toss away the information that we have so -painstakingly gathered concerning her most intimate features would be -almost an open admission that Terra is not longer concerned about the -<i>Mardinex</i>."</p> - -<p>"They couldn't prove a thing."</p> - -<p>"No, but as the Chinese say: 'A wise man does not stoop to secure his -shoes in a melon patch nor adjust his hat under a cherry tree.' They -could trump up enough evidence to arouse their people if they could -prove our disinterest in some concrete manner. As it is, the whole -system knows that Terra still carries the cards of the <i>Mardinex</i>. -That's the one thing they've ascertained. We've got 'em all right."</p> - -<p>"Good. Then as soon as we get close enough to that source, and the -spotters take hold, run the constants through the cardex."</p> - -<p>"Good Sol, Ben. What do you expect?"</p> - -<p>"Dunno. Couldn't be the <i>Mardinex</i>, of course. That couldn't possibly -be here and now. But—that was Maynard's sign and he may have survived -in some queer manner. We know that the <i>Mardinex</i> carried lifeships."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Time passed as the destroyer accelerated constantly, reached turnover, -and began to decelerate toward the suspected position of the -signal-emitting object. Just after turnover the spotters took hold and -announced that the object was capable of being scanned and analyzed.</p> - -<p>The whirr of the file as the cardex ran through the thousands of -minute cards filled the technician's office and came through the open -communicator. Then the attention bell tingled once, and the card that -matched the constants of the emitting object was slid from the file -into a projector. The micro-printing above the cardex pattern was -projected on the ground glass above the instrument and the technician -read it off in a flat voice.</p> - -<p>"Fore lifeship—standard type from Martian space craft of the -<i>Mardinex</i> class. One of six similar models placed in the upper -quadrant of the ship. These ships are capable of four gravities, -Terran, and are capable of making the one hundred million mile -trip. No armament as per agreements under the Eros Conference. Will -accommodate thirty passengers for a period of ninety days, Terran -without discomfort other than atmosphobia and the possibility of -avoirduphobia if the distance demands free flight for any period of -time. Equipped with spotter equipment and signaling equipment capable -of reaching interested searchers but not raising those whose equipment -is nondirective or whose directive equipment is pointed away from the -emitting source. Also equipped with complete spares for signaling -equipment—"</p> - -<p>"That's enough," said Ben. "Executive to Turretman: Trim your autoMacs -and load the torpedo tubes. This may be a trap."</p> - -<p>"Right," said Tim. "And according to Jimmy, they may be trying to see -how we react after a sign of the <i>Mardinex</i>'s lifeship pattern. They're -capable of duplicating that pattern, you know."</p> - -<p>"We're going in there to win or lose," said Ben soberly. "No matter how -they take it, we're ready. Tim, put a remote arming fuse in one torp -and launch it right now. If this is trouble, we'll butter our chances. -If this is not trouble, we'll keep the arming signal running and -retrieve the torpedo. Right?"</p> - -<p>"Received. Want it set to remain inert as long as the arming signal is -on?"</p> - -<p>"That's the order."</p> - -<p>The destroyer bucked slightly and Tim said: "She's off. Any time -anybody thinks we should let her roar, poke the arming button on the -panels."</p> - -<p>Instinctively, Ben Williamson glanced at the minute pilot light that -gleamed faintly just above a button on the ordnance panel. It was the -left-most button of a row of twenty. By reaching out of his chair -with the right hand and leaning back so that his spine was arched -deeply, Williamson could touch the arming control. He nodded, and as -he watched, the panel below winked on, indicating that the turret was -ready for action. Beside it, the winking lights indicated that his -orders to load up the torpedo tubes had been conveyed to the tube crew. -A string of varicolored lights indicated a series of interferers and -space bombs that were being armed in the bomb bay. Williamson smiled. -Tim Monahan was an excellent ordnance officer; one who rode the turret -himself and directed the fire controls from there.</p> - -<p>"Executive to Pilot: What's our position?"</p> - -<p>"Twenty minutes from object."</p> - -<p>"Ring the Action Alarm. Who knows—we may see action!"</p> - -<p>"Turretman to Executive: Object sighted. Definitely a lifeship. Doesn't -look dangerous. Shall we take a chance?"</p> - -<p>"Executive to Communications: Answer 'em on their band."</p> - -<p>"Received. Ben, they went off the air as soon as I opened my -transmitter." There was some period of silence. "Communications to -Executive: Identifies himself as Guy Maynard. Says alone and safe. Cut -emitter to prevent curiosity on the part of Martian observers who may -be listening."</p> - -<p>"Good fellow. He should be an Intelligence Officer. Tell him to prepare -for transshipping."</p> - -<p>"He says that after a year in that sardine can, it can't be too quick. -Want him to jump?"</p> - -<p>"Can he put on any speed?"</p> - -<p>"His suit is still in partial operation. He can rev up about a G."</p> - -<p>"Tell him to dive. We'll scoop him without trying to match speed."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy smiled vaguely. He made one last prayer that he could look as -starved for company as a man would after a year in that tiny ship. He -didn't stop to wonder why they'd asked him to dive. He merely prayed -that his story would be acted as convincingly as his forged diary -read. He'd partially committed that to memory; certain lapses would -be expected. It was good and it contained several references to ideas -for equipment which would help explain his sudden inventive streak. He -hugged the volume to him and dived out of the open space lock. Once -free of the ship, Guy turned the tiny driving fin on and he stood -upright on the soles of the spacesuit shoes.</p> - -<p>And minutes later the destroyer arrowed silently past and a silent, -invisible tractor reached out and caught him in the focal area. It -stretched like a thin elastomer cord, invisible, and it accelerated him -gently as the destroyed sped on. He caught up with the destroyer and -was taken aboard just as the soundless gout of flame far below marked -the end of the lifeship.</p> - -<p>"Why?" he asked patiently, shortly and tersely.</p> - -<p>"Didn't care to leave any evidence for the Marties."</p> - -<p>"Sort of got attached to it," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"Could be, but one sight of that anywhere in the Solar System would -mean trouble. Evidence from the <i>Mardinex</i>, you know. Forget it, -Maynard. You're far more important. What happened, and how, and why?"</p> - -<p>Maynard looked pained.</p> - -<p>"Forget it, Guy. Obviously you had a tough time. Take your time about -telling us. What do you want most?"</p> - -<p>Guy smiled shyly. "I thought about that a lot," he said slowly. "I -wanted steak and potatoes. I wanted cigarettes. I even thought of Laura -Greggor. I wanted.... Ben, I want everything, and in mass-production -lots."</p> - -<p>"Steak and potatoes we can give you. Cigarettes we have in plenty. -A shower and a shave and a soft, well-made man-sized bed. Books and -pictures and a dollop of liquor, too. Candy, cigars, chewing gum, et -cetera. But the only female we have on board is cooky's pet hen. Like a -fresh egg?"</p> - -<p>"Anything as long as it is not lonely," said Guy. "My throat is -slightly lame."</p> - -<p>"I can imagine. Well, it's sick bay for you and we'll wait on you. -And—Guy, there'll be plenty of company." Ben snapped the general -communicator button and said: "Executive to crew: Junior Executive Guy -Maynard is aboard. He is to be shown every consideration, and it is -directed that each watch appoint three roving spacemen whose duties -will be to replace crew members who will visit Maynard. His stay in -sick bay is not quarantine."</p> - -<p>"Williamson, I'll take that shower now. And then the steak. Got a -cigarette?"</p> - -<p>As Maynard ignited the cigarette, he thought: Carefully prepared -evidence! How painstaking they were! Even the scratches on the wall -made so that the earlier ones would be made first. The millions of -fingerprints. And destroyed because it would be bad evidence against -us. Ironic. And yet—they might have missed something. And supposing -Williamson hadn't armed that torpedo but had taken the crate in to -Terra instead? Then Ertene's evidence would have been needed. We -couldn't have known—</p> - -<p>"Now for that shower," he said to Ben. There was no use in deliberately -thinking of Ertene now. Forget it. To Ben he added: "Might run through -that log of mine. Gives you the story pretty well, and my voice-box is -still unused to talking much. I'm going, but I'll be back."</p> - -<p>"Good thing you kept a log," said Ben. "It'll be most valuable evidence -for the investigation."</p> - -<p>Investigation! Guy hadn't thought of that factor. Naturally he must -give his evidence before a court-martial, though he would by no means -be on trial. Yet, they were thorough and he prayed that he wouldn't -make the most unnoticed slip. They'd ply him with questions and watch -his answers. He was glad that he hadn't memorized the log by rote. -To repeat word for word certain parts would be expected, and to miss -completely other parts would be expected. There would even be parts he -had forgotten and parts too doleful for the mind to keep fresh.</p> - -<p>Then Guy Maynard put it all aside. He forgot his troubles and his -worries, and gave himself up to the luxuries of civilization once -more. His act was most convincing. He ate with relish and smoked until -his throat was sore. He was reticent at the right time, and he made -it appear as though it had become habit with him to remain silent; -and also brought out the fact that his larynx was slightly unused to -exercise. He was glad to be home, though he deplored the destruction of -his lifeship—he spoke of it affectionately sometimes, other times he -outwardly hated the thought of it—because there were some experiments -uncompleted on it. They could be duplicated from the log, of course, -but the originals were priceless in his estimation—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And then the reaction really set in. Guy Maynard was home again. -Home, to Guy, was the ever-changing orientation of the starry sky and -the never constant gravity. He fingered the ordnance controls on the -destroyer with affection and realized that Ertene was long ago and far -away, and that his place was here, and that his life was geared to the -quick life of a spaceman in the Terran Space Patrol.</p> - -<p>Peace was wonderful, of course, and at the time he wanted it -desperately. But now he realized that the excitement of living in a -system of planets offered more than the placid existence of Ertene with -its one moon and the occasional space trip.</p> - -<p>In spite of the treaties and acceptance of peaceful measures made -on the part of the Martians, there was always the chance that some -underhanded move might be made. There was that edge to life; that fine, -razor-sharp edge of excitement and danger. Mars might make untoward -moves, but it was not all Mars' party. Terra made her own espionage and -operations tended to display her might to the Red Planet. Brushes that -never reached notice were always going on.</p> - -<p>He permitted himself to wax enthusiastic over his being home again. -They never knew that it was not merely the release from space -loneliness but a return from a too long, too uneventful vacation.</p> - -<p>He considered himself objectively one day after he found himself -looking forward to the return to Terra. The investigation did not -bother him; it was the question of whether his year of absence from the -service would cause him a year's loss in advancement. If it caused him -no loss, he would become a Senior Executive within a month or so after -his return. That would give him the right to captain a destroyer like -this one.</p> - -<p>His interest and anxiousness to return to Terra had become honest. On -Ertene he had argued against it. Now he knew his mind and also knew -that Charalas had done the proper thing. He would not have remained on -Ertene. Some day the everlasting peace and quiet would get him, and -then there would have been trouble.</p> - -<p>He owed them his life, and if some of the things in his log worked to -his own satisfaction, he owed them more than that. He'd keep their -secret; denying Terra the right to exploit Ertene was hard, but better -deny them that than to deny them the knowledge he had gained. Terra -would hold dominance over the Solar System without Ertene's presence; -though it was not without Ertene's help.</p> - -<p>Poor Ertene. A sterile, placid life that was beginning to look pale -and uninteresting against the rugged, boisterous existence of men who -roamed the Solar System.</p> - -<p>Let them have their stability. What was their history? A few thousand -years since the dawn of their written lore? Far greater than Sol's -though he had been loath to tell them that. At that time such an -admission was like admitting that one was but an adolescent. But it -was true. But in those thousands of years, had their science come a -comparable distance with Terra's?</p> - -<p>And Guy knew why. With nothing to strive against, progress ceases.</p> - -<p>He wondered whether the investigating committee would make an issue of -the fact that a junior executive had been so oblivious to his duty as -to permit capture by Martians. That was the only fly in his ointment, -the only point over which he worried. He felt that his capture could -have happened to anyone, and secretly he admired the bold stroke in the -light of how daring it had been for Mars to storm the very ramparts of -Sahara Base.</p> - -<p>But investigating committees are strange things and their decisions are -often based on theory instead of action with no regard to circumstances.</p> - -<p>That one minor point continued to worry him at times.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And then the destroyer dropped out of the sky onto Sahara Base, and Guy -Maynard stooped to pick up a handful of the soil of Terra. He shook it -in the sky and rubbed it into his hands. He smelled of it and exhaled -deeply. Then, still holding a bit of it, he faced the sector commander -who was waiting for him in the command car.</p> - -<p>The commander smiled curtly and said: "Junior Executive Maynard, you -are to speak to no one. You are technically not under arrest, nor are -you to be placed in that light. However a violation of the order to -discuss nothing with anyone will lead to arrest."</p> - -<p>"How long is this quarantine going to last, sir?"</p> - -<p>"Not too long. The Board of Investigation will convene tomorrow. At -that time we will decide your future."</p> - -<p>Maynard entered the command car and they drove off silently. He was -thinking: One more hurdle. If I can make it—</p> - -<p>His dreams were troubled that night. There was nothing definite about -them; they were kaleidoscopic in nature and Charalas whirled in and -out of them along with Greggor of the Bureau of Exploration and Laura -Greggor. In these dreams he was the central figure; a pitiful, unarmed -being that could not strike back against the pointed questions that -they hurled at him. He was mired in a black mess of intrigue that would -follow him forever. And only by living in constant guardedness would he -be safe.</p> - -<p>For once the hurdle of the investigation was passed, there would be no -recanting.</p> - -<p>God help him if after he perjured himself they found out that his tale -had been designed to cover a definite breach of his own oath.</p> - -<p>It was the price he would pay for the success that Ertene's science -would bring him.</p> - -<p>Yet he knew that if he continued as he had started, he would be all -right. To be convincing in a lie, he knew that the first problem was to -convince himself.</p> - -<p>And so Guy Maynard went into the Board of Investigation almost -self-convinced that his year of loneliness was a fact.</p> - -<p>He didn't dare consider the future if he failed to convince the Board. -Not only for himself, but for Ertene and Terra both. They—he dropped -the awful possibility there. He stiffened his resolve and thrust the -thought from his mind. There must be no slip.</p> - -<p>So with a part of his mind fighting to keep from viewing utter chaos, -and another part of his mind telling him that he was hiding his head in -the sand like an ostrich, Guy Maynard entered the large room with the -silent, waiting men.</p> - -<p>He swallowed deeply as he noted the weight of the platinum braid and he -took his appointed position with a qualm of misgiving.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VI.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard's eyes swept about the room and saw eyes that were quiet, -and if they were not openly friendly, at least they were neither -hostile nor doubtful. The Board of Investigation was composed of -several high officers and a civilian. He glanced at the neat pile of -papers that were placed on the table before his appointed position -and glanced through the names of those present, wondering about the -civilian; most of the officers he knew by sight.</p> - -<p>He nodded to himself; the civilian was Thomas Kane, a news publisher, -and therefore quite natural a presence in this investigation. The fact -that he was the publisher himself, and not one of his hirelings gave -the investigation the air of extreme secrecy, and Guy understood that -whatever went on in this gathering today would be held in the utmost -confidence until the necessities of living made the publicity of the -conference desirable—if ever. The public would accept the word of the -publisher with more credulity than they would a prepared statement -issued for common consumption by a propaganda department.</p> - -<p>People had become used to normal propaganda, and were capable of -picking it out and disregarding it. A publisher's own statements were -considered to be noncontrollable since the only recourse that any -Patrol investigation could take was to bar the publisher from their -subsequent conferences, and to combat that the publisher could make -things literally warm for any body of Patrol officers who tried to -muzzle him.</p> - -<p>The chairman, Patrol Marshal Alfred Mantley, rapped for order, and -started the proceedings by telling Guy: "We have been in order for -three hours, during which time we have considered the evidence -presented by the log of your ... er ... journey. Also, the log has been -read and digested by professional readers and pronounced authentic. The -latter is not so much in defense of you, Maynard, as it is to assure us -that you have not been or are not now acting under duress. You present -us quite a problem, young sir. Quite a problem. Coldly and cruelly, we -would find our lives less complicated if you hadn't returned," he said -with a laugh. "But you are here and we are glad to have you returned. -You have had quite an experience—one that is seldom enjoyed and only -recorded a few times in the annals of the Terran Space Patrol. How are -you feeling?"</p> - -<p>"Quite all right."</p> - -<p>"Fine. Now, Guy, tell us in your own words a brief account of your -travels."</p> - -<p>Guy got as far as the encounter with the Martian when he was -interrupted by Patrol Marshal Jones. "How do you account for the fact -that a Martian was able to penetrate to the very heart of Sahara Base?"</p> - -<p>"I have no idea, sir. I, like the rest of us, have been led to believe -that our security in the Base was perfect. Naturally I was not armed."</p> - -<p>"No," said the chairman. "And had you been armed, I doubt that the -encounter would have been different. Fighting unarmed against a Martian -who is holding a MacMillan at the ready is not considered the kind of -thing that any intelligent man would attempt. The fault lies with the -security office, not with you."</p> - -<p>His chief, Greggor of the Bureau of Exploration asked: "Is this an -official decision? I want it made clear that my assistant is not -responsible for his trouble."</p> - -<p>"Maynard is not to be held responsible. When the word came via Senior -Executive Williamson, the investigation of the kidnaping act disclosed -that the blame—if any—was to lie with Security. Off the record, I can -not see how any security bureau could cope with such boldness. It was -born of desperation and bred of terror—and it died for lack of sheer -weight and velocity."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said Space Marshal Greggor.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy went on, telling his partly-memorized tale, until he was again -questioned.</p> - -<p>"You hadn't felt the brunt of the electrolysis before the <i>Mardinex</i> -was attacked?"</p> - -<p>"It had just started. The final explosion broke my straps and -destroyed the electrolysis equipment."</p> - -<p>"And you couldn't make your way to a lifeship at that time?"</p> - -<p>"I did as soon as I came to, and realized that I was alone. The least -damaged lifeship required repairs that were completed several hours -later. By that time we were passing through the midst of Martian -territory and I thought it best to lie low."</p> - -<p>"You preferred to take the chance of orbiting rather than running the -Martian gauntlet?"</p> - -<p>"Orbiting was no chance, sir. Running the gauntlet would have been -sheer suicide since the Martians were extremely interested in -the <i>Mardinex</i>. They had most of their grand fleet out watching. -Only my velocity—which prevented any attempt to stop me—and my -acceleration—which prevented any attempt to try to match my speed—got -me past safely. I am certain that they put a pointer on me as we went -past."</p> - -<p>"By what reasoning?"</p> - -<p>"I would have done it, sir, if the cases had been reversed."</p> - -<p>"Naturally," said the chairman. "Proceed, Maynard."</p> - -<p>"Knowing that any deviation of the <i>Mardinex</i> or electrical activity -aboard would register at the Martian detector stations, at least -until we were out of safe range, I proceeded to make the lifeship as -spaceworthy and as comfortable as I could. I took plenty of spare -equipment—"</p> - -<p>"Of what sort?"</p> - -<p>"Sheer gadgetry, sir, I've had a few ideas, and this looked as though -I'd have plenty of time to try them out. I powered the lifeship far -beyond her normal power because I had to get back home from a ship -leaving the System at better than ten thousand miles per second."</p> - -<p>"In order to bring out the resourcefulness of my assistant," said -Greggor, "I want the record to state that he prepared for the boredom -he knew would come."</p> - -<p>"It is recorded."</p> - -<p>"Then, as soon as we were beyond the longest possible range of the most -powerful detector-analyzers, even when aimed by a pointer, and taking -into consideration that Mars might have had an observer out about even -with the orbit of Pluto, I emerged from the derelict and began to -decelerate."</p> - -<p>"Good."</p> - -<p>"Well, that's about all," he said. He felt that this was it. He was -worried that the deeper discussion might bring forth errors and -contradictions, and he wanted them to lead him into the initial -disclosures rather than to have them add to a statement that might -be straining at the truth already. "I slept. I worked. I did about -everything a man can do when he's sitting in a lifeship for a solid -year waiting for his home planet to come close enough to signal to. -This is the hard part. Nothing of any importance happened. One hour was -like the rest. I slept when I got tired and worked until I tired of it. -I ate when hungry. I shaved when my beard got uncomfortable. I probably -have attained a number of bad habits during my enforced hermiting, but -they will be easily broken."</p> - -<p>"Your record is quite clear," said Chairman Mantley. "Is it the -agreement of this investigation that Guy Maynard's story be accepted?"</p> - -<p>"I see no reason why it should be disputed."</p> - -<p>"What purpose would Maynard have in lying?"</p> - -<p>"It is truthful enough for me."</p> - -<p>"I'm in accord."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Let's drop this foolishness," said Kane, the publisher. "What is far -more important is the public explanation for Maynard's absence."</p> - -<p>"Our friend of the Fourth Estate is correct," said Mantley. "The log -is accepted, and will be maintained in the archives under secret -classification." He smiled at Maynard. "Now, young man, you force us -into developing a year-long cock-and-bull story for the public."</p> - -<p>"Sir? I don't understand."</p> - -<p>"If you breathe a word of that story to anyone else, you'll be the -direct reason for an Interplanetary War—with capital letters."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"So it's the truth. You'll learn, young man, that there are times -when the truth is not always the best. You are all right, alive and -well—to say nothing of being equipped with a few brilliant ideas for -your trouble. Your captors are dead and gone. Mars doesn't really -know what happened to their <i>Mardinex</i>, and Terra doesn't really know -anything about the incident. You can't be court-martialed for being -Absent Without Leave for we need you and your ideas. You haven't been -spacewrecked, for no ship is missing."</p> - -<p>"How was my absence explained?" asked Guy.</p> - -<p>"You were M-12."</p> - -<p>"Oh?" said Guy.</p> - -<p>"Then it's easy," said Greggor. "Has his first contact been reported -yet?"</p> - -<p>"No. I see your point. Certainly. Funny, it never has happened this way -before and now that it did, I forgot the reality."</p> - -<p>"As an M-12 case, he can make the one-year mention in his own right. It -will also tend to authenticate other M-12 cases which must be false. -Then after the third year—if he hasn't been returned to full duty -already—he can make the third-year mention. But instead of decreasing -the mention, Guy will increase it."</p> - -<p>"Providing it is necessary. After all, we are not trying to establish a -fade-out for a man killed in an incident that might lead to total war. -This time the man has returned."</p> - -<p>"How can we strengthen this contact?"</p> - -<p>Kane spoke up cheerfully. "From the stuff in his log, I'd say that the -best way would be to promote him a rank for service above and beyond -the requirements of his present rank. It will also permit him to -skipper a destroyer or lighter craft which was denied him by the Junior -Executive's rank. I'll plant his picture in my news sheet with a vague -reference to the fact that Guy Maynard has been engaged in experiments -at a secret place and that his initial experiments have been so -successful that he is being given the command of a small laboratory -ship in order that the experiments may be tested in the prime medium."</p> - -<p>"And then?"</p> - -<p>"Marshal, there is nothing that sounds like truth than a lie liberally -sprinkled with truth. In fact, I'd say the latter sounded even better -than truth."</p> - -<p>"Truth? Is there any in this story?"</p> - -<p>"Maynard," asked Kane, "you said that some of these things were -partially assembled and tested in that lifeship?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. It is deplorable that they were completely destroyed."</p> - -<p>"Not too deplorable," said Marshal Warsaw wryly. "After all, the -evidence was pretty bald-faced."</p> - -<p>"Well, his story about working in a secret laboratory is not too -untrue, is it? What could have been more secret than his position? -Gentlemen, no one but he knew where he was! And some of the experiments -were eminently successful, were they not?"</p> - -<p>"I believe so."</p> - -<p>"Then his statements warrant the trust of this assemblage. What do you -say, gentlemen?"</p> - -<p>"Sounds reasonable," said the chairman. "Any dissent?"</p> - -<p>There was none.</p> - -<p>"Furthermore," said Kane, "I'd suggest that you have professional -writers copy his log and convert it into a day-by-day account of his -experiments. Use it as close to the real thing as possible so that he -won't have to memorize too much. Then destroy this original."</p> - -<p>"Excellent," said Patrol Marshal Mantley. "Maynard, you may think this -cold-blooded. No doubt you want revenge. I'd want it, I know. But -we're all satisfied, here. You are back, and the Martians lost their -battlecraft."</p> - -<p>"It does sound brutal," said Maynard. "And very depressing. But I do -suppose that one man's loss against the loss of a heavy space craft and -a partial crew can not be argued. I'll accept it."</p> - -<p>"Then," said Mantley, "this Board of Investigation is closed and the -recommendations will be followed. Maynard, your rank will be increased -immediately, and until we can commission a small laboratory ship for -you, you are released from active duty. You will remain in touch -with this office, for you will be needed from time to time to sign -papers and to requisition the materials you will require to complete -your experiments. As soon as our writers have been able to copy your -original log, the Bureau of Science will check it over and decide which -of your experiments will be completed."</p> - -<p>"Will I be able to work on the rest of them, sir?"</p> - -<p>"That depends. You will probably be called upon for consultation since -you developed them. But we cannot overlook the urgency of some of -these."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Space Marshal Greggor came over to Guy and placed an arm over the young -man's shoulders. "That was quite an experience, Guy. Far beyond the -experiences of most men. I am sorry for myself, and happy for you. -You'll be coming to the house?"</p> - -<p>"As soon as I can get settled, sir. Possibly tonight."</p> - -<p>"Excellent. I'll prepare Marian and Laura—they think you're a real -M-12."</p> - -<p>"Will it be a shock?"</p> - -<p>"Somewhat. They aren't too certain of the M-12 business; though they -do not know the blunt truth, they are aware that few men classified -under the M-12 are ever heard of again. That's because they're close -to the Service. M-12 is a brilliant method of permitting a man to drop -from sight, since it was designed to permit a man to leave his friends -gently—the so-called contacts are made by telegram and personal -messenger to remove certain portions of the man's effects and to pay -his rent and so on. Eventually all of his stuff is gone, his friends -wonder where he is and eventually forget him.</p> - -<p>"But your return will put faith in M-12 again. They'll both be glad to -see you."</p> - -<p>"You must do me a favor," asked Guy earnestly. "Please explain to Laura -about my leaving without saying good-bye."</p> - -<p>"I'll do that. M-12 is the roughest on the ones who are close without -being blood-relations. We'll smooth it over. Now take it easy. Hello, -Kane," he said looking over Guy's head. "Are you sorry we deprived you -of a story?"</p> - -<p>"Some day this young man will make me a better one," laughed Kane. -"Drop up to the office tomorrow if you can. I'll buy lunch—you -deserve some special treatment to pay for your year of—experimenting. -He'll be safe," said Kane to Greggor.</p> - -<p>"I know it," said the Space Marshal. "You wouldn't be permitted the -inside the Council unless you were proven, you know."</p> - -<p>"I'll do more," said Kane. "I'll have one of my boys run over the -forged log for you. He can make it sound a bit more authentic. I've -always thought that your logs and diaries were a little stiffish. A bit -of yearning and youthful hope would lend that log a world of reality, -it having been written by a lonely young scientist."</p> - -<p>"That's a deal. Well, take it easy. And we'll see you later."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy Maynard arrived to find his room in order as according to the -treatment given M-12 cases. He walked around the room and inspected -everything there, finally dropping into the easy-chair to think. It -struck him, then. For a moment he was thoughtful, and then the humor of -the situation hit him like a blow.</p> - -<p>For Ertene had prepared a world of painstaking evidence to support his -tale of suffering and trouble. They gave him every bit.</p> - -<p>And for their trouble on the lifeship, it had been destroyed without -inspection because of Terran fear of discovery. Not that Terra was -concerned about reprisals, but just because Terran ideas of exchange -dictated that they should let a matter drop after they had received the -better of the argument.</p> - -<p>And then his story. Had he memorized that log day for day and word for -word, it would have been of no use. He was ordered to forget it in -every detail save those "ideas" he was supposed to have had.</p> - -<p>How neatly had the Terrans destroyed every mite of Ertinian evidence.</p> - -<p>All expect the scientific side.</p> - -<p>And Ertene would roam on through the Galaxy in utter silence, having -scattered the seeds of advancement upon fertile ground.</p> - -<p>Ertene's life was not in vain.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Guy Maynard paused a moment before he pressed the doorbell. He'd been -missing a long time, and he wondered just how Laura Greggor would greet -him. He hoped her eagerness would match his, at least, and with that -prayer he rang.</p> - -<p>Laura came to the door herself, which lifted Guy's heart. She took -him by the hand and drew him in, saying: "Teemens is busy mixing a -cocktail. I had to answer myself."</p> - -<p>Guy wanted to say "Oh" but didn't. He knew that the tone of his voice -would have betrayed his feelings. And then he lifted his feelings again -by main force. After all, Laura was no schoolgirl. There was no reason -why she should be carried away by any cheap melodrama. She believed him -to be an M-12 and as such he was doing a job. He wished he could tell -her the truth; perhaps then she would be more emotional in her greeting.</p> - -<p>So after a solid year of semi-loneliness, Guy was greeted with a -carefree: "You've been gone a long time, Guy. I'm glad to see you."</p> - -<p>"I'm more than just glad to see you," said Guy earnestly. He gave her -hand an affectionate squeeze and then tried a gentle urge towards him. -It was almost unnoticeable, that attempt to draw her to him; and had he -not met with instant and opposite reaction—</p> - -<p>He sighed, relinquished her hand, and then handed her the small box he -held under the other arm.</p> - -<p>Laura looked at the corsage and then said: "Wait a moment, Guy. I want -to run in and put this in my hair. Make yourself comfortable."</p> - -<p>Guy entered the large drawing room and looked around slightly in -wonder. It was the same—but he hadn't remembered it as being so large. -Everything was as immaculate as ever and Guy felt slightly out of place -there. He knew that he was expected to sit down, but that old feeling -of wondering which piece to sit upon came back to him.</p> - -<p>He found a chair that had a minute scratch on one leg and seated -himself. He wanted a cigarette, but there was no ash tray nearby and -so he stifled the want. He was seated in the chair stiffly when Laura -returned with the gardenia in her hair. She was smoking a cigarette and -as she passed through the room she flicked the ash negligently at a -large ash tray. Some of the ash missed and landed on the deep carpet. -Laura didn't notice.</p> - -<p>"My," she said. "You look slightly formal, Guy."</p> - -<p>"Relax, Guy," her mother told him as she entered just behind Laura. -"Andrew was telling me of a few of your ideas. Too bad you can't tell -us more. We're interested."</p> - -<p>"I'd like to tell you, Mrs. Greggor," said Guy shyly. "But I'm under -strict orders not to disclose—"</p> - -<p>"Pooh, orders," said Laura. "Oh well, you can have your silly secrets. -I want to know, Guy; did you miss me?"</p> - -<p>"Quite a bit," he answered, thinking that this was no time to ask a -question like that. Her mother's presence took the fine edge off of his -anticipated answer.</p> - -<p>"I'd like to go out in a Patrol ship," said Laura. "This normal -traveling on the beaten path doesn't seem like much fun to me."</p> - -<p>"It's no different," said Guy. "It's the same sky, the same sun, and -the same planets. They remain the same no matter what you're doing."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but they're in different places—I mean that you aren't always -going Venusward or Terraward. You change around."</p> - -<p>"It's still similar."</p> - -<p>"Don't be superior," Laura said. "You're just saying that because -you're used to traveling in a Patrol ship."</p> - -<p>"No," said Guy earnestly. "It is still the same sky whether you look at -it from a destroyer or a luxury liner."</p> - -<p>"Some day I shall see for myself," said Laura definitely.</p> - -<p>A faint, male roar called Mrs. Greggor's attention to the fact that her -husband had mislaid his shirt studs. "I shall have to leave," she said. -"Please pardon me—?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly," responded Guy, jumping to his feet.</p> - -<p>She smiled at him and left immediately.</p> - -<p>"Laura," he said. "I've brought—" and he opened the little flat -plastic box and held out his senior executive's insignia.</p> - -<p>"I'm glad," she said. "Father told me you were being raised in rank."</p> - -<p>"That's why I'm here," he answered, a little let down that all of his -surprises were more or less expected. "You'll do me the honor?"</p> - -<p>"I'd be angry if I weren't permitted," said Laura casually. "Stand -close, Guy. You're quite tall, you know."</p> - -<p>His eyes were level with the top of her head as she stood before him, -removing the junior executive's insignia from his coat lapels. She -worked deftly, her face warmly placid. She placed the old, plain stars -on the table beside her and picked up the rayed stars of the senior -executive.</p> - -<p>Quickly she fixed them in his lapels, and then stood back a step. She -gave him a soft salute, which he returned. Then she stepped forward and -kissed him chastely.</p> - -<p>"Ah, fine!" boomed the voice of Andrew Greggor from the doorway. "The -old ritual! That makes you official, Guy. Like the old superstition -about a ship that is launched without a proper christening, no officer -will succeed whose insignia is not first pinned on by a woman. -Congratulations."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, sir," said Guy, taking the extended hand.</p> - -<p>"Now," said Greggor, "dinner is served. Come along, and we'll toast -my loss of a fine secretarial assistant. Your swivel-chair command is -over, Guy."</p> - -<p>"We're not sorry," said Laura. "After all, what glory is there in doing -space hopping in a desk-officer's job?"</p> - -<p>"None," agreed her father.</p> - -<p>"He'll get some now," Laura assured the men.</p> - -<p>"If those experiments turn out correct," said Greggor to Guy Maynard -over Laura's head, "you sure will. Funny, though, I still considered -you as my assistant until they handed you the senior's rank."</p> - -<p>"Still had your brand on him?" laughed Laura.</p> - -<p>"Sort of," said Greggor. His real meaning was not lost on Guy, who knew -that the girl's father was only establishing the official facts of his -adventure.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The dinner was excellent, and the wines tended to loosen Guy's tongue -slightly. He forgot his stiffness and began to enjoy himself. He hadn't -realized how much he had missed this sort of thing in the year among -the Ertinians. They treated him fine, but he missed the opportunity of -mingling with people who spoke his language. He looked at the clock. -There'd be dancing later—if he could break away, and he hadn't danced -in a solid year.</p> - -<p>Marian Greggor said: "You've been gone a long time, Guy. Can you tell -me the tiniest thing of your adventures?"</p> - -<p>"They were not adventures," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"Nonsense!" boomed Malcolm Greggor. "Some of them will be out in the -open soon. I'll tell you one."</p> - -<p>"Why can't he?" asked his wife.</p> - -<p>"He's had his fun—I'm going to have mine," said Greggor, winking at -Guy. "He's developed a means of making Pluto a livable place."</p> - -<p>"No!" breathed Laura.</p> - -<p>"Indeed. Our trouble there has always been the utter cold. Pluto is -rich in the lighter metals—lithium, beryllium, and the like. It has -been a veritable wonderland for the light-metal metallurgist. But it -has been one tough job to exploit. But Guy has invented a barrier of -energy that prevents any radiation from leaving outward and passes -energy inward. That'll heat Pluto excellently—with the unhappy result -that Pluto will be hard to find save by sheer navigation."</p> - -<p>"Oh, wonderful."</p> - -<p>"There's another angle to that," said Guy. "It'll make Pluto harder -to find for the Martians, too. Since the radiation passes inward, the -incoming ship may signal with a prearranged code, and the shield may be -opened long enough for the ship to get a sight on Pluto. The barrier -offers no resistance to material bodies."</p> - -<p>"Hm-m-m. We'll score another one for Guy," said Malcolm Greggor. -"That'll be a nice nail in the ladder of success, young man. There's -one more thing—are you thinking what I'm thinking?"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps. May I speak?"</p> - -<p>"Go ahead. Marian and Laura will not repeat it. Their interests are -clear, and their trust has been accepted by the Patrol. All officials' -wives are cleared to the Patrol's satisfaction since we know it is -impossible to prevent us from mentioning small things from time to -time."</p> - -<p>"Yes, indeed," said Marian. "Living with a man for years and years as -we do, it would be hard to keep from knowing things. We hear a hint -today, another next week, and a third a month from now. Adding them to -something we heard last month, and we have a good idea of what the man -is thinking of."</p> - -<p>"That's not all," laughed Greggor. "Wives have some sort of lucky -mental control. Mine, confound it, can almost read my mind—and most of -them can almost read their husbands' minds. So go ahead and speak."</p> - -<p>"I was thinking of a cruiser equipped with the barrier."</p> - -<p>"Is the equipment small enough?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. The size of the barrier dictates the size of the -equipment—within limits. Anything from a lifeship—say fifty feet -long—to a super battlecraft like the <i>Orionad</i>—twelve hundred feet -long—can be equipped."</p> - -<p>"Fine. And now as to this barring of radiation? How would the drive -work?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know, not having had the opportunity of trying it out. I doubt -that it will work."</p> - -<p>"Then the idea is not so good."</p> - -<p>"I think it fair enough for a trial."</p> - -<p>"But a ship without a drive is useless."</p> - -<p>"It has limitations. But it is not useless. Battle conditions may be -developed to take the limitations as they may exist. Look. The course -of the target is determined—or wait, we must determine the course -of the target first. The course of the target is found by lying in -wait with detectors. The ship is concealed in the barrier-screen, and -the target can not see or detect the sub-cruiser, but the detectors -catch the target. The sub-cruiser must remain in the shell, so to -speak, until the target is out of detection range. This gives plenty -of time to plot the course of the target. Once out of range, the shell -is opened and the sub-cruiser takes off on a tangent course at high -acceleration. It exceeds the speed of the target, and then turns to -intercept the course of the target at some distant spot—calculated on -the proposition of the sub-cruiser driving powerless, or coasting. The -shell is re-established, and the target and the sub-cruiser converge. -At point-blank range, the sub-cruiser lets fly with interferers and -torpedoes, and continues on and on until it is out of range once more.</p> - -<p>"The target is either demolished; or missed, requiring a second try. -At worst, the target knows that from out of the uninhabited sky there -has come a horde of interferers and torpedoes, and there is nothing to -shoot at. They still do not know which way the blast will come from -next. Follow?"</p> - -<p>"Sounds cumbersome," said Greggor. "But it may work."</p> - -<p>"Is that what you've been working on?" asked Laura.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"Sounds as though we have genius in our midst," she answered, flashing -Guy a glance that made his heart leap.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I—" started Guy, and then remembered the whole tale again. He -couldn't really take credit for this. It wasn't truly his idea; that -had come from Ertene. The application of the light-shield had been his, -but they were giving him credit for the whole thing.</p> - -<p>That was not fair—and yet he knew that he must take false credit or -betray not only himself but Ertene, too. And now that his die was cast, -he must never waver from that plan. To do so would bring the wrath of -the Board of Investigation for his not telling all upon his arrival.</p> - -<p>So he stopped the deprecatory sentence and merely smiled.</p> - -<p>"—don't think it is too wonderful. It is, or was, but a matter of time -before someone else struck the same idea."</p> - -<p>"But you were first!" said Laura. "And we're going to celebrate. Mind -if I run off with him?" she asked her parents.</p> - -<p>She drew him from the dining room without waiting for an answer.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VII.</p> - -<p>From Sahara Base to New York is a solid, two-hour flight for the -hardiest driver. Maynard was no tyro at the wheel of a sky-driver, and -he drove like fury and made it in slightly over the two-hour mark. He -let the flier down in New Jersey and they took the interurban tube to -the heart of Manhattan.</p> - -<p>Guy was proud. Very proud and very happy. The rayed stars on his lapels -gave him a lift that acted as a firm foundation for the presence of -Laura Greggor, whose company always lifted him high.</p> - -<p>Her hand was at his elbow in a slightly possessive manner, and he was -deliriously happy at the idea of belonging to Laura Greggor. They swept -into the Silver Star, and though he was unknown, the rayed stars of the -senior executive gained him quite a bit more deference than he had ever -known as a junior. He'd been in the Silver Star before; usually it was -too rich for his blood, but he had one year's salary in his wallet, and -the increase in rank warranted shooting the whole wad.</p> - -<p>He palmed a twenty solar note into the head waiter's hand, and the head -waiter led them to a ringside table and removed the "Reserved" sign.</p> - -<p>As they settled, Guy said: "'Reserved'? For whom?"</p> - -<p>"What?" asked Laura.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," said Guy cynically. A great truth had dawned upon him. -Before, he had been refused the better tables because they were -reserved. Now he knew that they were reserved for the ones who could -pay for them. "Dance?"</p> - -<p>Laura was peering into the haze of cigarette smoke and answered -absently: "Not now. I want a cigarette first."</p> - -<p>Maynard handed over the little cylinder and snapped his lighter. Laura -drew deeply, and then turned to scan the crowd once more. She satisfied -herself, and then smoked the cigarette down to the last drag before -consenting to dance.</p> - -<p>"I'm a little rusty," he apologized. "We don't do much dancing in a -destroyer."</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid not," answered Laura.</p> - -<p>"You are as light as ever," he told her. He didn't like the inference; -obviously she had been dancing long and often while he was gone.</p> - -<p>"Forget it," said Laura, catching his thought. She put her forehead -against his chin and sent his pulse racing.</p> - -<p>Too soon the dance was over, and he followed her to their table. Guy -offered Laura another cigarette, and as he was lighting it, a young man -in evening clothes came over and greeted them with a cheery "Hello!"</p> - -<p>Maynard went to his feet, but the stranger draped himself indolently -into a chair which he lifted from a vacant table adjoining. Maynard -shrugged, and sat down, feeling slightly overlooked.</p> - -<p>"Hi, Laura, what brings you here?"</p> - -<p>"He does," said Laura, nodding across the table to Guy. "Guy Maynard, -this is Martin Ingalls."</p> - -<p>Greetings were exchanged, and each man took the other's measure. -"Senior executive, hey?" smiled Ingalls. "That's something!"</p> - -<p>"Oh," said Maynard cheerfully, "they think I've been useful."</p> - -<p>"Keep 'em thinking that," suggested Ingalls, "and you'll get along -fine."</p> - -<p>"He'll get along fine," offered Laura. "But what are you doing here?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, Timmy and Alice hauled me in for dinner. They're over there."</p> - -<p>"Well! Let's join them!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Maynard swallowed imperceptibly. He wanted Laura to himself. And here -was a young man faultlessly attired in evening clothing who came to a -place like the Silver Star for dinner.</p> - -<p>He nodded dully, and followed to another table where a couple sat -waiting. The man known as Timmy handed over a twenty solar bill and -said, laughingly: "All right, Mart. You win."</p> - -<p>"What was the bet?" asked Laura.</p> - -<p>"I bet Mart that he couldn't get you over here."</p> - -<p>"That was a foolish bet," said Laura. "I'm always happy to be with -friends."</p> - -<p>"We know," said Alice. "But your friend has a brand new set of rayed -stars on, and I told both of these monkeys that it looked like a -celebration to me—and lay off."</p> - -<p>"Yeah, but if there's any celebrating to be done, we can do it better," -laughed Martin Ingalls.</p> - -<p>"You aren't here alone?" asked Laura.</p> - -<p>"I am a recluse tonight," answered Ingalls. "Nobody loves me."</p> - -<p>"Liar!" said Timmy. "He didn't bother to call anyone."</p> - -<p>"So he's alone," added Ingalls. "And where do we go from here?"</p> - -<p>"Let's go to Havana," suggested Alice. "I've been needing some blood -pressure." To Maynard she added: "If you know a better way to get high -blood pressure without hatred, let me know. Do you?"</p> - -<p>"Better than what?" asked Guy.</p> - -<p>"Dice. I crave excitement."</p> - -<p>"But we just came," objected Maynard.</p> - -<p>"You can leave," said Ingalls. "After all, the Silver Star is nothing -to get wrought up over."</p> - -<p>"Who's to drive?" asked Alice.</p> - -<p>"We'll take Mart's junk," said Timmy. "It'll hold the five of us with -ease."</p> - -<p>"Mine is in New Jersey—we could follow," said Maynard.</p> - -<p>"Now I know we'll take mine," said Martin. "It's on the roof. We'll -waste no time dragging all the way to New Jersey."</p> - -<p>Maynard settled up with the waiter, and within five minutes found -himself seated in the rear seat with Martin Ingalls, and Laura Greggor -between them. The run to Havana was made during a running fire of light -conversation. And from there on, the night became lost to Guy Maynard.</p> - -<p>He followed. He did not lead, not for one minute. They led him from -place to place, and he watched them hazard large sums of money on the -turn of a pair of dice. He joined them, gingerly, hiding his qualms, -and played cautiously. He won, at first, and permitted himself to enjoy -the play as long as he was playing with the other party's money. Then -he lost, and tried to buck up his loss with shrewdness. But skill and -shrewdness never prevail against an honest pair of dice, and these were -strictly honest. So Maynard played doggedly, and his financial status -remained the same. He was a couple of hundred solars behind the game.</p> - -<p>He missed the others, and went to look for them and found them dancing. -He stood on the side line for a few minutes, until Laura spied him. She -broke from Martin's arms and came to him, leading him on to the floor -for the rest of the dancing.</p> - -<p>The excitement had done its work on Laura. Her eyes were bright, and -her hair was ever-so-slightly mussed, which removed the showcase -perfection and made her, to Maynard, a glamorous and wonderful thing. -His arm tightened about her waist, and she responded gently.</p> - -<p>"Like this?" he asked her quietly.</p> - -<p>Her head nodded against his cheek. Maynard took a deep breath. "You're -lovely," he said.</p> - -<p>Laura caressed his cheek with her forehead. "It's been a wonderful -evening," she said. "But I'm getting tired. Let's go home?"</p> - -<p>Guy lifted his left hand from hers and stroked her hair. "Anything you -want," he promised.</p> - -<p>"You're a grand person," she said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The music stopped, and Maynard felt that the spell of the evening -stopped with it. They found Alice, Timmy, and Martin at the bar, and -Martin called for drinks for them. "A final nightcap," he said, "to a -perfect evening."</p> - -<p>They agreed to his toast.</p> - -<p>"And now," said Martin practically. "As to getting home."</p> - -<p>"Yes, indeed. Who lives where?"</p> - -<p>"We are in Florida," said Timmy. "We can catch us a cab."</p> - -<p>"The rest of us—at least Guy and I are from Sahara Base," said Laura. -"But Guy's flier is in New Jersey."</p> - -<p>"Shame to make you travel all that way," said Martin. "Should have -thought of that when I demanded that we all take my crate. I'm deucedly -sorry, Guy."</p> - -<p>"Forget it," said Maynard with a wave of his hand.</p> - -<p>"I can do this much for you, though," offered Ingalls. "It's past dawn -at Sahara now, and since you folks live by the sun, I can imagine that -Laura is about asleep on her feet. Look, Maynard, you're used to a -rigorous life; you can take this sort of thing. Laura can't. I live by -New York time and am therefore several hours better off than she for -sleep. I'll run her across the pond, and you traipse up to New Jersey -for that flier of yours. That way Laura will get to bed an hour sooner. -What say?"</p> - -<p>Maynard groped. How could he tell Ingalls that he wanted to take Laura -home without sounding like a jealous adolescent? Perhaps he was, but -he didn't want to sound childish in front of these people. Ingalls' -suggestion was reasonable, from a practical standpoint, but Maynard did -not want to be practical. He thought that Laura should have objected; -surely she would prefer that he see her home. She <i>should</i> prefer it, -according to etiquette. But she did not protest, and Maynard sacrificed -his desire for the benefit of practicality.</p> - -<p>They said good-by, and Laura patted his cheek and made him promise to -see her soon. Guy promised, and as she turned away to go with Ingalls, -he had a fleeting thought that the pat on the cheek was small solace. -Maynard wanted a bit of loving.</p> - -<p>Instead, he sat on the far side of Alice from Timmy, and watched Alice -doze on Timmy's shoulder all the way from Havana to Miami. Their -good-by was quick, and though Timmy demanded his right to pay this part -of the fare on the basis that Maynard had a long drag ahead and that -this portion of the trip would have been his anyway, Guy laughed and -waved the other man out of the cab with a cheery: "See you later!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Dawn was over New York when Maynard's flier started out across the -Atlantic toward Sahara Base. Maynard dropped in his landing-space at -Sahara nearly two and one half hours later, and wearily made his way -toward home.</p> - -<p>The smell of good coffee caused him to stop, and he entered the small -lunchroom with remembrance. Coffee and breakfast might take the pang -out of the night's lack of climax, so Guy seated himself at the long -counter and toyed with the menu. The waitress came forward, recognized -him, and said: "Guy Maynard! Well! Hello!"</p> - -<p>Guy looked up. The open welcome sound in the voice was good to hear. He -smiled wearily and answered: "Howdy, Joan. Glad to see me back?"</p> - -<p>Joan leaned forward over the counter and put her elbows down, cradling -her chin on the interlaced fingers. "You, Guy Maynard, are a sight for -sore eyes. Over at Mother Andrew's we thought you were a real M-12."</p> - -<p>"I am," he smiled. Joan and the rest of the people might think they -knew the real purpose of M-12. Those who lived within the vastness of -Sahara Base had good reason to think as they did, but Maynard believed -that this was as good a time as any to dispel that belief. "I am a real -M-12. I've been off working on some hush-hush. You're still living at -Mother Andrew's?"</p> - -<p>"You bet. I'm going to stay there, what's more, until my name isn't -Forbes any more," and Joan held up the bare left hand. "We missed you -every morning at breakfast."</p> - -<p>"I saw her last night. She kept my room in fine shape."</p> - -<p>"She's wonderful," Joan yawned.</p> - -<p>"Tired?"</p> - -<p>"Uh-huh. I've been on the dawn patrol. Look, Guy, I'm going off in -about an hour. Have yourself a good, hearty breakfast, and you may walk -me home. O.K.?"</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard looked into Joan's cheerful face and nodded. Joan shook her -curls at him, and without asking for his order, she went to the kitchen -and was gone for fifteen minutes. When she returned, she was laden with -breakfast, complete from grapefruit to toast. She drew his coffee, -sugared and creamed it, and then said: "Pitch in, spaceman. Have a good -breakfast. I'll bet my hat that you haven't had one like that since -you left on that M-12."</p> - -<p>Maynard looked the counter-full over and said: "You are right, Joan."</p> - -<p>He set to with a will, and when he finished, Joan was ready to leave.</p> - -<p>They walked home in almost-silence. Joan knew better than to press him -concerning tales of his activities while on the mission, and she was -wise enough to know better than to speak of other men and other fun -to a man who has been away and at work. Nothing had happened to her -worth mentioning, and the rest of her life had been discussed with Guy -Maynard long ago.</p> - -<p>As for Guy, he felt at ease. He did not know it; he was unaware of the -reason for his better-feeling. He did know that the tightness was gone -from the muscles across his stomach, and he felt less like running -and hiding than he had in hours. He wondered whether the coffee and -excellent breakfast had done it, and then forgot about it. He felt too -good to wonder why.</p> - -<p>They walked in silence and partly in understanding companionship. -Maynard knew that he needed no "act" to impress Joan. She would accept -him as he was. And when Joan spoke, she directed her thought at him, -which made him feel at ease.</p> - -<p>Together they entered Mother Andrew's apartments, and as Joan did not -dismiss him, he followed up the stairs to the door of her apartment. -She fumbled with the key and the door swung open.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said, extending a hand, "it's been nice seeing you again."</p> - -<p>Joan took the hand and gave it a gentle pressure. She smiled up at him -mischievously and said: "Is that the best you can do?" She laughed, but -her laugh was gentle.</p> - -<p>Instinctively, Guy put his free hand on her shoulder, and her head went -back so that she faced him squarely. "You know, I think you've been -lonely," she told him. She did not evade him, but went into his arms -willingly, almost eagerly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VIII.</p> - -<p>The days that followed were busy, indeed. Maynard found that the -increase in rank not only gave him more pay, but more authority too. -He was now entitled, by his rank of senior executive, to command one of -the speedy, small destroyers, and his command was being prepared for -him.</p> - -<p>Unlike other, normal commands, the <i>Asterite</i> was being fitted with -laboratory equipment, and was to be staffed with technical men. Maynard -found himself literally swamped with paper work, and he was expected -to supervise the installation of the equipment too. But he found time -to dine with Kane twice, and the publisher extracted a promise from -Maynard that the young officer should co-operate with him.</p> - -<p>When the time for leaving was at hand, Guy made his parting with Laura -Greggor at the Greggor home. Laura, realizing that her actions had not -been too complimentary to him, was duly affectionate. Guy left there -with his heart high and his spirit unbeatable.</p> - -<p>He went home and packed, and as he was leaving for the <i>Asterite</i>, he -paused and knocked on Joan's door. There was no answer, and so Maynard -asked Mother Andrew to tell the girl good-by for him.</p> - -<p>The elderly woman smiled cheerfully and said: "She knew she'd miss you, -Guy. She left this letter. You're to read it after you get aboard your -command."</p> - -<p>"After?" asked Maynard. "Nonsense." He ripped the envelope and read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Dear Guy:</p> - -<p>I was right. You were lonely. Space must be lonely; even if for no -other reason than its vastness. I've been told before, but I didn't -realize. You've been lonely, Guy, and you will be lonely again, once -you are back in space. I may not keep you from loneliness there, Guy, -but please, never be lonely again when at home.</p> - -<p class="ph2">Joan.</p></div> - -<p>"She's a fine girl," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"Joan Forbes is one of the world's finest," said Mother Andrew -positively. She was gratified to see him put the letter in an inside -pocket as he left. What was in Guy's mind, she could not guess, but she -believed that he was slightly muddled, for some reason.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy was confused. There was something wrong with the way things went, -and he was not brilliant enough to understand the trouble. He gave it -up as a major problem after trying several times to unravel the tangle.</p> - -<p>Then, too, there was no time to think about it. His problem lost -importance when displayed against the program he had set out to cover.</p> - -<p>And as the miles and the days sped by, the problem at hand became -the important thing, and the other problem died in dimness. The -<i>Asterite</i> moved swiftly out into the region beyond the Belt, and into -a completely untenanted region that was marked by absolutely nothing. -On his astrogator's chart, a dotted line was labeled Neptune, but the -planet itself was almost in quadrature with that position. Pluto was -on the far side of Sol from him, and Saturn and Uranus were motes of -unwinking light in almost-opposition to Neptune.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus7.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>He was alone with his crew. They worked diligently, setting up -the barrier-screen generators, and when they had them working to -satisfaction, they tried variations.</p> - -<p>The pilot worked upon their course day by day until it was corrected -and stable; an orbit about a mythical point, the centripetal force -of the outward-directed drive being in balance with the centrifugal -force of their orbit. It made them a neat 1-G for stability, and did -not cause them to cover astral units in seconds, or require continuous -turnovers for deceleration and return, which would have been the case -had no orbit been established.</p> - -<p>Their work progressed. The neat, orderly arrangement of the scanning -room became slightly haywire as they ran jury-rigged circuits in from -the barrier-generators.</p> - -<p>No petty quarreling marred their work. This was partly due to the -training of the men at Patrol School, and partly due to Maynard's -foresight in picking his crew. He had done a masterful job, for in this -kind of job, the tedious nature of flight was amplified, and the lack -of any variation in the day's duration, or of one day from the one past -or the one coming next, made men rub each other the wrong way.</p> - -<p>And part of it was due to the nature of the job, enigmatically. They -were working on something entirely new. It was interesting to watch the -results pile up, and to add to the diary of the experiment the day's -observations and the opinions of the workers.</p> - -<p>Then as the end came in sight, the inevitable irritation flared briefly -as the technician tossed his chessboard aside with a snort and stamped -to his quarters. It might have started a long chain of events if a -real diversion had not presented itself, right in the technician's -department.</p> - -<p>Maynard heard the communicator snap on, and listened.</p> - -<p>"Technician to Executive: Spacecraft approaching. Range extreme, about -one point seven megs."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus8.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"One million, seven hundred miles," said Maynard aloud. "Technician: -can you get a reading?"</p> - -<p>"The cardex is chewing on the evidence, sir," came the reply.</p> - -<p>"Let me know as soon as you get the answer, Stan."</p> - -<p>"O.K. Here it is. It is the <i>Loki</i>, a private craft owned by the -publisher, Kane. Want the vital statistics?"</p> - -<p>"Forget the color of eyes, weight, and fighting trim," smiled Maynard. -"What's his course and velocity?"</p> - -<p>"Deceleration at about 4-Gs, course within ten thousand miles of us. -Velocity less than a thousand miles per second."</p> - -<p>"How soon can we match her speed?"</p> - -<p>"Depends upon their willingness. Perhaps ten or twelve hours will do -it," answered Stan. "Get your astrogator on it."</p> - -<p>"Executive to astrogator: Have you been listening?"</p> - -<p>"Astrogator. You bet, and Stan's wild. Make it fourteen hours."</p> - -<p>"Executive to pilot: Contact astrogator and follow course. Stan, will -you try to contact them? I think it's your job, since they're at -extreme range. Communications, you try with the standard sets, but I -will not have any tinkering with the set-up in an effort to get another -mile of range out of it."</p> - -<p>"This is Stan. I have them on a weakling signals, they're asking for -you."</p> - -<p>"Tell 'em I'm here and we'll see 'em later. Check their course and -prepare to match it. Then tell 'em to keep silence. That's an official -order. Follow?"</p> - -<p>"Check."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Fourteen hours later, Thomas Kane came across the intervening space in -a tender and shook Maynard by the hand.</p> - -<p>"Kane! How are you?"</p> - -<p>"Fine. And you?"</p> - -<p>"The same. But how did you find us?"</p> - -<p>"Did a little ferreting."</p> - -<p>"Did you know this is restricted space?"</p> - -<p>"Sure, but forget it. How's the experiment?"</p> - -<p>"Excellent."</p> - -<p>"Mind telling all?"</p> - -<p>"No. We set up a barrier on the <i>Asterite</i>, here, and have been testing -and investigating it for months, as you know."</p> - -<p>"Have you licked the main bugaboo?"</p> - -<p>"We'll never lick that one. The drive, being a type of radiation, will -not pass the barrier and so will not drive us. We can not discover a -range of radiation that passes outward at all, though there is some -minute leakage. The latter is absolutely insufficient to do any good."</p> - -<p>"Too bad."</p> - -<p>"It is. But the barrier is a good thing."</p> - -<p>"Oh, it'll serve in spite of its difficulties."</p> - -<p>"We developed the reverse, too. In addition to the barrier, we have -what we call a disperser. It is the reverse of the barrier in every -way."</p> - -<p>"That's interesting. You can drive through that one?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but that's strictly impractical for space maneuvers. You see, -both barriers are tenuous with regard to material bodies. A torpedo -will pass without knowing that a barrier is there. And no ship can -hope to match acceleration with a torpedo, roaring along at a hundred -Gs or better. The barrier will keep a ship from detection, but it -is sudden death to the ship if its presence is known. AutoMacs will -burn the ship to nothing, torpedoes will enter and blast. Even misses -with the AutoMacs cause trouble because their energy goes into the -barrier-sphere and remains, reflecting off of the insides of the sphere -until absorbed by the ship. The trick in use is to speed up and stab -with torpedoes, and then continue on your course undetected until a -safe distance is covered.</p> - -<p>"The disperser screen is opposite. It will protect against AutoMacs -or any other energy. It is detectable in itself, since it reflects -anything sent against it, and also passes any inside energy right out -through the screen. A ship with one of those is bear-meat. The AutoMacs -wouldn't be used at all, a torpedo will be shot out to blast it from -the universe. No, the disperser is useless."</p> - -<p>"Do torpedoes work on the barrier?"</p> - -<p>"Not too well," said Maynard. "You see, their aiming and steering -circuits are useless until a target is set. Since the sphere is -nonradiating, the only way you can fire a torpedo into a sub-ship is -to aim it well and drive it into the barrier-screen by sheer aim. Once -inside the screen, however, it will track the target. It will bar -against drive-interferers, too. But take my word for it, there is -nothing good about the disperser."</p> - -<p>"How about combining them?"</p> - -<p>"We had that idea, too," laughed Maynard. "No dice."</p> - -<p>"Why? Seems to me—?"</p> - -<p>"When the barrier is equal to the disperser, they cancel, believe it -or not. If the barrier is put inside of the disperser, the disperser -can not form since the barrier also bars the radiation that sets up -the disperser screen. It will also bar the idea of establishing two -barriers, too, by the way. On the other hand, if the disperser is put -inside of the barrier, they can be held. But—and this is a big but, -Kane, energy enters the barrier, and energy emanates from the ship, and -there is a stress set up in the volume between the two spheres that -sets up a counter force that blows the generators right out of this -universe."</p> - -<p>"You seem to have seen the whole works," smiled Kane.</p> - -<p>"You know, I can't even see the idea of carrying this disperser -equipment on a detector to go up in case of attack with AutoMacs, -even if it could be made to establish instantly. Just takes up good -room—the generators, I mean."</p> - -<p>"What's the generating time?"</p> - -<p>"Seventy-three milliseconds is the best we've been able to clock. -That's a close screen, and it takes considerable stability in the -generators to hold it. The best barriers for distance and power -establish in point one nine eight seconds. Anything beyond that -would require too much holding power, anything closer requires more -generator stability."</p> - -<p>"How does instability affect the screen?"</p> - -<p>"Won't hold up. It collapses, and the build-up begins from zero again. -That would be dangerous."</p> - -<p>"You've been a busy boy," smiled Kane. "Also a definite credit to us -all."</p> - -<p>"Thanks."</p> - -<p>"And how do you intend to operate this thing in practice?" asked Kane. -"Not attack, in defense. I mean?"</p> - -<p>"We've got the thing hitched to the finders," Maynard punched a -switch. "Now, for instance, if anything that radiates comes within -detector range of us, the barrier goes on. You'll see that everything -is tacked down. We've been trying it out with the tenders, and the -first time we did it, we went free and everything floated around the -place in no-gravity. We're now protected, and if your pilot should kick -his drive, we'd go free." Maynard adjusted three dials. "Now," he said, -"the spotter is set to neglect any radiation from the <i>Loki</i>. We can -set up many such channels, compensating for every ship in a flight, and -yet have the whole flight protected in case of intrusion by another -ship."</p> - -<p>"You've got everything all set, haven't you?"</p> - -<p>"Just about. If we had torpedoes, we could declare a private war on -Mars."</p> - -<p>"Then you're about finished?"</p> - -<p>"Just about. Want to come in with us, or will you go in the <i>Loki</i>?"</p> - -<p>"I'll ride with you, if you do not mind."</p> - -<p>"Not at all," smiled Guy. "Executive to Communications: Inform <i>Loki</i> -that Kane will return with us, and to make for Terra immediately."</p> - -<p>"Check."</p> - -<p>"We'll lose him," grinned Guy. "We're all set for 5-G."</p> - -<p>"He'll take it easy, at three. I don't mind."</p> - -<p>"Executive to Pilot: Take course for Terra at five!"</p> - -<p>"Check!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The <i>Asterite</i> turned and left the <i>Loki</i> far behind, and the velocity -began to build up for the return trip. An hour later, with the -<i>Asterite</i> bettering a hundred miles per second, the second incident -occurred. It came as a complete surprise, since they were running -through a restricted space, and Maynard remarked that it looked more -like a public thoroughfare.</p> - -<p>The finder-alarm clanged stridently, and immediately the ship went -free. Men clutched at the hand-rails, and as they settled down, the -technician took the communicator and started to speak excitably: -"Technician to crew: Hold your hats! We're about to be passed by the -<i>Orionad</i>!"</p> - -<p>"<i>Orionad?</i> Holy Pete!" exploded Maynard. "See that this confounded -screen doesn't fail. If it dies, so do we!"</p> - -<p>"Huh?" asked Kane.</p> - -<p>"This restricted space was created for the <i>Orionad</i> to return through. -The nature of the restriction is such that anyone of official nature -will be warned, and no civil traffic will be cleared through here. I am -here because I didn't think the <i>Orionad</i> was due to return yet, and -you came because you probably left without clearance. Right?"</p> - -<p>"Right."</p> - -<p>"Well, the <i>Orionad</i> believes that anybody who is in the restricted -space is an enemy; spying upon their course. The consequences are -clear."</p> - -<p>"I hope they hold that screen," said Kane. "But what about Jimmy? My -pilot?"</p> - -<p>Maynard groaned. "He's several thousand miles behind, and any attempts -to save him would fail. The <i>Orionad</i> will recognize no incoming -signals. Nothing we can do will save him!" Maynard groaned, and then -he brightened briefly. "Stan!" he called. "What's the chances of the -<i>Orionad</i> missing the <i>Loki</i>?"</p> - -<p>"Not too bad," said the technician. "They'll be running with their -finder at cruising range, and they'll just touch us. <i>Loki</i> is sliding -sidewise and may be out of range."</p> - -<p>"We hope. Well, keep it going, fellows. This may be dangerous."</p> - -<p>Time passed slowly and ponderously, and the <i>Orionad</i> caught up and -passed the <i>Loki</i> without seeing or detecting the publisher's ship. Of -this, Maynard was certain, since the celestial globe would have flared -briefly had any action been taken against the <i>Loki</i>.</p> - -<p>Then as the <i>Orionad</i> passed the <i>Asterite</i>, Maynard said: "Chalk us -up a win, Kane. Your crate is safe."</p> - -<p>"You're certain?"</p> - -<p>"I am. <i>Loki</i> is now beyond range of our detector, which was souped -up and is running at overload range. <i>Orionad</i>'s detectors would be -running at cruising range, which I happen to know is one quarter -meg—two hundred and fifty thousand miles, to you."</p> - -<p>"I see. <i>Loki</i> is on the far side of us from the <i>Orionad</i>, and their -distance is such that their cruising range on the detector is less than -the distance to <i>Loki</i>?"</p> - -<p>"Right. And give us another ten minutes, and <i>Orionad</i> will go beyond -detection range from us. Cruising range, that is."</p> - -<p>"Mark yourself up a credit for this one, too," smiled Kane. "If you -were an enemy, you could surely score one on the super ship itself."</p> - -<p>"Sure could," agreed Guy enthusiastically.</p> - -<p>Stan Norman said: "Technician to Executive: May I enter this encounter -in the log?"</p> - -<p>"Go ahead," said Guy. "They'll never believe us, though."</p> - -<p>"Wouldn't a definite statement of their course and velocity be -evidence?"</p> - -<p>"Nope. I happen to know it. It was part of the maneuver secret that I -was kidnaped for, remember."</p> - -<p>"They'd just accuse you of telling tall tales that couldn't be -substantiated," agreed Kane. "The crew and myself would be considered -biased witnesses. I'd sure like to cinch the argument, though."</p> - -<p>"So would I," said Guy thoughtfully.</p> - -<p>"Do you trust this dingbat of yours? The barrier, I mean."</p> - -<p>"Naturally."</p> - -<p>"Then couldn't we really do something about it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know what—unless we splashed them with a bucket of paint. -We have a gallon of bright red, wire-impregnating varnish. Executive -to Pilot, Astrogator, Technician, and Observer: Get the course of the -<i>Orionad</i> to the last millimeter. Both the intrinsic course and the -course with respect to the <i>Asterite</i>. Then plot a free flight across -their path to intercept within a thousand feet at thirty degrees angle. -You know the standard attack problem as we have designed it; this is -an applied problem, fellows. We're going to label the <i>Orionad</i>! And -when they land, they're going to bear the <i>Asterite</i>'s trademark, and -they'll not know it until we make Terra. Like?"</p> - -<p>"We're on it now," said Stan.</p> - -<p>"And working in nine decimals," added Astrogator Cummins.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Technician Norman stretched his back, and started to gather his tools. -"So far," he told Maynard, "every instrument we need has been checked -and corrected to the last micron. Turretman Hastings and Machinist -Trenton have converted one of the mounts to a spring-loaded gadget to -propel a gallon-sized cannister of plastic material. Adkins has just -cemented such a cylinder together and filled it with the wire gluck. -I hope we hit the main personnel lock; it'll stay glucky until they -land, and that wire-impregnating googoo ranks high among the things I -wouldn't care to bathe in."</p> - -<p>"It ranks top with me," said Maynard.</p> - -<p>"To me, it is outranked only by chewing gum and rubber cement. But -anyway, we're ready, all of us."</p> - -<p>"That correct?" asked Maynard of the crew.</p> - -<p>A series of "Check" shouts came in ragged confusion.</p> - -<p>"O.K. Start going!"</p> - -<p>With the instruments under personal supervision, the <i>Asterite</i> -accelerated in a wide circle, and then corrected the side-vector -component of her course.</p> - -<p>Then for an hour solid, the <i>Asterite</i> accelerated on a die-true -course. The components of the intersection were complex because the -<i>Orionad</i> was in deceleration all the time, while the <i>Asterite</i> was -in acceleration, and would be picking up speed until the barrier -established; then the little destroyer would coast free, crossing the -<i>Orionad</i>'s course at the precise instant that the super ship came to -the course of the free-flying <i>Asterite</i>.</p> - -<p>The last driving moments of the <i>Asterite</i>'s maneuver passed. The -barrier went on, and the tiny ship went free. Time passed, and -eventually the <i>Orionad</i>, long beyond detector range, came into the -scope of the <i>Asterite</i>'s souped-up finder.</p> - -<p>Furious and extensive checking on the part of the crew resulted in the -information that everything was going according to plan.</p> - -<p>More time passed, and now within sight, the two ships were converging. -They became tense, a single moment of failure would be death for all. -But the barrier held, as they expected it to, and with lightning -velocity, the two ships crossed at thirty degrees angle.</p> - -<p>"Fire!" called the technician.</p> - -<p>"Stick to your meters," drawled Turretman Hastings. "This is a -job for an eyepiece and fingertip man. A man, may I say, with eyes -in his fingertips. A man, may I add ... Ughh. There she goes, -fellers!... who is capable of doing things based upon the excellency -of his coordination."</p> - -<p>"What a line of baloney," snorted Norman. "Did he follow through on -that malarkey?"</p> - -<p>"And, may I add," drawled Hastings, "a man who never claims ability -beyond his capability? Who never claims that which he is unable to -produce. The <i>Orionad</i> is now bearing a great, ugly, irregular circle -of bright red, gooey paint."</p> - -<p>"Are they aware?"</p> - -<p>"Apparently not," said Technician Norman. "Also, the projectile we -tossed at them is nondetectable and nonradiating, and was in the -separation-space too briefly for observation. Another thing, we hit 'em -in a blind spot."</p> - -<p>"Blind spot?" asked Kane. "I didn't know she had any."</p> - -<p>"She hasn't. What I meant was that we hit 'em in a bald spot. They'll -not see the mess until they land. Pilot, how're we doing?"</p> - -<p>"Fine. We're coasting away at a great rate."</p> - -<p>"Well, get this barrier down as soon as you get out of range. Wait -until you are out of operating range, but don't worry about extreme -range unless you think they smell a crate full of mice."</p> - -<p>"Right-o."</p> - -<p>"You know, Kane, that was fun, sort of. But I hate to think of what -they will say back home. I'm liable to get busted right down to a -junior aide again."</p> - -<p>"They can't break you for that kind of demonstration," said Kane.</p> - -<p>"Yes they can. I'm still at the mercy of my superiors."</p> - -<p>Kane smiled. "No, you're not. I forgot to tell you—or you didn't -let me get to the point of my coming. But, Guy Maynard, since the -successful establishment of the Plutonian shield, you are now a sector -commander. That gives you—"</p> - -<p>"I'm what?" asked Maynard.</p> - -<p>"A sector commander. Here, if you don't believe me," and Kane handed -Guy a tiny box. Guy opened it, and found lapel-insignia; the circling -comet of the sector commander. In Kane's other hand was an envelope -stamped "Official" which contained official notice of his advance in -rank.</p> - -<p>"That puts you in the upper bracket," said Kane. "You are now on your -own, Guy. Any demonstrations you may give will be viewed officially, -and this is no longer a prank, but a self-assertion; a very definite -evidence of your ability to accomplish the difficult."</p> - -<p>The barrier dropped, and the celestial globe traced the last indication -of the receding <i>Orionad</i> to the surface of the clear, glassite sphere.</p> - -<p>Maynard touched his hat in salute to the <i>Orionad's</i> last glimmer and -said: "Hi!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IX.</p> - -<p>The <i>Asterite</i> beat the <i>Orionad</i> to Terra by a few hours, and in -sufficient time for the report of Maynard's trip to be reviewed by the -Bureau of Ordnance. When they came to the incident of the painting, -they laughed first, and then called Malcolm Greggor to ascertain the -moment of the <i>Orionad</i>'s landing. Armed with the information they went -to the big landing area at Sahara Base, and waited for the big ship to -touch.</p> - -<p>Greggor was there; he arrived almost as they did.</p> - -<p>"What's the meaning of this?" he stormed.</p> - -<p>Patrol Marshal Mantley grinned at the irate man and answered: "Your -erstwhile employee has demonstrated his sub-screen to excellent effect, -Greggor. He hung a gallon of red paint on the <i>Orionad</i> without their -notice."</p> - -<p>"This is preposterous!" exploded Greggor.</p> - -<p>"Not at all," said Mantley. "Sector Commander Maynard was merely -bringing home the effectiveness of his own invention. If he can do that -to the <i>Orionad</i>, no Martie can hope to best us. You must admit that he -has something good."</p> - -<p>"That I admit. But to play such a prank—"</p> - -<p>"No prank, Greggor. This was a very convincing demonstration. How -can you possibly classify such an epoch-making act as a prank? It is -deplorable that your pride and joy should be thus decorated by a -mere ... he was but Senior Executive Maynard at the time ... destroyer, -a spacecraft one tenth the tonnage of the <i>Orionad</i>. But I insist that -it does not detract from the pride of the <i>Orionad</i> to have been bested -by such a weapon."</p> - -<p>"I feel as though I've been made a fool of."</p> - -<p>"Ridiculous! It is not an admission of defeat to acknowledge a minor -defeat at the hands of a man who is responsible for making Pluto -inhabitable. After all, Greggor, Maynard is one in fifty billion."</p> - -<p>Greggor smiled wryly. "When you put it that way, I must admit," he -said. "Any man who can bring the means of warming a planet to human -climates certainly must be capable of decorating the <i>Orionad</i>. Maybe I -should grow angry again; why should such a genius stoop to tamper with -my ship?"</p> - -<p>"It was available and the best thing we have to boot."</p> - -<p>Maynard interrupted. "Surely you would not believe me capable of -bringing ridicule upon you, Marshal Greggor. It was but a splendid -opportunity to demonstrate what could have been done to an enemy with a -torpedo. What if I had been a Martian?"</p> - -<p>"I agree," said Greggor. Then he laughed uproariously. "We'll pink -Patrol Marshal Inkland with the idea," he said. "Tell him that his -ship was destroyed in space by a real destroyer; that he must have -been asleep. Roast him good, and see what happens. Here she comes—and -Maynard, that splotch of red paint sticks out like a miniature sun. -What a mal-beautiful job of decoration."</p> - -<p>The <i>Orionad</i> landed, and Inkland came across the sand toward the -little group as soon as he saw who it was. He shook hands all around -and smiled until Greggor told him of the decoration.</p> - -<p>Inkland turned red and blustered. "Nothing was within detector range of -me!" he insisted.</p> - -<p>"That slab of red paint says you're wrong," said Greggor sternly.</p> - -<p>Inkland inspected the red paint from where they stood and was forced to -admit that <i>something</i> had been close enough to do it while in space. -"Who did that?" he stormed.</p> - -<p>Mantley indicated Maynard, and Inkland strode over to Guy with murder -in his eye. "You insolent young puppy—I'll see that you lose your -rank, senior executive." He whirled to the assembly and said: "No -matter what was done, the fact that a mere senior executive did it is -good enough to prove that it was a prank—"</p> - -<p>"Just a moment," snapped Maynard. "First, I resent being called a -puppy. I dislike being called insolent. And third, I defy your intent -to deprive me of my rank!"</p> - -<p>"Why you—"</p> - -<p>"For your troubles, Patrol Marshal Inkland, I shall consider my success -complete upon the day that I command the <i>Orionad</i> myself!"</p> - -<p>"Ridiculous."</p> - -<p>"Inkland," said Mantley softly, "I would speak more even. You are at -fault, and the fact that Sector Commander Maynard has decorated your -ship in a complex space maneuver of his own device should bring praise -from you instead of hatred."</p> - -<p>"Sector Commander?" asked Inkland.</p> - -<p>"His insignia has not been properly installed," said Space Marshal -Greggor with a fatherly smile. "But his rank has. And if young Guy -Maynard puts his aim at commanding the <i>Orionad</i>, I'm beginning to -believe that I would start looking for another job, if I were you."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Inkland turned upon his heel and left, with no further word.</p> - -<p>The group of high-ranking officers followed him at length, leaving -Maynard to watch the mighty <i>Orionad</i> being serviced and unloaded. -He stood there for some time, relaxing and enjoying the fresh air -and watching the operations. He found a comfortable spot, and seated -himself lazily.</p> - -<p>He did not sleep, though he did drowse a bit, and a sparse circle -of cigarette butts began to surround him. He did not care; his last -sojourn into space had made him appreciative of the comforts of just -being on Earth where he could watch the sky and the ground meeting at -the horizon.</p> - -<p>He was not molested; though many people came to see the monster -<i>Orionad</i>, none bothered him until the day wore into late afternoon. -His first visitor was Laura Greggor.</p> - -<p>"Guy," she said. Her voice was neither sharp nor inviting, but rather a -flat tone of greeting.</p> - -<p>Guy leaped to his feet and reached for her hands. "Laura!" he breathed. -"It's good to see you!"</p> - -<p>"I thank you for that," she said coldly.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus6.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Why," he asked her, "what's the matter?"</p> - -<p>"Guy, before I go any further, I want to know something. Did you, or -did you not decorate father's ship?"</p> - -<p>"Why," he answered proudly, "I most certainly did."</p> - -<p>"I didn't believe it of you," she said sharply.</p> - -<p>"There was nothing wrong with it," he said. "It was the best thing that -happened to me."</p> - -<p>"You believe that?" asked Laura.</p> - -<p>"I certainly do. After all, it proved the worth of my invention. -And," he added eagerly, "it gave me another set of insignia to have -installed."</p> - -<p>"If the worth of your invention is more interesting to you than the -interest of my father's office," said Laura sharply, "your latest rise -in power—made by using father's finest ship as a stepping stone—is of -little interest to me."</p> - -<p>"But Laura. I'm a sector commander now. And you may have my senior -executive's stars."</p> - -<p>"I have a fair collection," said Laura coldly. "You may bring me your -patrol marshal's nebula when you're raised to sector marshal. Good day!"</p> - -<p>She stamped off angrily, and Maynard searched his mind for the answer -to the question, and gave it up as one of the unanswerable mysteries of -life. If Malcolm Greggor could look upon the incident without rancor, -why should she turn upon him? Any reasoning he did made no sense.</p> - -<p>And as he stood there, footsteps made him aware of another visitor. He -turned to see Joan Forbes.</p> - -<p>"Hello," she said brightly. "I was on my way to the lunchroom and -passed by to see the Big Fellow." She indicated the <i>Orionad</i> now being -illuminated by mighty floodlights in the dusk. "I found you instead."</p> - -<p>"Hi," he said to her. "What's new?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing in my life," she said with a broad smile. Her eye caught the -boxed insignia in Guy's clenched hand. "I see that something is new in -yours. May I salute you, Sector Commander?"</p> - -<p>Guy looked at her with a half-smile as she stepped back and cast him a -womanly salute. "Congratulations," she said, offering her hand.</p> - -<p>Guy looked first at her face, and then at her outstretched hand. -Instead of taking it in his for a handshake in friendship, which -was the manner of its offering, Guy placed the opened box in the -outstretched fingers.</p> - -<p>Joan blinked, and looked down at the box in surprise for a moment. Then -she brightened.</p> - -<p>She stepped forward and removed the rayed stars from Guy's lapel and -replaced them with the circularly tailed comets. She stepped back, -saluted him silently, and then came forward and kissed him on the lips. -Her caress was affectionate, but brief.</p> - -<p>"You're properly installed, commander," she told him. "But if I don't -hurry, I'll be un-installed by my boss. I've got to run along. Keep -rising, Guy!"</p> - -<p>And with that she was gone.</p> - -<p>Guy looked at the empty box, and then at the comets on his lapels.</p> - -<p>And from them, across to the <i>Orionad</i>.</p> - -<p>And a challenge arose to confront him. He would be sector marshal one -day, and whether he took his patrol marshal's insignia to Laura Greggor -depended only upon her. And he would also command the <i>Orionad</i>.</p> - -<p>He clenched his fist upon the empty box, crushing it. His question was -not: Would he command the <i>Orionad</i>? It was: How long would it take?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It took five years. Five long, toilsome years.</p> - -<p>But five years of constantly increasing, constantly expanding, -constantly improving. He never forgot the day of the <i>Orionad</i>'s -landing in all that five years, though there was evidence that Laura -Greggor had been reprimanded by Malcolm Greggor for her actions. But -Maynard remembered, and it was Joan Forbes that pinned the silver -nebula on his lapels—in public as befitted a Patrol Marshal—just -before he stepped aboard the <i>Orionad</i> to take his first major command.</p> - -<p>He hoped that Laura Greggor remembered.</p> - -<p>Then the <i>Orionad</i> sped into the sky above Sahara Base on the way to -Pluto.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard was on his way to the top. Ertene was a dim remembrance by -now, and though he could almost pick out the spot of the nomad planet's -present position, it occurred to him only at odd intervals. Ertene was -gone. But the strength of Ertene's knowledge was serving both him and -Terra, and her brief visit was not wasted.</p> - -<p>Maynard lost himself in reverie for a half hour, relaxing in the -luxury of the master's office aboard the mighty <i>Orionad</i>. Then Guy's -active mind asserted itself, and he called the chief technician for a -conference.</p> - -<p>Senior Executive Martin Carrington entered the office and stood at -attention, and Guy recalled briefly that on his first command, he -had been of the same rank as his chief technician now. Then he asked -Carrington to be seated.</p> - -<p>"Carrington, I've been worrying."</p> - -<p>"Worrying, sir?"</p> - -<p>"Suppose we are attacked by a sub-ship? How may we detect him?"</p> - -<p>"You are supposing that the Martians gain the secret."</p> - -<p>"I fear they will, some day. We haven't all the brains, you know."</p> - -<p>"But a Martie, sir?"</p> - -<p>"They may capture one of ours by a fluke. Then we'd all be bear-meat."</p> - -<p>"Hardly possible, sir."</p> - -<p>"Then accept it as hypothetical, Carrington. Take off from there and -answer my question."</p> - -<p>"That I cannot do, sir. Frankly, I do not know."</p> - -<p>"Then listen. I have an idea; I want you to pass on its value."</p> - -<p>"I shall try, sir."</p> - -<p>"Carrington, is it possible to establish a celestial globe that is -capable of giving a negative action? No, wait, I'll explain. Our -present celestial globe is positive; it operates by three-dimensional -fluorescence in the sphere, glowing when a positive radiation comes in -from a spaceship. What I want is a negative indication: one that will -glow in any location from which there comes absolutely zero radiation. -Is that possible?"</p> - -<p>"Hm-m-m," mused Carrington. "Our present level of detection is based -upon the maximum level of celestial radiation, which is fairly constant -in all directions save Solward. Your supposed sphere would operate on -the celestial radiation—with the normal globe the entire sphere would -glow—and be dark everywhere except in a place where all radiation were -absorbed. It would be devilishly ticklish, sir."</p> - -<p>"You follow my reasoning?"</p> - -<p>"Oh certainly. Your idea is to prepare a sphere that glows with no -signal. That can be done with a local signal, which is cut when -no-radiation enters. Hard to say in words, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>Maynard laughed cheerfully. "As long as you get my thought, I don't -care how you say it. The barrier-screen absorbs all radiation. -Therefore any position holding a sub-ship would produce zero radiation. -It would then show on the negative sphere. Right?"</p> - -<p>"I think that's about it," said Carrington.</p> - -<p>"Good. We agree on that. Want to work on it?"</p> - -<p>"Absolutely."</p> - -<p>"It's yours, then. Go ahead and make it tick."</p> - -<p>"That I'll do, sir. We'll have it by the time we hit Pluto."</p> - -<p>"One more thing, Carrington. Keep it under your hat. It's a military -secret, you know."</p> - -<p>"I'll say nothing."</p> - -<p>"Check. I'll be down and see you later."</p> - -<p>Carrington left, and as he went back to his quarters, he told several -of his contemporaries that the new commander was everything that they -had ever heard of him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Finding Pluto was a good job of work for the combined efforts of the -astrogator and the chief pilot. Pluto was completely hidden just as -Ertene was, and Maynard knew the completeness of that shield. It was -done gropingly, by sheer hit and miss effort, but finally a black -circle in the starry sky established above them. And as the pilot -announced his success, it began to spread from a minute spot to -mightiness. Then they passed through the barrier, and Pluto was a -warm, greenish planet above them, much the same as Terra as seen from -Luna.</p> - -<p>The <i>Orionad</i> dropped onto the Spaceport; the entire trip without -incident.</p> - -<p>Maynard signed his command into the base marshal's office and ordered -his chief executive officer to grant planet liberty as he saw fit. -Space Marshal Lincoln smiled at the younger man and told him: "I think -you'll be interested in the experiments going on in the radiation -laboratory."</p> - -<p>"Yes?"</p> - -<p>"They're having a bit of trouble on one of your gadgets."</p> - -<p>"Which one?"</p> - -<p>"The stellar light-filter. Somehow, it doesn't work as you predicted."</p> - -<p>"Why didn't they ask for me sooner?" wondered Maynard. "It's been six -years since I thought that one up—they've had plenty of time."</p> - -<p>"It's possible," admitted Lincoln. "But you forget that it was -extremely complex and highly theoretical. Also, no good use has ever -been found for it. Unlike your other inventions, this seems to be an -experiment in pure research. So we didn't start on it until last, and -it's been three years in the building."</p> - -<p>"So long?"</p> - -<p>"Oh yes. Some of the parts were entirely unheard of before, and many -of the major components had to be built of parts that were designed -for the job. When you design the minor components to assemble the -major components—which also require design—you pyramid the time and -difficulty."</p> - -<p>"I hadn't thought of it that well."</p> - -<p>"I wish you'd go over and tell them what's wrong. Kane, the publisher -came in for the unveiling of the thing, and we'd hate to present him -with a complete failure, in spite of its uselessness."</p> - -<p>"Kane's here? Good, I'll go right over."</p> - -<p>Maynard was youthful enough to be amazed that the weight of his rank -opened a path through the grouped technicians to the complex instrument -that lined the entire wall of the huge laboratory. Kane was near the -center, and the only one in the group that knew Guy Maynard well enough -to call him by his first name: therefore he was the first to speak.</p> - -<p>"You invented this thing, Guy. Can you make it work?"</p> - -<p>Guy blushed. "I didn't invent it—" he started and then saw Kane's -puzzled look, which caused him to pause; then he nodded and finished: -"—I merely worked on it theoretically. I did not have enough equipment -in the lifeship to build any more than a few of the more complex -circuits."</p> - -<p>"Good enough," laughed Kane. "Well you may know more than we do at -that. After all," he said in defense of his statement, "these men have -been working on it for a couple of years."</p> - -<p>A man with the rayed stars of a senior executive offered: "That's not -strictly true, Mr. Kane. We started to work on it about three days -ago—if you consider the instrument as a whole. There have been many -groups working on the components separately, building them up. We -assembled the whole last week."</p> - -<p>"Take a swing at it, Guy."</p> - -<p>"It's a maze to me," admitted Guy. "Let me see the circuits."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It took Maynard some time to figure them out. He was working from -memory now, and it was none too good, plus the fact that he had -memorized the complex circuit in Ertinian symbols and in Ertinian -constants, and they all required conversion to Terran terms. He called -for the group leaders of the various components, and asked them to -report on the functions of their parts.</p> - -<p>Together, they pinned the error down, and corrected it. Then Maynard -turned the thing on himself.</p> - -<p>The broad plate took on a gray-green background, mottled with huge -circular blotches of white. He turned the focusing knob, and the -mottling contracted into individual circles of intense, flaming white. -He reduced the intensity control, and the eye-searing brightness -dimmed to a more comfortable level. More fiddling with the focus, with -alternate adjustment of the intensity, for they were inter-reacting, -and the plate took on the appearance of the sky.</p> - -<p>"So far so good. Now for the shaping control," said Maynard. He -drove the left hand end swirling upward on the plate with one knob, -stretched the stars across the top of the plate, and compressed them -along the right side. He caused them to whirl circularly, and gradually -the distortion dropped until the constellations appeared.</p> - -<p>"There you are," he told the chief technician.</p> - -<p>"Fine. Now what can we do?"</p> - -<p>"Well, there aren't too many planets," said Maynard. "We can decrease -the response of celestial bodies that shine by reflected light. That -one," he said needlessly, since they all knew it well, "is Jupiter. -Watch him fade!" and Maynard turned the knob. After the demonstration, -he returned it to its original position again.</p> - -<p>"On the other hand, we have a lot of stars," he said, turning the other -knob. The starry heavens faded, leaving a widely scattered group of -pinpricks grouped about a deeper black disk. He pointed to the disk and -said: "Since it is the brightest, we may expect it to be the darkest -too. Can't beat Sol from here. At any rate, this knob causes the fading -of all bodies that shine by intrinsic light. The reflected-light bodies -remain, so."</p> - -<p>"Marshal, sir, there are nine of them," said the technician.</p> - -<p>"Well," interrupted Kane, "there are nine planets, aren't there?"</p> - -<p>"Not from one of them," answered the technician. "Or," he asked -Maynard, "would we appear along with the rest?"</p> - -<p>"No," said Maynard slowly. "You're right. There are nine planets, which -counting the one we're on makes a total of ten."</p> - -<p>"You realize what you're saying?" stammered Kane. "That means you've -discovered a new planet with this gadget."</p> - -<p>Maynard shook his head in dazed unbelief. "Another planet?" Then he -shook off the amazement and said: "It may be so. But before we shout -too loud, we must investigate and be certain."</p> - -<p>"Of course."</p> - -<p>Maynard turned the stellar intensity knob up slightly, bringing the -stellar background into faint light. "Get the constants of that planet, -and we'll check. Kane, you'll come along as a representative of the -Terran Press?"</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't miss it for the world itself," said Kane. "Any chance of -missing it?"</p> - -<p>"If we get the linear constant of that planet from Pluto, here, we'll -line-drive out there. Once within a few million miles, passing by if -need be, we'll know it."</p> - -<p>"Couldn't we pack this thing aboard the <i>Orionad</i>?"</p> - -<p>"Not unless we tear the side out of the ship," grinned Maynard. "We'll -fly this blind, and that won't be too hard."</p> - -<p>"And then we may find that planet is but a flyspeck," said Kane.</p> - -<p>"It could be," agreed Maynard. But he knew better. He was thinking of a -huge panel; a brilliant painting in a vast hall lined with paintings. -The one he faced showed Sol—and <i>ten</i> planets.</p> - -<p>And Maynard had patiently waited for all these years for the stellar -light-filter to be built. He knew that the unknown planet was so far -from Sol and at such an angle that it would remain unseen until they -made the filter work. After all, it had been unseen for hundreds of -years during the advent of space travel, and for hundreds of years -of pure stellar research from Terra before space travel gave the -astronomers a chance to prove their planetary theories. He had not been -worried that his find would be found too soon, but he would have broken -all rules to get to Pluto at the time he did. Luckily, there was no -reason to break rules.</p> - -<p>Now he could go anywhere and do anything except the short periods when -he was under explicit orders.</p> - -<p>He wondered whether his action had been too abrupt, and then remembered -that his position permitted a large amount of snap-decision and some -eccentricity. The quickness of his action would add to the legends of -one Guy Maynard, and would cover up the fact that he had been planning -this particular party for years.</p> - -<p>At the end of the usual landing duration, Guy gave orders for the -<i>Orionad</i> to go out to the new planet.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">X.</p> - -<p>Die-straight, the <i>Orionad</i> flew. On a course tangent to the orbit of -Pluto, on and on and on beyond the limits of the Solar System, out to -a position almost twice the distance from Pluto to Sol; a distance of -7,180,000,000 miles. And there Maynard looked down upon the globe of -another world.</p> - -<p>"There it is," he said to Kane in what he hoped to sound like awe.</p> - -<p>"I'd never have believed it," breathed Kane.</p> - -<p>"The funny part," said Maynard in a surprised tone, "is that this -planet is about the correct distance for agreement with Bode's Law for -Pluto, which is not met. Wonder why it never occurred to the brass hats -to look in the 'Bode Position' all the way around."</p> - -<p>"Neptune sort of screwed Bode's Law up," smiled Kane. "It is the fly in -the ointment. If you set up Bode's Law and check for Neptune, you find -that Pluto occupies that position, while Neptune is in a supposedly -unoccupied position. Neptune is an interloper."</p> - -<p>"Wonder why he came," mused Maynard.</p> - -<p>"Probably got here and couldn't leave," said Kane. "Well, Guy, -if nothing else, you've re-established the value of Bode's -Law. Proper continuity on either side of a discontinuous -section—Neptune—indicates to me that the Law is correct. It is the -presence of an alien planet that is the troublemaker."</p> - -<p>"Is there anything on that planet?"</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't know. Has three moons, though. Guy, how could anything live -on this planet ... you're entitled to name it, you know, since you -discovered it."</p> - -<p>"I discovered it?"</p> - -<p>"You'll get the credit, and not without reason, Guy."</p> - -<p>Guy shrugged. "We'll call him Mephisto. I'm going to run in close, -Kane. I'd like some initial information on this planet before we -return." He called into the communicator: "Marshal to Executive: Until -further notice, we shall call this planet 'Mephisto.' Therefore, -circle Mephisto at one thousand miles. Have the technician's crew take -all data possible. Have the astrogator check his constants, and if -possible, get an initial estimate of Mephisto's velocity, orbit, and -ecliptic angle."</p> - -<p>"Executive to Marshal: Check."</p> - -<p>The answer to Kane's idle question as to the possibility of Mephisto -being inhabited came with a distinctness that left no doubt. Not only -was Mephisto inhabited, but Mephisto harbored intelligent life. And -the intelligent life either resented the arrival of the <i>Orionad</i>, or -thought that the <i>Orionad</i> was the vanguard of a special invasion.</p> - -<p>At any rate, both were correct. And no matter what the inhabitants of -Mephisto thought, they acted.</p> - -<p>The detectors rang in alarm, and automatic circuits closed. The big -turrets of the <i>Orionad</i> whipped around with speed enough to warm -their almost frictionless bearings in the brief arc. They threw their -surge on the ordnance-supply lines, and the meters jumped high. The -big AutoMacMillans emitted their energy silently and invisibly, and -seven great gouts of flame bloomed in the space between Mephisto and -<i>Orionad</i>.</p> - -<p>They swiveled slightly and fired a second time, and four more blossoms -of flame spread, this time closer to the <i>Orionad</i>. Upon the third -attack, the flashes were very close to the super ship.</p> - -<p>"Ships—or torpedoes?" asked Kane.</p> - -<p>"Torpedoes," said Maynard definitely.</p> - -<p>"How can you tell?" asked Kane.</p> - -<p>"Ships would have flared less brilliantly and more slowly. It takes a -well-loaded warhead to blast that way. The fierceness and the velocity -of the blast give the answer to that one. Also, those things were -coming up at better than a thousand G, all the way. That's guessing -that they all started at once or nearly so. In order to separate that -much in the distance they covered, and to cover so much distance -between the first, second, and third contacts the acceleration must be -about that high." He snapped the communicator and asked: "Marshal to -Executive: What was the acceleration of the exploded bodies?"</p> - -<p>The answer came immediately. "Approximately, 941-G, according to the -recorders on the detector circuits."</p> - -<p>"Good-bye, Guy."</p> - -<p>"Lots of practice," said Maynard. "Well, we're heading back. I'm not -going to risk the <i>Orionad</i> in a single-handed battle against a whole -planet. Even if I won, they'd bust me flat. We'll head for Terra and -set us up a real punitive expedition. Then we'll return and take -Mephisto for Terra!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The <i>Orionad</i> based at Sahara Base and Maynard went into the Bureau of -Exploration building. His entry into Malcolm Greggor's office was easy, -and he told the space marshal about his discovery. Greggor's reaction -was first doubt, but Maynard called Kane and his executive officer, and -when Greggor was convinced, his excitement knew no bounds.</p> - -<p>He called an immediate conference with the head of several bureaus, and -told Maynard he was to remain, and then added Kane to the list. Once -assembled, Maynard explained the details, complete, and Malcolm Greggor -opened the discussion by stating: "This will be difficult. They resent -us. If we go in at all, we must go in armed to the teeth, and expect -trouble all the way."</p> - -<p>Mantley, of the Bureau of Ordnance, said: "You expect anything unique -in ordnance, Maynard?"</p> - -<p>"I hardly think so. On the other hand, they have space travel, as -witness those torpedoes. They must have a definite isolation policy, -otherwise they would have contacted us long ago."</p> - -<p>"Not necessarily," objected the head of the Bureau of Exploration. -"They may be alien—they must be utterly alien to inhabit a planet that -far from Sol. What form they take, or what their chemistry might be, I -have no idea. Furthermore, I don't care, and if I ask about it, it'll -be academically only. They exist, they have science. They do not like -us. Perhaps they know of us, and realize that any traffic with us of -the inner worlds is impossible."</p> - -<p>"Their attitude in firing upon the <i>Orionad</i> gives us no alternative," -said Mantley. He turned to Garlinger, and asked: "We haven't heard -from the Bureau of Maneuvers, yet. Have any ideas?"</p> - -<p>"It'll be out and out war," said Garlinger. "I'm certain that we made -no warlike move in merely visiting them. They've been in preferred -isolation, and now that we've discovered them, they fire on us, without -provocation. My guess is that we'd not only be better off going in -armed, but we'd best prepare for countermeasures, counterattack, and -all the trimmings. Now that they've been smoked out, I'll bet they -won't sit there on their icy planet and wait for us to come a-blasting."</p> - -<p>"How and why have they developed space travel," asked Greggor, "if they -care nothing for interplanetary commerce?"</p> - -<p>"Their moons," suggested Kane. "There were signs of inhabitation on all -three of them."</p> - -<p>"This is going to be more difficult than I thought. The problem of -breaching a planet alone is one that has seldom been tried. But if -Mephisto has three armed moons, that's another item to consider. Well, -fellows, it has never been Terra's way to go in with less than all we -have. If we have ten million men that never see Mephisto from anything -but the viewports of the transports, we'll be better off than if we -were blasted to every last man for not having enough of them. It'll be -a full-scale attack, gentlemen."</p> - -<p>"More than that, Garlinger, we'll get lots of practise."</p> - -<p>"Meaning?"</p> - -<p>"Some day we're going to be forced into fighting Mars on an all-out -basis. This will be excellent experience. I believe that Mars will be -the harder to fight, gentlemen. After all, knowing your enemy makes -the battle easier—and they know us very well. So if we correct our -mistakes on Mephisto, and take the resulting plan to Mars, we may break -this deadlock between Mars and Terra forever."</p> - -<p>"No one here doubts that it will be an all-out attack," said Mantley. -"We'll have to mobilize—and that's your job, Donigan."</p> - -<p>"Yup," drawled Donigan. "After you boys get all done making your plans, -you hand it to me. Uh-huh—and after I get 'em, it's war with a capital -W. Gentlemen, is it your wish that the Bureau of Warfare take over from -here on in?"</p> - -<p>"It is."</p> - -<p>"My aides will present to you the requirements of the Bureau of Warfare -as soon as they can be pulled from the files. You will break the news," -he said to Kane, "immediately, and in headline form only. Mere mention, -in this case, of the new planet, and Guy Maynard, the discoverer. -Meanwhile I'll have the Bureau of Propaganda prepare a news-campaign -for you, which you will follow within reason."</p> - -<p>"With nothing to print but the mere discovery of Mephisto," smiled -Kane, "I'll be forced to play up Patrol Marshal Maynard. That all -right?"</p> - -<p>"Oh certainly. After all, he's fairly well-known and it will seem only -right that a well-known figure gets the limelight. I see your problem; -you can't break a lonely headline."</p> - -<p>"I must at least fill up one column, and even with eighteen point type -it takes words. We'll prepare the way, though."</p> - -<p>"I want Maynard," said Donigan suddenly.</p> - -<p>"The Bureau of Warfare runs this show," nodded Mantley. "May I ask what -for?"</p> - -<p>"He'll command one phase of the attack. And it will look well that -the discoverer leads the battle. It implies that we have implicit -confidence in him, in spite of his youth."</p> - -<p>"Will he require an increase in rank?"</p> - -<p>"Not at the present time. That will come as necessary. But let's close -this. Time is important; Mephisto will be mobilizing even as we are."</p> - -<p>"May I use the official wire?" asked Kane. "And one more item. What -about secrecy?"</p> - -<p>"A thing this big can not be kept a secret," answered Donigan. "We -haven't enough men and materiel to successfully attack a militant -planet. Therefore we must recruit men, and get the manufacturers to -produce supplies. Mars—I believe—will sit tight and wait until we -take the initiative. A move on their part will hinge upon our success -or failure on Mephisto. Break it wide and big, Kane. And send it out on -the interplanetary service. Mars may as well have something to think -of. We know she will never attack Terra as long as the Terran Space -Patrol maintains a fleet. Mars is too small and, therefore, too easy -to cover compared to Terra. Go ahead and break your story, Kane."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kane was as good as his word. It hit the newsstands that evening, -in three-inch headlines. They said nothing more than the hourly -news-broadcasts for news, but Kane's writers had done an excellent job -in building Maynard up as the man of the hour.</p> - -<p>And then the report of the attack followed. Guy Maynard, commanding the -<i>Orionad</i>, had been fired upon without provocation as he attempted to -run in close to the new planet for photographic records. The bursting -of the torpedoes was pictured in the newscasts in all their blasting -flame, and the pictures suffered nothing from the film record.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard was then called upon to face the iconoscopes. He looked -into the faces of three hundred billion Terrans and told them simply -and forcefully that Mephisto's military action prevented any peaceful -negotiations, and that it was certain that they were even now preparing -to maintain their isolation.</p> - -<p>"And," he finished, "we know that isolation can not be defended. To -preserve isolation, the enemy must be destroyed on his home base. We -can expect attack from Mephisto unless we tackle them first. And to -take the battle from Terra to them, we need men, material, and all the -myriad of things that follow."</p> - -<p>The recruiting posters hit the public next, and all of the machinery of -war was started. And though it rolled in the super-slow gear at first, -it would pick up momentum as time went on. All that the Patrol needed -was a backlog to replace losses, and with that assured within the next -few months, the mighty fleet of the Terran Space Patrol assembled at -Sahara Base, formed a complex space lattice, and drove outward towards -Mephisto.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Inexorably, the Terran battle fleet drove onward. Massively ponderous; -immobile in its chosen course, the massed fleet flashed up through -the velocity range to mid-course, made their complex turnover, and -started to decelerate. Hours passed, grew into days, and the days added -one to the other, and the lattice was maintained with precision and -perfection. Hardly a centimeter of vacillation was observed from ship -to ship, and from the <i>Orionad</i> in the center of the space lattice, it -seemed as though the monstrous, assembled fleet were truly set in a -huge glasslike jelly, immobilized.</p> - -<p>But it was a wary personnel that manned the huge Terran Space Patrol -task force. They expected something. And the fact that so many hours -and days had gone without interruption did not make them less restive. -Each moment that went without trouble brought more certain the chance -of excitement in the next. It was a beautiful war of nerves, with the -Terrans getting more and more certain of attack as the hours sped on -and the fleet's velocity dropped to far below the lightning-speed of -the maximum at turnover.</p> - -<p>The watch was not stirring, save that the crews were on the constant -alert for the clangor of the alarms; and the detectors were operating -at overload range which gave them plenty of time to get into -action—barring something superior in the way of weapons. Far better -than human senses were the detectors, and they could be relied upon.</p> - -<p>Surprise was impossible because attack was inevitable. And since the -human element of watching was eliminated by the ever-alert detectors -and the element of counterattack was automatic with the turret-coupled -AutoMacs, it was only a matter of time. As one, the fleet moved through -the vastness of space between the orbit of Pluto and their goal.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard prowled his scanning room impatiently. In the easy-chair -beside the broad desk, Ben Williamson lazed without apparent -excitement. Upon the twentieth cigarette, Ben said softly: "You should -take it easy, Guy."</p> - -<p>"Like you?" asked Maynard. "You look calm—but!"</p> - -<p>"I know all about it. But remember, even though it's action you crave; -you're the big boss on this expedition and you'll be able to do nothing -but watch."</p> - -<p>"Watch—and pray that my plans are effective. Uh-huh. But talking it -down won't lessen the tension."</p> - -<p>"Wait 'em out, Guy. They'll come soon enough."</p> - -<p>Guy snorted, tossed his cigarette into the wastebasket and tried to -relax. A matter of time, all right. Well, maybe he could wait in -patience. At best he'd have to wait until the Mephistans were ready to -attack.</p> - -<p>When it came, it was swift to start and equally swift to end. From one -side there came a fast-moving jet of tiny spacecraft. At unthinkable -velocities, the thin stream poured into the space pattern of the -Terrans.</p> - -<p>The clangor of the alarm ceased as contacts were opened. The -communications band roared with cries and questions.</p> - -<p>"Who got it?"</p> - -<p>"<i>Scorpiad!</i>"</p> - -<p>"Bad?"</p> - -<p>"Not yet."</p> - -<p>"Get out the fighter-cover!"</p> - -<p>"They're coming—give us time!"</p> - -<p>"Time, hell! This is a space fight, not a pink tea!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The turrets of the <i>Scorpiad</i> danced back and forth in a mad pattern. -At the end of each lightning move they paused. At each pause they -vomited unseen energy that catapulted the temperature of the Mephistan -ship into incandescence.</p> - -<p>The sky beside the moving fleet was dotted with winks of light as the -fencing AutoMacs parried the rapier thrusts of the tiny fighters. -More ships poured into the arrowing horde, and the dancing turrets -raced madly to keep up their program. They lost space, and the wall of -coruscating death moved inward.</p> - -<p>From long range the <i>Pleiad</i> opened fire, and the dancing motes of -flame moved back as the overloaded detectors found more time to focus -upon the incoming horde.</p> - -<p>Maynard mopped his forehead, one half at a time to permit at least one -eye on the celestial globe during the job. "That was close," he snapped.</p> - -<p>"It ain't over yet!" said Williamson shortly.</p> - -<p>"No ... here comes another line of those devils ... at <i>Pleiad</i>!"</p> - -<p>"They're not afraid to die!"</p> - -<p>"They seem to want it!"</p> - -<p>The <i>Pleiad</i> stopped the long-range fire and began to take care of the -horde that was striking at her direct. <i>Pleiad</i> was capable of handling -this new attack easily, but it left the brunt of the heavy attack on -the <i>Scorpiad</i>.</p> - -<p>Once more the flashing motes moved inward as the detectors found -themselves unable to keep up. And still more of the tiny ships poured -into the stream, and the borderline of death moved into almost-contact -with the constellation ship.</p> - -<p>A burst of flame came from the flank of the <i>Scorpiad</i>, and the ports -flashed outward, followed by gouts of smoke and incandescence. Four red -spots spread outward on the <i>Scorpiad's</i> hull, and the constellation -ship lost drive. Unable to keep up the deceleration of the rest of the -Terran fleet, <i>Scorpiad</i> fell out of position and dropped below the -fleet—farther and farther ahead.</p> - -<p>A blinding flash of flame came and died.</p> - -<p>"Gone!" moaned Maynard.</p> - -<p>"But what a cost!" said Ben.</p> - -<p>"No cost is worth it!" said Maynard. Then he calmed and added: -"Accursed business. But we may be ahead in the exchange."</p> - -<p>"It's brutal," agreed Ben. "Let's keep 'em from getting another."</p> - -<p>"Might be robots."</p> - -<p>"Nope. If so, the technicians would have scrambled 'em. What's making -now?"</p> - -<p>"The fighter-cover! It's arrived!"</p> - -<p>The incoming jet of Mephistan fighters wavered like a gas flame in a -high wind, and scintillations scarred the perfection of the needling -ships. The long-range fire of the constellation ships picked off -the aimlessly moving ships and as the flaming specks reached an -almost-solid appearance, the jet of tiny fighters ceased abruptly.</p> - -<p>"Stopped 'em!"</p> - -<p>Maynard nodded. "For the time."</p> - -<p>The communicator spoke: "Commander to Marshal: Located the -mother-fleet."</p> - -<p>"Yes?"</p> - -<p>"We're hitting them now—as per orders. But this is a warning. If we -don't stop 'em first, they'll be there in fifteen minutes. They're on -collision course!"</p> - -<p>"Expected that," said Guy, worriedly.</p> - -<p>"O.K.," said Ben in what he hoped would be an encouragement. "Now -we'll see if your battle-plan works."</p> - -<p>"I keep worrying that it won't."</p> - -<p>"If it didn't have merit," observed Ben dryly, "it wouldn't have been -adopted."</p> - -<p>"I want to get out there and pitch."</p> - -<p>"You gotta stay in here and hope they pitch to your call," said -Williamson.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Twelve minutes later, the Mephistan fleet came into long-detector -range, and the entire Terran fleet opened fire. The heavies, still -circling the fleet, took up the job as soon as they came into range, -and the space between became filled with flashes of fire as crossed -MacMillan beams neutralized one another and spent their mighty energies -in light and heat. The power rooms of the ships became a noisy clatter -of automatically opening and closing circuit breakers as the MacMillan -overloads worked the safety-circuits. Now and then the ultra-loud -clamor of the fuse alarms rang out above the chattering racket, and the -power gangs worked furiously to replace master line-fuses while the -rest of the ship fumed and fretted without power for offense or defense.</p> - -<p>The heavies—the sluggers—got between the constellation ships and the -Mephistans, and their super-powered AutoMacs outfought the lighter -turret-mounts of the Mephistans.</p> - -<p>They took their long-range toll, and then as the Mephistans came -into torpedo range, the sluggers fell back through the open-work -pattern of the constellation ships. From here on in, the omni-powerful -battlecraft would have to face battle with every weapon.</p> - -<p>Unleashed energy filled the gap between the fleets, and the sky below -the decelerating ships became a blazing graveyard of ruin as the ships -lost drive and went free, falling ahead of the main body.</p> - -<p>Word flashed through the Terran fleet that the <i>Centuriad II</i> had -discovered the interference frequency of the Mephistan torpedoes. -Technicians in all Terran ships shifted their transmitters to the -called frequency, and the torpedoes lost their aiming perfection.</p> - -<p>But they were not safe.</p> - -<p>Wandering torpedoes continued to roam in among the Terran fleet and -touched off fountains of flame and death.</p> - -<p>Then from point-blank range, the sub-ships of Terra flashed in through -the Mephistan fleet. In one great swarm they came. From the virtual -zero of the detectors—that in-close distance that limited the minimum -range—torpedoes dropped into being from nowhere and hit full upon ship -after ship.</p> - -<p>The Mephistan fleet became a flaring holocaust of coruscating flame.</p> - -<p>When the fifteen-minute deadline came, the Terrans fought a remainder -of the huge Mephistan horde that had tried to stop them. The dead -hulls, still incandescent, were easy to dodge, though most of them had -fallen free long enough before to have them cross Terra's course ahead -rather than at coincidence.</p> - -<p>Combining the big turrets of the sluggers with the primary, secondary, -and tertiary batteries of the constellation ships, Terra's forces -fairly crushed the fragments of Mephisto's horde that remained.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And then the sky was clear once more. The winking lights of death were -silent. The furor and clatter of the instrument rooms ceased more -slowly as the alarms continued to pick out detritus and to reject such -harmless stuff. The power rooms were quiet, too, and the generator -rooms no longer resounded to the scream of overworked generators. A -clean-up began, and droplets of metal from blown fuses mingled with -blackened bits of contalloy from the circuit breakers. Pyrometers -dropped back to the central portion of their scales, and the air, acrid -and warm, cooled and became sweet again.</p> - -<p>They looked, and saw that the sky was theirs—completely.</p> - -<p>Mephisto was a disk in the sky below them.</p> - -<p>It beckoned—or did it taunt?</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XI.</p> - -<p>Terra deployed, encircled, and closed down upon Mephisto III. A flurry -of up-shooting energy broke out, catching the planet-slow spacecraft -easily. Down-fire crisscrossed the third moon of Mephisto, silencing -some batteries.</p> - -<p>The sluggers made a compact mass, and dropped swiftly. Their -AutoMacs scored and re-scored a ten-mile square until no answering -fire returned. They spread, making a vast circle and spreading a -curtain of MacMillan fire as they spread. The lighter ships and the -fighter carriers circled up, around, and landed in the cleared area. -Constellation craft paced above the sluggers, beating off attempts to -break the tightly woven circle.</p> - -<p>A barrier went up around the area, and the landed ships opened to -disgorge spacesuited men. Planet-mount detectors were set upon -prefabricated towers, and coupled AutoMacMillans pointed their mute -parabolic bowls at the sky, awaiting the impulse from the detectors.</p> - -<p>The barrier increased in size as the sweeping ships spread, and as the -circle increased, more ships landed and set up more planet-mounts.</p> - -<p>With a hundred-mile moonhead established, Terra's forces relaxed to -rest, eat, and plan.</p> - -<p>It was six solid weeks before Mephisto III belonged to Terra -completely. But it was not six solid weeks of constant fighting. Wars -are never constant fighting. Terra photographed the moon, and went in -picked groups to blast reinforced spots as they were discovered.</p> - -<p>At first it was fairly easy to find the embattled spots. Then as the -Mephistans were cleaned out of area after area, the lesser spots became -harder to find. Time and again a previously-blasted spot would return -to life, and it became second nature for the Terrans to be wary of any -smaller place that adjoined a dead and blackened place.</p> - -<p>The total energy sent against the smaller places rose higher than the -power directed at the larger places, since it appeared wise to give the -charred spots another blasting for safety.</p> - -<p>But Terra widened her circle, covered a hemisphere, and then began to -tighten down on the other side.</p> - -<p>The peak of effort was past, now, and with ever-lessening area to -cover, the job of blasting Mephisto III clean and free of Mephistans -dropped in magnitude.</p> - -<p>Then like the closing of an iris, the circle of Terra's domain -throttled the resistance, and Mephisto III was completely in the hands -of the Terran forces.</p> - -<p>Maynard called Sahara Base, reported, and called for reinforcements. -With orders to sit tight and hold on, Guy returned to the moon to make -the best of it. He hoped to have peace and quiet for a time, but peace -was not for them.</p> - -<p>As <i>Orionad</i> passed inside of the barrier that blocked all radiation -from Mephisto III, a horde of Mephistan fighters circled down out of -the sky, came through the barrier, and made a suicide attack against -the ground forces.</p> - -<p>Again they went through that saturation attack, and they silenced -battery after battery. The roar of the attack came through the -almost-nothing atmosphere, and the blasting of mighty bombs shook -the ground and misaligned delicate instruments. The answering fire -was terrific, and the fighters rose to fight the Mephistans off with -sub-ships and torpedoes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then this first raid was over. The Mephistans retreated and were gone -in seconds, leaving the massed flight of the Terran Space Patrol with -nothing to fight. They landed once again.</p> - -<p>It was but a pattern for the days that followed. Regularly every -thirty-one hours, twelve minutes, and eight seconds, a horde of -Mephistans dropped down upon their third moon with all projectors -blazing and then fled before the Terrans could take the initiative -against them. It happened seven times this way, and then as the Terrans -established the regularity of the attack, the Mephistans shifted the -time, leaving the Terrans standing at their positions awaiting the -order to go. Ten hours passed with no attack, and then Maynard ordered -his men to relax. The wave of destruction came one hour later, and it -was the same as before. The next time came within ten hours after the -delayed fight, and the one after that waited until the Terrans were -almost exploding with anticipation before it came. Three came within -one day, and then nothing for a solid week.</p> - -<p>Maynard swore and prowled his office in the <i>Orionad</i>. He lost sleep -and worried ten pounds away. Then he ordered the <i>Orionad</i> outside of -the barrier and contacted Sahara Base in person.</p> - -<p>"Donigan?" he stormed. "When are the replacements coming?"</p> - -<p>"Soon," said Space Marshal Donigan.</p> - -<p>"That isn't good enough!" retorted Maynard. "This is no pink tea, -Donigan. This is a matter of life and death. We have the moonlet you -wanted for a base—we've had it for three weeks of sheer hell—and you -say 'Soon.' With what I've got left I can't even make a stab back. It's -no fun fighting a purely defensive fight, Donigan. You never know when -the devils will hit, and my men are tired of being surprised in their -beds."</p> - -<p>"Do they do that all the time?" asked Donigan, thinking to chide Guy -for exaggeration.</p> - -<p>"About seven times out of ten. We may not know them, Donigan, but -somehow they know us—all about us."</p> - -<p>"What do you want?"</p> - -<p>"Men, ordnance, materiel, hospital units, doctors, nurses, ships, and -planet-fighters."</p> - -<p>"Guy, you aren't going to blast the planet itself?"</p> - -<p>"I sure am. At least I can make the fight come when I want it. This -way, they'll blast us off of Three in another two weeks."</p> - -<p>"You'll get them. They should be there now."</p> - -<p>Maynard returned to the moonlet in hope—and he was watching the sky -when the Mephistans hit.</p> - -<p>Out of the black sky came a downpour of deadly torpedoes. They burst -among the barracks, and though their detonations did no harm in the -ultrathin atmosphere of Mephisto III, the fragmentation shot the -shelters full of holes and the trapped Terran air escaped. Men died -in their sleep, that night, and the Mephistans covered the moonlet in -sub-ships of their own devising.</p> - -<p>"Sub-ships!" breathed Maynard.</p> - -<p>MacMillan beams sought the invisible enemy, and their random hits were -all too few. Maynard ordered them silenced, and the Terrans hurled -material torpedoes into the sky. Up among the Mephistan sub-ships went -the torpedoes, to burst with great, eye-searing gouts of radiant energy.</p> - -<p>Thousands of the energy torpedoes went aloft, and they served their -purpose. The barriers of the enemy ships collected the energy and -heated the sub-ships to utterly unlivable temperatures—for the -Mephistans. The ships dropped out of the sky—still enveloped in their -barriers—and burst open against the hard surface of Mephisto.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Three days later, the reinforcements arrived. Terrans by the million -swarmed the third moonlet of Mephisto, and the hemispherical shelters -dotted the surface. Cylindrical runways connected one to the next -so that spacesuits were not needed to pass from one to the other. -Gigantic, permanent-mount AutoMacMillans were set up in readiness; and -they assured protection against practically anything that flew the -skies.</p> - -<p>With the coming of aid, life took on a less hectic appearance, and -smiles appeared once more. The medical corps took over, and the -injured men received better care than with the rugged life on the -tiny moon. Music filled the hemispheres, and though they could not go -outside because of the atmosphere, things smoothed out as time went on. -There were the reunions of old friends, and stories of those hectic -weeks on Mephisto III were recounted and amplified in the time-honored -Terran custom.</p> - -<p>Even Guy Maynard.</p> - -<p>He looked up from a sheet of figures into a familiar face and came to -his feet in a jump. "Joan Forbes! What are you doing here?"</p> - -<p>Joan waved the comet-borne caduceus before him and said: "Senior Aide -Forbes, if you please. Fully graduated and ready for work."</p> - -<p>"But ... when?"</p> - -<p>"I've been studying for three years."</p> - -<p>"What about the ptomaine-palace?"</p> - -<p>"I had to work somewhere to pay my tuition."</p> - -<p>"What ambition!"</p> - -<p>"Now stop sounding like a grandfather, Guy Maynard."</p> - -<p>"But this is no place for a woman," objected Guy.</p> - -<p>"Isn't it? Someone has to do the work."</p> - -<p>"But this is grim work."</p> - -<p>"So is life, Guy. Someone has to care for the injured. We've <i>got</i> to -be here, you know. After all, we must be where the injured and dead -are. We can only help them when we're on the very spot."</p> - -<p>"But I think—"</p> - -<p>"It sounds grisly? Maybe it is. Look, Guy, I'm a healthy, normal -woman, no different than the average. I'm not much different than the -average male when it comes to stamina, fortitude, and will. Look, Guy, -it's all right for other women?"</p> - -<p>Guy's blank face told Joan that she had scored a hit.</p> - -<p>"But you think it not all right for a friend of yours? That's stuffy, -ridiculous, and hypocritical. Rot, Guy. After all, what's good for the -patrol marshal should be good enough for the girl that pinned on his -insignia."</p> - -<p>"Hm-m-m, I suppose you're right."</p> - -<p>"I <i>am</i> right. After all, in order to do any limb-grafting, the -free limb must be fresh. A corpse will not keep too long, Guy. -Autointoxication sets in and kills the cells, and then the limb is -useless for grafting. The same is true for eyes, ears, and anything -that can be grafted. All right," she snapped, "it's ghoulish to take -a leg from a corpse and graft it on to a man who is alive but with a -shattered thigh. It's inhuman? Not at all. Of what good to the dead is -their lifeless body?"</p> - -<p>"O.K., Joan, I didn't mean to sound sanctimonious."</p> - -<p>"All right. It's pretty ghastly sometimes, but I think it's worth it -all the way."</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry, Joan."</p> - -<p>"Well, consider me good enough to be where the trouble is," she said -with a shy smile.</p> - -<p>"Look, Senior Aide Forbes, you are as fine an officer and gentleman as -I have ever seen, even though it did take an Act of Terran Congress to -make a gentleman out of you. You have my undying admiration."</p> - -<p>"You sound sincere," she said.</p> - -<p>"I am sincere. Some day some bird will come along that's good enough -for you."</p> - -<p>Joan's peculiar glance was lost on Guy. "When he does," she said in a -strained voice, "I'll follow him to the very end of the Solar System!"</p> - -<p>She looked at him seriously, and then turned and left. "I'll bet she -will at that," he said to himself, and then forgot her in the maze of -figures on his broad desk. After all, he had an important decision to -make, and a conference to attend within the next hour.</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen, we'll by-pass One and Two, and hit Mephisto direct. I think -we'll fox 'em that way, they'll be certain that we wouldn't leave a -main base behind us, much less two bases. But we will, and by doing -that we'll take the system!"</p> - -<p>"And when?"</p> - -<p>"As soon as we can mobilize. Hamilton, how soon is that?"</p> - -<p>"Do you mean that?" asked Hamilton uncertainly. The conference laughed -at his deep swallow. "All right. Three hours!"</p> - -<p>"It's done, then! Come on, fellows. This is IT!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The grand assembled fleet lifted from Three and headed for the planet -direct. With numbers enough to invade a planet, they swarmed in and -were met by planet-mounted beams that took a terrible toll with their -extra power. They hit Mephisto in one spot, and literally sterilized -the planet for a hundred square miles. The weight of their numbers -would have broken into any planet, no matter how armed. Invading was -not difficult; keeping the break and spreading it to cover the planet -was the difficult job. No defense can be set up against an enemy -that is able to choose the time and place for his invasion. Once -the invasion is made, concentration of power against the invader is -possible, and that is the point in dispute.</p> - -<p>So with ease, the Terran Space Patrol wiped out a hundred square -miles of Mephisto and landed. Convoys poured in from Three, and the -heavy permanent-mounts ranged the ragged square. Overhead, a horde of -fighter-cover searched the skies for counterattack.</p> - -<p>It was inevitable, and it came from all sides.</p> - -<p>Across the plains of Mephisto came the tractor-mounted projectors. -Maynard thought of the disperser screen, but behind that they were -blind.</p> - -<p>"Isn't there something better than this useless barrier?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Not that we know of," answered Williamson.</p> - -<p>"Look, Ben, you take a hunk of that crew of yours and go out to the -East, to sector G-21, and blast the power-conversion plant. Take the -entire city if you have to. But get that plant!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus9.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"I'll get it," said Williamson, and left. Maynard turned to Hamilton. -"And you, Jack, get some of your heavies into action against sector -A-13. You know the target we want destroyed."</p> - -<p>"I sure do. And I'll get it!"</p> - -<p>He turned to the commanding officer of the forces that arrived with the -reinforcements. "Can you hold them to the north, south, and west? If -so, can you advance to the east?"</p> - -<p>"That's quite a job."</p> - -<p>"Can you?" demanded Maynard.</p> - -<p>The other man looked at Maynard's nebula and then down at his own rayed -star. "I'll try," he said.</p> - -<p>"No, Walter, say 'I'll do it!' and then try. We're counting on you."</p> - -<p>There was a three-mile border around the hundred square miles of -Terran-held Mephisto. It was a terrible border now. It was a solid mass -of flame and fragment, and it was creeping inward slowly. Saturation -destruction, it was called, and if successful, obliterated not only the -enemy, but also his traces.</p> - -<p>Above, the circling of tiny fighter ships darkened the sky, and the -rain of broken ships became dangerous.</p> - -<p>And then a wave of intense hatred filled Maynard. It was so violent -that he found himself climbing the roof of his shelter to man one of -the AutoMacMillans himself. He got control of himself, and saw that -all the Terrans in the field of his sight were positively writhing in -hatred. Shaking his head in wonder, Maynard returned to his scanning -room and watched the luminous map of operations.</p> - -<p>He was amazed to see that the sides of the square held by the Terrans -were advancing, closing down that barrier of fire that bordered the -square. The east side, which should have advanced slowly, was rocketing -forward at a dizzy pace.</p> - -<p>The wave of hatred diminished, and so did the swift advance. The battle -settled down to a continuous roar.</p> - -<p>Hamilton's group returned and as the sector commander landed to report, -his command roared through the skies above the embattled defenders of -the planet and poured destruction down upon them. Hamilton came in and -told Guy: "We did it, but what a cost!"</p> - -<p>"Bad?"</p> - -<p>"Terrible. They hacked at us all the way there and all the way -back—and when we got there, that place was defended like Sahara Base -itself."</p> - -<p>"But you got the target?"</p> - -<p>"We did."</p> - -<p>"Good. Can you get the target in sector L-14 now?"</p> - -<p>"If my command holds out."</p> - -<p>"Go ahead then—and we'll meet you at Area 2. Don't return here at all."</p> - -<p>"I get it. You're going to abandon this place?"</p> - -<p>"No. I'm going to hit F-67 with three quarters of the main fleet. -That'll divide their defenses and we'll end up with two hundred-mile -areas."</p> - -<p>"You're going to leave enough here to hold this place?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. It'll be tough going, but once they're divided, it'll be easier -here. With three quarters of our fleet attacking another place, -they'll be forced to follow. Look, Hamilton, some of their power is -down! Ben must have got that power-conversion plant!"</p> - -<p>"When are you leaving?"</p> - -<p>"As soon as Ben returns. Hello," he said, turning to see four officers -struggling with—<i>a creature</i>.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"We caught this one alive," offered the foremost. "Thought you'd like -to see what we've been fighting!"</p> - -<p>"Nice to know," said Maynard drily. "What now? Do you expect me to give -it tea?"</p> - -<p>The laugh was universal. But the creature straightened, and waved the -tentacle on top of the shapeless collection of antennæ, tendrillike -fronds of hair, and wide, flat appendages that must have passed for the -head on Mephisto. It whipped the tentacle to the back of the head and -found a curved case that fitted the back of the head. Another tentacle -tore from the officer's grasp and found a similar box at the belt.</p> - -<p>It turned a knob on top, and Maynard whipped his MacMillan from its -holster and blasted the tentacle off at the "shoulder."</p> - -<p>And then, in Maynard's mind there came a thought. It staggered the -patrol marshal, and he blinked in unbelief. It rang in his mind: "You -shouldn't have done that!"</p> - -<p>"What?" asked Maynard aloud. "Why—?"</p> - -<p>"You shouldn't have done that. I meant no harm with this. Now I may not -retune it to your fellows."</p> - -<p>"But—?"</p> - -<p>"It is a development that will ultimately win for us," came the -thought. "A thought-beam transmitter."</p> - -<p>Maynard sat down suddenly. "No," he said. "I'm mad! I must be."</p> - -<p>Hamilton said: "That I doubt, Guy. What's the matter, though. You look -ill, but madness I doubt."</p> - -<p>"He says that thing on his head and belt is a thought-beam transmitter."</p> - -<p>"What? He says—?"</p> - -<p>"That's his thought. But it can not be—"</p> - -<p>"Or can it?"</p> - -<p>"Your misbelief is amusing in the face of fact," came the amused -thought. "Tell me aloud to perform some simple action."</p> - -<p>"Can you sit down?" asked Maynard.</p> - -<p>To the amazement of everyone, the creature bent in the middle and -seated itself on a stool.</p> - -<p>Hamilton smiled foolishly. "From here on in, Guy, that's a thought-beam -transmitter. Take it from there and go on."</p> - -<p>Guy smiled and nodded. "I'll accept it."</p> - -<p>"It's the explanation for a lot of things," said Hamilton. "Their -concentration of forces against selected targets, for instance. Their -use of the barrier."</p> - -<p>"Naturally," came the Mephistan's thought.</p> - -<p>"I thought you couldn't tune to them," remarked Guy.</p> - -<p>"They spoke to you—your mind followed their speech; I followed your -mind. I can not talk to them direct."</p> - -<p>"I see. It's logical. But why did you permit us to get this far?"</p> - -<p>"You are alien; tuning the instrument to your very alien minds was a -matter of hundreds of years. We have been trying, and only succeeded -after the first horde of you came close—landed upon Ungre—and gave us -a large thought-input to work on."</p> - -<p>"But why did your kind fight us from the very beginning?"</p> - -<p>"Because we know what manner of mind you have. We saw it in action -before."</p> - -<p>"Surely you knew that we would negotiate with you?"</p> - -<p>"To our disadvantage."</p> - -<p>"Not necessarily."</p> - -<p>"Don't be ridiculous," came the thought. "You and I both know that the -Solar System is not large enough for both our kinds."</p> - -<p>"We have no desire to own your world."</p> - -<p>"No? Then what are you fighting for?"</p> - -<p>"For the right to negotiate with you—and to uphold our honor. After -all, we were fired upon without provocation."</p> - -<p>"You are the commander of the Terran forces here. Suppose a race came -to Terra. Suppose this race was one you knew to be absolutely ruthless, -grasping, ambitious, and proud. Suppose you knew this hypothetical race -to be the one that used a minor race as subjects in vivisection; and -because of valuable minerals on another planet, this race oppressed -still another race and held them in ignorance so that the true value of -the minerals was not known to the ignorant natives."</p> - -<p>"You're speaking of the troglodytes of Titan—who haven't the power of -reason. Why shouldn't we use their bodies as experimental subjects to -aid our researches into the subject of medicine?"</p> - -<p>"Because they, themselves, are life!" came the scathing thought. -"Given the opportunity, they develop reasoning minds and are quite -intelligent. Their environment holds them back. Titan is a poor place, -destitute of minerals and unproductive of easy living, such as is -necessary for civic advancement."</p> - -<p>"That I do not follow."</p> - -<p>"In order that a race advance, he must have time to think. That means -leisure. His living must come easy enough to give this race time to -think, and to dream, and to plan. When scratching a living out of -nature becomes a full-time job, little civic advancement can prevail. -Also, on Titan, he is already supreme as far as his native enemies -go. There is nothing to drive the Titan to his fellows for mutual -protection. Each Titan is alone because he has nothing to fear, not -even his own kind.</p> - -<p>"But," continued the Mephistan, "give him the opportunity, and you -will find that the Titan can evolve into intelligent life. Say three -generations!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy let this matter drop, and said: "And your other statement pertains -to Pluto."</p> - -<p>"Certainly. Valuable ores were found on Pluto. Also a race of -semi-intelligent natives. They traded worthless bits of glass and -glittering, chromium-plated jewelry for gray and shapeless masses of -dirt—but the dirt must be excavated from certain locations, and in -certain ways. To keep the ores moving, and at this ridiculous rate of -exchange, no program of education was installed on your Pluto. Even -your Men of God—missionaries—obscured the real value of those ores. -What did you give them in exchange?"</p> - -<p>"We gave them protection against a common enemy."</p> - -<p>"An enemy of yours that would probably have treated them no worse than -you did. The protection you prattle of was protection of your own mines -against the enemy, not of the natives against this enemy. In either -case, the natives would be no better off."</p> - -<p>"You paint our race as black-hearted," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"And what did you do?" came the cynical thought. "As soon as you -discovered this barrier-screen, you raised it over Pluto, and the rise -in temperature, good for Terrans, killed the Plutonians to the last -one! A benign race? Bah!"</p> - -<p>"We—"</p> - -<p>"Nothing you say will convince me that your main desire is not for -yourselves! And if you think for one moment that we will permit you to -throw up a barrier around Mephisto and kill us off, you're mistaken."</p> - -<p>"You're all convinced that we mean harm?"</p> - -<p>"You do!" The creature tapped the thought-beam instrument.</p> - -<p>"I presume that you speak for the entire race?"</p> - -<p>"I do. You, with your so-called democratic government; with your -populace swayed by orators; with your justice biased with bribery; with -your elections purchased by the highest bidder, could not possibly -understand how a race could hold an honest government. But we do," said -the Mephistan proudly. Again he tapped the thought-beam instrument. -"This instrument tells the truth! No silvery-tongued orator can -sway the people; no biased judge can color the evidence; no public -servant can buy an election, for problems of state are presented via -thought-wave, and a liar is detected! When you first advanced into the -planets, we saw your progress. And when we found you in our system, we -knew your real thoughts at last! We broadcast your hidden purpose and -to the last Mephistan, we decided to fight! To the last one of us we -will fight, for we know that your purpose is to move in on us and run -us to death. We have nothing to lose but our lives, and those we will -lose if we permit your invasion."</p> - -<p>"You hold us in deep contempt," said Maynard. "Therefore your -statements themselves are biased."</p> - -<p>"They are not. Perhaps, with this instrument, we know you better than -you do yourselves. You are death for us—unless we become death for -you!"</p> - -<p>"But what can we do when you fire upon us without provocation?"</p> - -<p>"Stop prattling about provocation," came the thought. "When a burglar -pries his way into your living room, do you wait until he collects your -valuables before you fire on him?"</p> - -<p>"Now we're burglars?"</p> - -<p>"Worse. A burglar knows that he is doing wrong."</p> - -<p>Guy shook his head. How could he make this creature see that Terra -meant no real harm until the Mephistans made the first aggressive move?</p> - -<p>"You made the first aggressive move," said the Mephistan. "You made it -when you first landed on Titan. You made the second on Pluto. What is -your feeling toward Mars? You plan extermination for them—and they -only desire to grow with you."</p> - -<p>"They—"</p> - -<p>"Only fought back when you fought them. Only this"—tapping the -instrument at his belt—"will keep us from falling in death. You, -yourself, brought home many new concepts from Ertene which will throw -the balance of power for Terra."</p> - -<p>Guy started, and then looked wildly around at the other officers in the -room.</p> - -<p>"I know of Ertene from your own mind," said the creature. "These others -can not hear my mind. But I curse Ertene for the things she gave you; -they will make our battle difficult."</p> - -<p>"It will make your fight impossible," said Maynard, catching the brief -flash of a hidden, fearsome thought in the Mephistan's mind. He turned -to Hamilton and said: "Set up a barrier about the system, and focus the -output of the screen on the center of Mephisto!"</p> - -<p>The creature snarled audibly; it was the first sound ever heard that -was made by a Mephistan. He drove forward, shaking the officers' grip -from him as though the hold was nothing.</p> - -<p>A darting tentacle lunged forward like a rapier; and like a rapier it -impaled Hamilton through the throat. Withdrawn, it flattened and swung -like a scimitar in and among the stunned officers.</p> - -<p>They came to life and rushed the Mephistan. Crowding the creature -close. The stool upon which he had been sitting was lifted high -in another tentacle and it shattered to bits against the skull of -the tallest officer in the room. The other three grappled with the -Mephistan and bore him backward to the floor which may have seemed -desirable to the Terrans. It was also desirable to the Mephistan, too, -for it gave him a more solid basis for his slashing attack. He cut -through one officer's midsection entirely, crushed the skull of the -next against his own by driving that bullet head forward, and then -picked the last from the floor in his tentacles and dashed him across -the room against the wall. The body crunched, quivered, and fell to the -floor.</p> - -<p>Maynard lifted the MacMillan and drilled the Mephistan again and again. -His eyes blazed with hatred for the alien creature, and his mouth -curled in utter distaste. The room filled with the stench of—burning -varnish!</p> - -<p>"Naturally," came the thought, continuing as though nothing had -happened, "I could not come to such a fearsome temperature as you -maintain and hope to live. You seem to have destroyed my servant, but -we shall destroy you!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When the aides came to clean up Guy's office, they found him inspecting -the little instrument that fitted head and waistline of the alien -creature. It was off, now, and partly disassembled upon the patrol -marshal's desk.</p> - -<p>Williamson came at Maynard's call and raised an eyebrow at Maynard's -action.</p> - -<p>"I had to do something," said Guy in a flat voice. "I couldn't just sit -here and contemplate those bodies."</p> - -<p>"I know," said Ben softly. "Anything I can do?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Set up a barrier. Focus the screen's output on the center of -Mephisto. And then maintain that barrier for your life—and it will be -just that. It will be for your very life, for it will be against the -lives of all Mephistans!"</p> - -<p>"Good!" glowed Williamson. "That'll do it!"</p> - -<p>"It may take months," said Maynard. "But from now on we're fighting a -winning battle."</p> - -<p>"What is that thing you're tinkering with?"</p> - -<p>"A goldberg that was on the creature's body. Interesting thing, too. -Look, Ben, this thing may have been a robot, but their psychology is -such that they hate us completely. Issue orders that no more prisoners -are to be taken. Extermination is the only way; their strength is such -that three of them could wipe out a regiment. If we don't exterminate -them, they'll exterminate us, and they can do it if we permit them one -chance. We'll not give them that chance. Have the technicians figure -out the estimated temperature rise of Mephisto with a full screen and -full output directed at the center of the planet. I'd like to know when -this affair can be considered over."</p> - -<p>"Check. I'll do it, Guy. What you need is a rest."</p> - -<p>"I know. But there'll be no rest for any of us until this fight is -finished. Come on, Ben. Let's get moving. We've got a job to do."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XII.</p> - -<p>Guy put the alien instrument in his personal locker and went to see -how the battle was coming. Out across the face of Mephisto, he saw the -battle machinery locked in mobile death with the huge, alien machines -of Mephisto.</p> - -<p>The ground was strewn with smoking ruin, and Guy saw with horrified -gratification that the ruined machinery was all on the Terran side of -the battleground—which meant that his ring of offense was advancing. -The energy bombs were bursting above the planethead, and the sky was -filled with blinding light. Sub-ships fell as their drive was burned by -the entrapped energy within the barriers, and Guy wondered how many -men were getting energy burns from the terrific radiation from the -energy bombs.</p> - -<p><i>Orionad</i>, standing in the circle of planeted ships, was dealing power -blows from the turrets, and beams of energy—just energy—were roving -the sky to saturate the barrier-protected sub-ships. Now and then a -MacMillan beam would touch one of the sub-ships unawares, and there -would be a terrific blast as the entire ship exploded instantly.</p> - -<p>Then Guy saw his forces waver slightly, fall back, and then go down in -a terrible wave of destruction from massed sub-ships.</p> - -<p>Again they retreated, and as the next wave dropped, they expended their -energy on nothing but the bald surface of Mephisto. The solid ice of -Mephisto boiled into great clouds of vapor and liquid water ran across -Mephisto's face for the first time.</p> - -<p>The vapor clouded operations—for both.</p> - -<p>One sub-ship scraped Mephisto—broke the barrier, and slid through a -crashing pile of accumulating rubble to a destructive stop.</p> - -<p>And on one upthrust plate, torn and almost obliterated, was the device -of the Martian Space Guard!</p> - -<p>"Martian!" breathed Guy.</p> - -<p>"Right!" agreed Ben.</p> - -<p>"Check that wreck!" exploded Guy. "What's running it!"</p> - -<p>His order was passed: fifty Terran machines raced forward and encircled -the smoking ruin; and seven of the planeted constellation ships blasted -a pathway back to safety for the carry-alls.</p> - -<p>The ruined Martian ship was dropped in a clear area, opened by brute -force, and through the torn plates streamed a group of cautious -Terrans. They emerged immediately.</p> - -<p>"Martians!"</p> - -<p>"The devil! They've made a pact!"</p> - -<p>Maynard looked understandingly at the broken ship. "Naturally," he said -sourly. "What would you do?"</p> - -<p>Williamson looked up and nodded. "Right. Well, does this change -anything?"</p> - -<p>"No—unless it is to apply what we know about fighting Martians to the -present situation. We didn't consider this possibility."</p> - -<p>As Maynard turned to re-enter the <i>Orionad</i>, eighteen of Hamilton's -raiding horde returned in a screaming landing. Hamilton came out, -white-faced, and said, dully: "It was sheer hell—both ways. We got -'em—but they hit us with the book. Sixty percent lost!"</p> - -<p>"How do you feel?" asked Maynard.</p> - -<p>"I don't know."</p> - -<p>"Take your command out again and hit Sector F-67."</p> - -<p>Hamilton looked up in surprise, and then anger crossed his face. He -saluted and said: "Yes sir!"</p> - -<p>As he turned to go, Maynard called softly: "Hamilton! We're fighting -Martians now—they've made a pact!"</p> - -<p>Hamilton turned, looked at Maynard, and muttered something that Guy -could not hear over the roar of battle. Then he returned, and faced -Guy.</p> - -<p>"The stinking, rotten devils—!" His face cleared, and he left.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Behind the embattled lines of the Mephistans, Martian craft landed. -Martian sluggers, Martian power-craft, Martian constellation class -super battlecraft. And as they were landing, and getting set for an -open battle, the Terran forces lined up behind the thin line that -flanked <i>Orionad</i>.</p> - -<p>It was a situation that made Maynard start. For years, no real action -had ever been fought between the two forces. Sorties, scrapes, -incidents; these had been the sum total of the trouble between the -denizens of two worlds. Ream upon ream had been written concerning -theoretical battle-plans for war against Mars, and in the Martian -pictographs, equally large quantities of ink and paper went into the -libraries on how to fight Terra.</p> - -<p>Guy realized: <i>Here it is!</i></p> - -<p>The power ships of the two forces faced one another across ten miles -of plain. Above the heads of each roved the tiny fighters, and above -this cover, reaching up far into the realm of space, were rising the -battlecraft.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus11.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Planet forces began to move against one another, right through the -unseen death that roved from the MacMillans on the tractors and -the moving pillboxes. Space above the battleground filled with a -continuously exploding roar, and sheets of released energy flares at -the meeting points of crossed MacMillans.</p> - -<p>The constellation ships fenced momentarily, and then roared forward -into full battle. The sluggers stood back and threw the might of their -energy from long range. Tiny fighters raced forward, depending upon -speed, mobility, and minuteness to escape the wary detector-coupled -AutoMacs.</p> - -<p>Sight became impossible. The flaring of explosive and raw energy -seared the eye that dared to look, and when the flaring light stopped -by chance, the rising wreaths of smoke, steam, and incandescent vapor -obscured the vision. Lightnings flashed in and through this cloud, and -the instruments became wabbly.</p> - -<p>Fire ceased briefly, and both sides waited for the veil to clear. -Technicians put the cancel plugs on ruined targets to clear them from -further destruction, and turretmen served the heating projectors.</p> - -<p>A wave of sub-ships zoomed in and spread flaming death among the Terran -forces, and the energy bombs poured up, and among the barrier-protected -ships. A group of Martians holding disperser screens zoomed over, -spreading energy in wide-aperture releases from their turrets. Bombs -and torpedoes raced in through the disperser screens, and the blind -crews died without knowing whether they had hit anything. Terran -sub-ships crossed beneath the first wave of Martians, and hit the -enemy. A veritable fence of exploding ships barred the view as -sub-ships collided. Their indetectability was mutual, too.</p> - -<p>Like twin tornadoes, the ships of both worlds spun upwards in a vast, -whirling spiral. Bits of dust, smoke, and vapor intermingled with the -ships, giving them a definitely tornadolike appearance as they swept -the surface of Mephisto towards each other.</p> - -<p>The volume between the twin vortices was torn and blasted. Slowly and -ponderously they moved together, and as they intermingled in a whirling -eddy of battle, the ground of Mephisto was scoured clean of life.</p> - -<p>The weight of Terra's forces carried the most momentum, and the spout -moved across the territory formerly held by Mars.</p> - -<p>Reinforcements swooped in from space, and the whirling mass expanded. -And with gathering speed, the vortex moved in an irregular path across -Mephisto, sterilizing the planet as it went. Mephistans went before the -tornado of huge battlecraft as straws go before a hurricane.</p> - -<p>The path of the storm was strewn with smoking, ruined ships. The -luckless were forced inside of the whirling cylinder and gunned there. -They fell down that chimney of death to the ground that awaited them -at the bottom, or crashed against uprising sub-ships that swooped -upward through the vortex and fired on all sides, relying on the -identifier-couplers that stopped their aim against their fellows.</p> - -<p>The vortex broke, and the Terran ships opened from circle to crescent -to straight line to closing crescent and strove to encircle the -Martians. Outnumbered now, the latter fled slowly and kept up a killing -fire of retreat.</p> - -<p>Across the face of Mephisto arrowed the embattled fleets. A wall ten -miles high and fifty miles long and thirty miles from front to back -accelerated and swept everything before it. Between the two walls of -fighting ships was a constant flare of death. Cities caught in the -conflagration died; their buildings seared, blasted, and broken.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus10.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>In full rout, the Martian forces raced to converge upon a large city.</p> - -<p>In a tight circle, the Martians braced themselves. Power beams came -from the city to feed them, and as Terra came before them they lashed -out with the power of planet-supported fire. Terra englobed the city, -but it was a questionable success.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From horizon to zenith, the Terrans poured their power into the Martian -hemisphere. The ground about the city ran hot, and the grounded ring -tilted and mired down, but they continued to fire back. Stalemate set -in; Terra could not breach that close-knit hemisphere and Mars could -not fight off the pressing Terrans. Destroyed torpedoes filled the -annular gap with explosions, and crossed MacMillans flared to sear the -eye.</p> - -<p>Then a mile inside of the Martian ring, the ground heaved upward, and -the ugly snouts of underground raiders appeared. Their protected -turrets lifted out of the blisters and began to pour energy into the -Martians from behind. The Martians swept downward from their hemisphere -and fought back against the pincer-movement. The topmost Terrans -pressed downward as a second ring of underground raiders appeared to -bolster the first wave.</p> - -<p>The city erupted in tiny areas as Terran undergrounds broke the -surface, blasted the interfering building away with torpedoes, and -lifted to add to the ever-increasing energy of the battle.</p> - -<p>The Martians hopped backwards over the ring of undergrounds and set up -an inner line. At point-blank range, and almost plate to plate, the -Terrans massed their energy in a flaming wall of destruction, fighting -the Martians back, foot by foot.</p> - -<p>The circle tightened upon a tiny, central park. Spacesuited figures -worked furiously under a disperser screen; they were putting the -last touches upon an alien projector. No light came to them from -without, but they could be seen by the light of their own working -floods. Outside of the projector and the disperser, a ring of large -detector-coupled MacMillans were dancing from point to point and -dropping Terran ships with each point.</p> - -<p>"Ben!" snapped Maynard. "We'd best get that thing before they finish!"</p> - -<p>"Right. We'll hit 'em with AutoMacs and keep 'em under constant fire."</p> - -<p>"No good."</p> - -<p>"We can't hit 'em through that disperser, but they can't see to hit us."</p> - -<p>"I know. But there's one thing they don't need sight to hit."</p> - -<p>"Huh?"</p> - -<p>"Mephisto III, you idiot. Could you hit Luna from Terra without aim?"</p> - -<p>"If I had an ephemeris."</p> - -<p>"What do you suppose they call theirs?"</p> - -<p>"I—"</p> - -<p>"Break out a ground force," ordered Maynard. "We're going to take that -projector!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Terran fire tripled as the ground force moved ponderously across -the intervening yards. A salient point was made, and the sides began -to widen. Back and forth the individual sorties went, and as men and -machines went up in flaring puffs of fire, the salient moved forward -toward the projector.</p> - -<p>Inside the disperser, the combined Martians and Mephistans worked -furiously, though they seemed oblivious to their danger. No signals -would enter this barrier, and no living thing could step outside and -hope to re-enter.</p> - -<p>They stepped back from the thirty-foot parabola, and one of them thrust -down upon a plunger.</p> - -<p>Above the parabolic reflector, a thick haze formed. A torpedo succeeded -in passing the coupled AutoMacs and raced inside of the disperser and -into the haze. It exploded, and its energy added to the forming vortex.</p> - -<p>The haze thickened, became toroidal, and spread out. Up from a -dun color it went, into cherry-red incandescence. Up through the -red past yellow into blue and then into flaming white went the -color-temperature. Like a close-knit toroid of flaming, white-hot -metal, it poised above the projector, moved slightly, and then raced -upwards. It passed the disperser, and the screen went up in a flare of -white.</p> - -<p>Into the sky above Mephisto went the toroid, and below it, Terrans -swarmed over the projector, fought off the remaining enemy, and held -the projector as their objective. The last floods of resistance died as -the toroid went into the far sky above.</p> - -<p>"<i>Orionad!</i>" bellowed Maynard. His ship lifted, swooped over him, and -lifted him on a tractor. Upward they raced, catching the slow-moving -vortex.</p> - -<p>Turret-mounted AutoMacs vomited energy into the vortex—and -back-thrusting power burned out the feedlines. Torpedoes entered -the flaming mass and just disappeared. Tractor beams slid from the -coruscating surface and pressor beams found nothing against which to -push. A sub-ship plunged against the vortex. It was stripped of its -barrier and it floated down, inert, and started the long fall to the -hard ground below.</p> - -<p>Fighting against the vortex with weapons that did no good, and cursing -the foul thing all the way, Maynard and the <i>Orionad</i> followed its -ponderous course out and out and out to Mephisto III.</p> - -<p>It spread as it went, and by the time it wrapped its tenuousness about -the tiny moon, it was almost gone. But it contained strength enough to -blow out the barrier-generator that held Mephisto III invisible from -without.</p> - -<p>The toroid disappeared, and Guy, with misgivings, made inward to land -at the base.</p> - -<p>His fears grew as time went on, for he was not challenged. A swift -report gave him some hope, but it came from Mephisto itself, telling -him that resistance was at an end in the sector he had just left, and -that the fleet, victorious and supreme on Mephisto, was returning to -the outer moon.</p> - -<p>Guy worried. Returning to what?</p> - -<p>Inspection showed that nothing was harmed—save life. Dead men sat in -their places operating instruments, dead men patrolled unseen areas, -dead men manned the landing ports. It was a moon of the dead—with -every instrument operable.</p> - -<p>Not a machine was damaged—but no living things remained on Mephisto -III.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Broken with grief, Guy Maynard looked down on the silent face of -Senior Aide Joan Forbes. He felt wooden, and it all seemed dreamlike -and unreal, but he knew that this was no dream, but cruel reality. Hat -in hand, he stood there as if frozen and searched the girl's face as -though expecting the closed lips to part in a smile, and the closed -eyelids to open before a pair of twinkling eyes. His men knew of the -affection there, and they pitied him silently.</p> - -<p>In neat, geometrically precise rows; seven billion, four hundred -million miles from home; on a tiny, almost airless moonlet of an alien -planet the hundreds upon hundreds of physically perfect bodies were -buried. Not a scar or burn marred them, yet—</p> - -<p>The chaplain said: "—from the earth thou camest, and to the earth thou -hast returned. And though this earth is far removed from the earth -which bore thee and thine, it is thy resting place and home, for in -the eyes of God Almighty all places and all planets are His Domain. -And though ye travel to the farthest star, yet you will find Him there -before thee, and this we know and believe for His Only Begotten Son -hath said: 'My Father hath other worlds beside thine.'</p> - -<p>"And so we consign these erstwhile friends of ours to the depths of the -earth, knowing that time and space knows no deterrent to Our Father -Almighty; We shall all meet again some day—"</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard plodded away from the scene. His eyes were dry, and in his -heart was nothing. Shock had taken control of Maynard. Through the rows -of mounds he walked, back to the <i>Orionad</i>, and his entry into the -super ship failed to give him that lift he always felt.</p> - -<p>He sat in his scanning room and stared at the blank wall. Nothing -aroused him. Nothing caused him to think; his mind was almost a blank, -and it raced with futile rapidity from scene to scene with no plan, no -reason.</p> - -<p>An hour he sat, and the shock began to wear off. It left him with -heartbreaking grief, and Maynard put his hands over his face and wept -bitter, honest tears.</p> - -<p>A phrase crept into his mind: "—the fortunes of war—!"</p> - -<p>Maynard hated it. He hated the unknown who first said it. And then his -hatred changed to the creatures that had created this ill fortune. He -arose, his eyes blazing; and he thought:</p> - -<p><i>Am I mad?</i></p> - -<p><i>How could any man with such hatred be anything but mad?</i></p> - -<p><i>Then I am mad!</i></p> - -<p>He stormed out of the scanning room and went to the upper turret. He -strode in, and saw that the super-projector was being installed there. -Williamson turned and his face softened.</p> - -<p>"Well, Guy?" he asked quietly.</p> - -<p>"It's not well!" snapped Guy. Then his voice cleared and he said: -"Sorry, Ben. When?" he asked, meaning the vortex projector.</p> - -<p>"Now, I think. We lifted it wholesale, generators and all."</p> - -<p>"Then blast the accursed planet until it writhes!"</p> - -<p>The vortex formed and hurtled down upon Mephisto. Again it formed and -went down, following the first. Rings of violent energy, the vortices -flew from the snout of the projector one after the other, time and -time again until Ben stopped because the power was running low. Lines -were thrown in from adjoining ships and the everlasting barrage -continued. Hour after hour it went on, and each vortex laid waste to a -section of Mephisto.</p> - -<p>And long after the last Mephistan was dead, the Terran torpedoes -dropped on the planet. His men wondered, but still there came no order -to cease fire. Moonlet-mounted AutoMacs crossed the void and scored -Mephisto, and when the final blast was fired and the Patrol landed upon -Mephisto, no complete article of Mephistan life was anything but a -smoking, charred mass.</p> - -<p>The taking of Mephisto was finished.</p> - -<p>And Guy's hatred had passed through the saturation point, and all that -was left to him was a dull ache. Shock had taken him again; it was with -a dull, toneless voice that Guy issued orders to return the <i>Orionad</i> -to <i>Sahara Base</i>.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illusc3.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIII.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard inspected his image in the mirror and swore at it. He hated -what he saw. His glance went from the mirror to the surroundings, and -the face in the mirror, he felt, did not seem in keeping with the -ornate suite of rooms at the Officers' Club. The rooms were rich, -formal, and sedate. The face that looked back at Guy from the mirror -was a composite between care and foolishness.</p> - -<p>Lines had come between his eyes, and the frown of worry marked him, -too. His face about the eyes and nose seemed old. An honest observer -would have said that Guy's face had character there. But the lower -piece of face was the idea of frivolity. That mustache! It was the sign -of a youth trying to be grown up. It was an admission of immaturity -that the face behind it was not enough front in itself; that foliage -was needed to conceal the lineless face of youth.</p> - -<p>It was there for beauty's sake! Beauty, he repeated in his mind. He -snorted aloud. From now on they'd take him as he felt; as he was. In -the face of his sorrow and self-hatred, Maynard was eschewing all signs -of youth and self-indulgence.</p> - -<p>He smiled slowly. They'd accept him, all right. They'd taken him -wholeheartedly when he landed at Sahara after the completion of the -Mephistan campaign. He'd had a three-day beard then and it hadn't -mattered.</p> - -<p>He entered the bathroom and when he emerged, his face was clean-shaven -for the first time since he was twenty.</p> - -<p>The bell rang, and from somewhere a junior aide came to open the door. -Kane stepped in, and greeted Guy with surprise. "Well, young man, -where's that face-fern of yours?"</p> - -<p>"Shaved it off," grinned Maynard.</p> - -<p>"You look better, I must say."</p> - -<p>"I feel as though I've dropped a lot of foolishness since I did it," -admitted Maynard.</p> - -<p>"Why did you grow it in the first place?"</p> - -<p>"Laura Greggor said she liked men with mustaches."</p> - -<p>"And now you don't like Laura Greggor?"</p> - -<p>"That isn't it. She'll take me for what I'm worth from now on."</p> - -<p>"Them's harsh words, podner," drawled Kane. "What <i>is</i> your feeling for -Laura?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," said Maynard honestly. "We've both been a little rough -on one another, you know. She treated me slightly coldish the last time -I saw her—though she was indeed warmer than the incident after the -<i>Orionad</i> got painted. Then, too, the last time I saw her was the day -before I headed for Pluto with the <i>Orionad</i>. Because she has been so -snippy once before, I gave nebulae to Joan Forbes to pin on, remember?"</p> - -<p>"That was a cold thing to do," said Kane.</p> - -<p>"Laura told me not to annoy her until I could give her the insignia of -a patrol marshal—when I became sector marshal. So when I was raised -last time, I did as she demanded."</p> - -<p>"Sometimes women don't expect to have their snapped words taken to the -letter."</p> - -<p>"Are you carrying her banner?" asked Guy.</p> - -<p>"Not exactly. I'm trying to be honest. And I think that Laura Greggor -would make a good wife for you."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Laura has background, money, friends. She has social standing. Also, -I have a feeling that she has been sort of waiting for you. After all, -she is a very desirable woman, and I doubt that she has been friendless -all these years."</p> - -<p>"She's twenty-six," said Guy absently. "Maybe you're right. It'll -depend upon how she greets me."</p> - -<p>"Any woman in her right mind would greet you affectionately," smiled -Kane. "You're the Man of the Hour for fair. The Man Who. You're -famous, Guy. Wealth is yours for the taking. Fame is yours already. -They're talking about hitting Mars, and they're naming you as supreme -commander. How do you like that?"</p> - -<p>Guy shook his head. "I've had enough killing for one lifetime."</p> - -<p>"You'll change that opinion," said Kane. "What you need is rest and -relaxation."</p> - -<p>"I'd like to get away from the whole business," said Maynard. "I'm -beginning to hate the whole shebang."</p> - -<p>"You'll forget that. Did you know that they're going to present you -with your starred nebulae tonight?"</p> - -<p>"Are they?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. Laura Greggor will be there, too. Are you going to offer her the -chance?"</p> - -<p>"Might as well," said Guy.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kane looked at the younger man sharply. "You lost more than friendship -out there on Mephisto," said Kane. "You lost more than your fellow men."</p> - -<p>"You mean Joan Forbes?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>Guy nodded slowly. "I curse myself that I didn't realize her affection -sooner. I'd have had her now if I'd not been so accursedly blind."</p> - -<p>"No, you're wrong," said Kane. "Forbes would have followed you out -there anyway. Nothing would have changed, excepting that Joan could -have eased your worry some. Call her Joan Forbes or Mrs. Guy Maynard, -and you would have found her out there on Mephisto III."</p> - -<p>"I called her Forbes and ignored her affection," said Maynard with a -groan.</p> - -<p>"It's done now," said Kane. "In all of our lives, there are mistakes -which cause us regret for the rest of our lives. Not one of us is -immune. But, Guy, the successful ones of us forget our regrets and look -forward instead of backward. Living in the past is death in the future."</p> - -<p>"It's hard to forget," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"And yet," said Kane, "out there you will find an entire planet ready -to give you their acclaim. They'll make you forget. Unless, of course, -you prefer to remember, in which case you'll retreat within yourself -and become an embittered man. But if you'll go out there among the -people who want you to be the hero they think you are, you'll find -yourself being so busy living up to their belief that there'll be no -time for regret.</p> - -<p>"But above all, Guy, don't take the other road. You can go anywhere -from here, now. If you become embittered because of your regret, -you'll end up a wizened old man with nothing but sorrow to recall for -all your lifetime. Life is too short and too interesting to spend it in -the past. Guy, what would Forbes tell you to do?"</p> - -<p>Guy turned. "She'd probably laugh and tell me not to be a fool. She'd -probably admit in that laughing way of hers that she was the best—but -second best becomes top when the best is gone."</p> - -<p>"You're bitter," said Kane. "The remedy is people, noise, music, -excitement, and forgetfulness. Come on, Guy, we'll go out now and find -it!"</p> - -<p>"I don't think I care to."</p> - -<p>"Don't be an idiot. Must I tell the world that their hero does not come -to his own functions because of grief? And Guy, why do you now fall -grief-stricken? I know and you know. But frankly it was because you -didn't know until too late. Now, snap out of it and come with me."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Maynard viewed the banquet with distaste. Yet it was exactly like one -of those same functions that he would have given his life to attend -five years ago. He thought of that and tried to forget. The reception -room was filled with glitter, and the sound of talk and light laughter -assailed his ears, and in part, Maynard forgot his feelings. He became -eager for the laughter. Kane noticed the change, however slight its -appearance, and he smiled inwardly.</p> - -<p>"Good boy, Guy," he said. He led Guy to the center of the larger group -and without a word shouldered into the circle.</p> - -<p>It was enough. They knew Kane and accepted him easily. Then they saw -Guy, and accepted him immediately; while they did not know him, they -recognized him. Guy became the center of a smaller circle and one of -the men growled cheerfully in Kane's ear:</p> - -<p>"I don't know whether I like you any more or not. That young cub has -collected all our women."</p> - -<p>Kane laughed. "Call him a young cub to his face, Tony, and he'll -collect your scalp."</p> - -<p>"I know it. He's quite a fellow, I hear."</p> - -<p>"He's the finest. Get Bill over there and we'll find a drink. And don't -worry, your women will be here when you find time to take 'em home."</p> - -<p>"I know that, too. And for nine weeks afterward they'll be yelling at -me to show some get. Darn him, he even looks like a swashbuckler."</p> - -<p>"I doubt that any piratical thoughts run through Maynard's mind," said -Kane, motioning to the man called Bill. "And as far as women go, he's -been a very busy boy for a long time."</p> - -<p>"That's the trouble right now. If I'd been isolated as long as he has, -I'd be howling at the moon. And look at 'em flock around! A mutual -admiration society if I ever saw one."</p> - -<p>Bill came up smiling. "It looks as though your protégé is doing well -in all fields of endeavor, Kane. Right now he's fighting the battle of -Amazonia."</p> - -<p>Tony growled again. "Don't you call my wife an Amazon!"</p> - -<p>Bill laughed. "I meant mine. Come on, let's haunt the bar where we can -excel in our own fields."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The lightness of the talk was doing Maynard a world of good. There was -nothing said at all; nothing of the slightest importance. It was all -done by inference and by double-talk, and each of the women seemed -to be doing her best to entice him. In the back of Maynard's mind -something kept telling him that it was all sort of silly; that he had -nothing in common with these frivolous women, but the fore portion of -his mind enjoyed it.</p> - -<p>And the stiffness went out of him, and absently he began to look over -their heads for Laura Greggor. When he saw her arrive, he wondered how -he should greet her, but she took the problem in her own way and came -over to the group.</p> - -<p>"Hello, Guy," she said, offering him her hand.</p> - -<p>"I'm glad to see you," he told her.</p> - -<p>One of the other women smiled wryly. "An eligible, girls. That's about -all, now."</p> - -<p>"We've experience," returned another. "And what has she got that we -haven't?"</p> - -<p>"His hand," said the first. "And from here, it looks as though she -intends to keep it."</p> - -<p>The orchestra broke into dance music, and as though prearranged, Guy -led Laura through the crowd to the dance floor.</p> - -<p>"How've you been?" he asked quietly.</p> - -<p>She looked up at him and smiled. "Fine," she said. "I'm glad you're -here."</p> - -<p>"So am I—now. An hour ago I didn't think I would."</p> - -<p>"So?"</p> - -<p>"I was feeling low. Reaction, I guess."</p> - -<p>"What you need is relaxation," she told him. "A drink, perhaps?"</p> - -<p>"Could be," he agreed.</p> - -<p>"If I were you, I'd get good and fried. You must have been through -everything."</p> - -<p>"It seems like everything," he smiled. "But I can't get stinkeroo. I'm -supposed to be the guest of honor."</p> - -<p>Laura laughed lightly, and led him to the bar where she prescribed a -healthy drink. Guy downed it, gulped, and wiped tears from his eyes. -"Whoooooo!" he squealed, hugging his midsection.</p> - -<p>"Sissy," giggled Laura.</p> - -<p>"Feels like a MacMillian going off down there. Is there a fire -extinguisher in the place?"</p> - -<p>They both laughed. Then Laura led the way to the opened French doors -and out into the fragrant garden. It was warm and pleasant there, and -with one thought they went to the far, darker end of the garden and sat -down.</p> - -<p>"Did you think of me?" asked Laura.</p> - -<p>"Always," lied Maynard. Then he said truthfully: "I've been working -toward this moment for a long time. You wanted a set of patrol -marshal's nebulae. You may have mine, now."</p> - -<p>Laura took the box, and looked at the starred nebulae of the sector -marshal.</p> - -<p>"I shouldn't do this," she teased.</p> - -<p>It rubbed Maynard the wrong way, that teasing. He knew it was just -coquetry, but still it went against the grain. It was probably because -he knew what was in her mind.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" he asked. "In some circles it is considered an honor."</p> - -<p>"Huh," gibed Laura, "perhaps in some circles. But remember it is no -great novelty to the daughter of a space marshal."</p> - -<p>"The thrill of giving some bird the royal send-off is gone, hey?" asked -Guy, stubbornly. "How many other officers have you done the honor for?"</p> - -<p>"Quite a number," she told him. "Quite a few more than any one man can -boast of having women do it for him. After all, one man only gets eight -new insignia during the course of his life."</p> - -<p>"You must have quite a collection," said Guy. "Which collection -includes some of mine."</p> - -<p>"Some," answered Laura sharply. "Most of my officers are true, though, -and do not go off letting other girls pin their insignia on."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy shrugged. This was not going according to plan at all. But best -have it out. If he could get the upper hand in this argument with -Laura, he'd feel better. Always before he had come off second best in -disagreements with Laura Greggor. But he felt that he was dead right in -this affair, and he was not going to back down now that she had flung -his actions into his teeth.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said with an expansive wave of the hand, "you told me not -to annoy you with petty trifles, and that you'd be glad to accept -the patrol marshal's nebulae when I became sector marshal. I merely -followed your wishes. To the letter, in fact."</p> - -<p>"You didn't have to make a public show of yourself with that little -waitress!"</p> - -<p>"You mean Senior Aide Forbes?" asked Maynard, feeling the back of his -neck bristle. If he'd been possessed of any kind of mane, it would have -stood up in anger.</p> - -<p>"Senior aide? How did she get that rank?" scorned Laura.</p> - -<p>"She worked for it. And hard."</p> - -<p>"Slinging hash?"</p> - -<p>"No, you little twirp. She went to a school for Patrol Nurse Corps and -paid for her tuition by working nights."</p> - -<p>"She could have made a better night-living than working in a beanery," -snapped Laura.</p> - -<p><i>Slap!</i></p> - -<p>Maynard had been raised as a normal youngster. His mother had done -her best to instill the instincts of a gentleman in her son Guy, and -at an early age he discovered that little girls are not to be beaten -over the skull with a toy truck, and that beebee guns make little -round bruises when they hit little girls' legs, and that produced bad -evidence. Little girls, he learned, had no such restriction upon their -action, but could let him have a few quick blows without suffering the -consequences. On the other hand, he soon discovered that at best their -blows didn't count for much, and so he learned that hitting women was -taking an unfair advantage.</p> - -<p>But hitting with the tongue had never been explained to Maynard's -satisfaction. Laura Greggor was being just too open with her scorn. -And so Maynard, who never had hit a lady before, slapped Laura Greggor -across the face.</p> - -<p>"You hit me," she said in absolute surprise and equally absolute anger.</p> - -<p>"You talk too rotten about someone far above you," snapped Maynard.</p> - -<p>"Don't you call me rotten," snarled Laura. "Go on back to that little -trollop you prefer."</p> - -<p>"Can't," said Guy shortly. "She died up there!"</p> - -<p>It made no impression on Laura. "And so now you come running back to -me? Sorry, Guy. I don't play second fiddle—even to a corpse!"</p> - -<p>"You don't have to," he said evenly. He took the box from her hand. -Then as she watched in amazement, Guy removed his own insignia and -placed the starred nebulae on his own lapel. With that finished, he -arose from the bench; flung the plain nebulae into the little lagoon, -and left Laura sitting there.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy entered the room through the same door, and went immediately into -the bar where he downed four drinks in rapid succession.</p> - -<p>He felt as though he needed that alcoholic sterilization of his mouth. -Maynard's stomach was unused to liquor in such undilution. It reacted; -got rid of the alcohol as soon as it could by filtering it into the -blood stream. In other words, Guy became slightly drunk on a total -of five drinks. Unevenly, Guy went to the main room, where he was -immediately taken in tow by two women.</p> - -<p>"Now," said the one on his right, "we have you to ourselves. Tell us -about Mephisto."</p> - -<p>"How did you find it?"</p> - -<p><i>I found it cold and forbidding.</i></p> - -<p>"To think that it was undiscovered for all of these years!"</p> - -<p><i>Too bad I did find it.</i></p> - -<p>"You found it, and you conquered it. That makes it almost your own -planet, Guy."</p> - -<p><i>I'll trade it for a chance to seek it again.</i></p> - -<p>They prattled on, not noticing his silence. They wouldn't have heard -him if he had spoken, for they poured the questions at him without -waiting for an answer.</p> - -<p>"Was it exciting to go all the way out there?"</p> - -<p><i>It was deadly. They hit us with all they had.</i></p> - -<p>"Tell us about the battle. We want to hear the final words on the -finish of the fight. Tell us how you captured the weapon that destroyed -all Mephisto. Was that thrilling?"</p> - -<p><i>Thrilling?</i> Maynard saw a white face with closed eyes, neatly placed -in endless rows of other faces. He heard the voice of the chaplain -saying again: "—vast though the universe be, and though you travel it -endlessly, there you will find His work—"</p> - -<p><i>How could death be thrilling?</i></p> - -<p>"You make me sick," said Maynard uncertainly.</p> - -<p>"He's drunk."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I'm drunk," he roared. "And you'd be dead or worse than drunk if -you'd seen what I had to live with. What do you know of death and of -war? <i>Thrilling? Exciting? Wonderful?</i> Bah. It was rotten, as sordid, -and as ungodly as running opium! Sending men to their death. Fighting a -war against an enemy that knows it is fighting for its right to live.</p> - -<p>"Fighting for what? So that you and your kind can sit here and praise -the unlucky man who is destined to return for these medals.</p> - -<p>"Fighting to make the Solar System bend to Terra's will, that's what it -is. What did we want of Mephisto? Nothing except tribute. I'm sick and -tired of people telling me that I did a wonderful job. A brilliant job -of butchering, that's what they mean!"</p> - -<p>"Guy, take it easy. They mean no harm," interposed Kane.</p> - -<p>"If they want to see how thrilling war is," blazed Guy, "let 'em go out -and see!"</p> - -<p>"Take it easy!"</p> - -<p>"Let 'em help cut the leg from a corpse so that it can be grafted onto -a lad with his leg shot off!" stormed Guy. "Let 'em watch a ship fall -ten thousand miles into a planet, and watch it blaze as it hits the -air."</p> - -<p>"It's all over," Kane told him. He turned to the rapidly collecting -group and said: "Permit me to apologize. Guy has been through hell, and -shock still claims him."</p> - -<p>"It's over?" asked Guy. "It'll never be over. It'll go on and on and on -until the last Terran is dead and forgotten."</p> - -<p>"Well," said Kane, "you'd better make the best of it, Guy. You're -Terran, and there's no place else to go."</p> - -<p>"I'd like to find a planet that hasn't seen war for a thousand years," -said Guy uncertainly. The alcohol-concentration was reaching new levels -in Guy's system, and his brain was feeling more and more the effects.</p> - -<p>"We'd all like that," said Kane. "Now break it up, Guy, and simmer -down."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The storm passed, then, and Kane walked Guy into the dining room and -seated him at the speakers' table.</p> - -<p>The room hazed before Guy's eyes as he sat down. The echo of his voice -resounded in his brain: "A thousand years—"</p> - -<p>What was it that Charalas said? A thousand years—no, it was more than -that. Thousands of years since they had war. That was a planet! Ertene. -The nomad world that wanted no part of Sol's warfare and strife; -killing and death. They knew—they knew from the things he said—that -Terra was a planet of self-aggrandizement and that Terrans were proud, -haughty, and belligerent.</p> - -<p>Maynard laughed wildly.</p> - -<p>His hand felt the clean-shaven face.</p> - -<p>He'd go there!</p> - -<p>"No strife for thousands of years," he said aloud.</p> - -<p>Space Marshal Mantley, at his side, turned in puzzlement and asked: -"What was that?"</p> - -<p>Maynard saw the other as a sheer maze of white; no features were -visible to his befuddled mind.</p> - -<p>"They haven't had war for thousands of years," he said.</p> - -<p>"Who? What kind of dead, sterile place is that?"</p> - -<p>"Ertene—and never call Ertene dead!" exploded Guy.</p> - -<p>"What's Ertene?"</p> - -<p>"Ertene—the nomad planet. The wanderers."</p> - -<p>"I do not follow?"</p> - -<p>"They came and saw us. They decided not to have any."</p> - -<p>Mantley turned to Kane and said: "What is this young man talking about?"</p> - -<p>"I should know?" asked Kane with a shrug. "He's drunk—and though it is -deplorable that he should pick this time to get that way, I, for one, -don't blame him."</p> - -<p>"Well, after the circumstances, neither do I," agreed Mantley with -a sympathetic smile. "Those female predators would drive any man to -murder with their thoughtless questions. But look, Kane, this tale of a -nomad planet that preferred peace to association with Terra sounds too -complicated to be the figment of a drunken imagination."</p> - -<p>"How could it be anything but?"</p> - -<p>"Not a drunken figment," blurted Guy. "I was there, I should know."</p> - -<p>"It must be a wonderful place," said Mantley soothingly.</p> - -<p>"It is a paradise," insisted Guy.</p> - -<p>"And you were there?"</p> - -<p>"How would I know about it otherwise?"</p> - -<p>"All right," laughed Kane. "Prove it!"</p> - -<p>"How can I? They destroyed every shred of evidence."</p> - -<p>"Who did?"</p> - -<p>"You did—you and your kind. Didn't want Mars to know about -<i>Mardinex</i>—shot up the lifeship. Made me mem'rise forged log—forged -by Ertinians to fool you—and then burned log. Ha!" and Guy went into a -paroxysm of laughter. "You forged a log from a forged log."</p> - -<p>"When was this visit?"</p> - -<p>"When—right after capture by Martians. Came home to Terra."</p> - -<p>"Kane," said Mantley, "there may be nothing to this wild yarn. But -to stop any wild talk on the part of observers here, I'm going to -investigate thoroughly."</p> - -<p>"Please do. I'm certain that it will kill any rumors. Guy went through -part of the Martian idea of torture, I think, and it may have deranged -his mind somewhat."</p> - -<p>"I'll look into it," said Mantley.</p> - -<p>"We can permit no ugly rumor to mar the record of Guy Maynard," -insisted Kane. "He is too high a figure now to permit rumors—and there -are those who would spread such rumors."</p> - -<p>Mantley nodded. "Some of them are here, and they have heard."</p> - -<p>"You don't mind a bit of scorn?"</p> - -<p>"Of what kind?"</p> - -<p>"My publications will break this, of course. We'll do it in the light -of an investigation made over the statements made in jest by Sector -Marshal Maynard. You may find yourself an object of some scorn since -you are willing to accept the prattlings of a slightly-drunken man, -suffering from battle-shock, as basis for a formal investigation."</p> - -<p>"If you'll paint me as an unwilling investigator, I'll take it."</p> - -<p>"Well," smiled Kane, "you are unwilling, I know. You'll be portrayed as -a friend of Maynard's who is forced to investigate and is doing so only -because your duty to the Patrol insists that you do. Correct?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. But let's get it over with. I wouldn't want this dragged out too -far."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIV.</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard faced the President of the Court, who said to him: -"Maynard, your story is absurd. That you spent a year on an unknown -planet sounds impossible. But—there is one bit of evidence which, if -you can explain, will be discarded. Early medical records claim that -you have a MacMillan burn beneath your right arm. It is further stated -that if this scar is not removed, it will turn into cancer. No record -can be found of its removal—yet it is gone. To clear yourself, name -the surgeon that removed the dangerous scar."</p> - -<p>Maynard blinked. He'd forgotten the scar entirely. It had been a -minute speck that had never given him a bit of trouble.</p> - -<p>"The record states that you got that scar at age twenty-two. You were a -junior aide at the time, and you received the burn in a fight with the -Martians during the Martio-Terran Incident."</p> - -<p>He'd gotten it before he went to Ertene!</p> - -<p>"Can you recall the name of the doctor?"</p> - -<p>Guy shook his head.</p> - -<p>"I can not believe that you would visit a disreputable doctor for -such treatment when the Base doctor is available—and the expense is -no answer. Having received the wound in service, its treatment is a -responsibility of the government. Yet we have searched the records of -all reputable doctors and find no mention."</p> - -<p>Guy shook his head again.</p> - -<p>"Maynard, I am beginning to assume that there is truth in your drunken -story. Your developments—your inventions—were so startling and so -brilliant. Memorized details of a civilization's best efforts. The -barrier-screen. Used, no doubt, to keep Ertene hidden as it passes from -start to finish through the universe. A brilliant bit of adaptation, -Maynard."</p> - -<p>"That's a little harsh, Mantley," said Kane.</p> - -<p>"Are you in this with him?" asked Mantley sharply. "If I were you, -Kane, I'd look to my own past and see if there are any loose ends. We -may decide that you know about this, too."</p> - -<p>"You're being overharsh to a man that should have the entire world at -his feet."</p> - -<p>"Maynard, will you swear upon your honor that no such planet exists?" -demanded Mantley.</p> - -<p>Maynard remained silent, convicting himself.</p> - -<p>"Ha! Then it was not drunkenness entirely. Look, Maynard. Your high -position as sector marshal will not help you in the face of this. The -entire situation will be overlooked if you do your duty and lead us to -Ertene now."</p> - -<p>Maynard made a soundless "No".</p> - -<p>"You are a valuable man," insisted Mantley. "Copies though the -originals may have been, your work at adaptation is nothing short of -genius. To take an alien concept and reduce it to practice is no small -feat, Guy. Do not fling your future into the drink. Lead us to Ertene, -and we will consider your job well done."</p> - -<p>"They saved my life," said Guy. "They gave me knowledge. I strived and -worked enthusiastically in an effort to convince Ertene that Terra and -Sol would ever be friendly, and offered her a place near Sol. I assured -Ertene of our undying alliance and protection. They preferred eternal -loneliness to joining a militant system such as ours. Since they felt -that entering Sol's system would bring about the death of Ertinian -integrity, they offered me life in exchange for silence."</p> - -<p>"A fine bargain," sneered Mantley.</p> - -<p>"I swore to keep their secret. I shall."</p> - -<p>"Your honor is rooted in dishonor—"</p> - -<p>"That I deny. I had no other alternative. I could bring their secrets -to you only by swearing silence. If I had not sworn silence, I would -have been executed. Alive, but silent, I brought to Terra the science -by which she will gain mastery over the Solar System. Dead, I would -have been able to do nothing, and Terra would not have the benefit of -the things I brought. Give me that credit, at least!"</p> - -<p>"You should have sworn silence," said Mantley coldly. "And then taken -us to them."</p> - -<p>"You would prefer an officer whose word means nothing?"</p> - -<p>"False oaths. The only oath that is worth the breath of life is your -oath to the Patrol."</p> - -<p>"I see. Dishonesty extends in only one direction? Be rotten to the -core—for the Terran Space Patrol! Even a Martian spy has more honor -than that!"</p> - -<p>"Enough. We find you guilty of treasonable acts, Maynard. You will -be removed from command, relieved of any connection with the Terran -Space Patrol, and your citizenship in the Terran and Colonial Alliance -destroyed. We'll see how popular you are, Maynard. No matter how -big a man may get, he still is less than the world itself. We'll -find out whether you can find friends who trust you when you've been -dishonorably discharged from the Patrol.</p> - -<p>"There is this fact. To remove the Act of Treason from your record, -you must remove the charge. By leading us to Ertene you will remove -any cause for action, and by doing so you will regain your position. -Understand?"</p> - -<p>Maynard's lips curled in a sneer. He said nothing because there was -nothing to say. The President of the Court approached him and harshly -ripped the insignia from his uniform.</p> - -<p>"Thus I remove the sacred shields of honor from a man of dishonor. He -has defiled them."</p> - -<p>The insignia were dropped into a small box, which was then burned -so that no trace of the original shapes remained. During the firing -of the insignia, Guy stood woodenly. His former friends looked past -him, through him, ignoring him. They arose and filed out of the room, -leaving Guy standing alone.</p> - -<p>Completely alone.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He stood on the edge of the great spaceport and watched the activity. -It was hard to realize that he was no longer a part of it; he knew that -he could return as soon as he grew tired of going hungry, of finding no -work, of being without a single friend. But before he did that—well, -he was not reduced to starvation yet. Perhaps something would turn up.</p> - -<p>He heard a footstep beside him, and found it was Kane.</p> - -<p>"Sorry," he said to the publisher.</p> - -<p>"So am I, Guy. But I believe with you. You should have been permitted -your little secret. Would they have preferred another Mephisto? -A planet such as you describe ruined and sterilized because of -pride? No—and believing that I know the mettle of the people on -that mysterious planet, I know that they'd die before they'd permit -invasion. Right?"</p> - -<p>"Absolutely. That's why I did nothing. They were human, Kane, as you -and I are human. A dead specimen is no good in a zoo."</p> - -<p>"I know. What are you going to do?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know."</p> - -<p>"Don't take it too hard. I'm still the big publisher. I'll see that -your case reaches the public in the proper light. You'll be a victim -of Patrol politics, thrown out because of personal pettiness over -practical action."</p> - -<p>"That may help."</p> - -<p>"They'll never stand for it."</p> - -<p>"You should know."</p> - -<p>"I do. Now look, Guy. Will you take the <i>Loki</i> and head for Pluto? Get -lost there on Pluto; hire out as a workman. When the time is ripe, -you'll know and can come back. I'm not going to see my friend broken -because of their high-handed methods."</p> - -<p>"That's offering a lot."</p> - -<p>"Not at all. I can pick the <i>Loki</i> up there. Right at the present time -you'd get nowhere if you stay on Terra; your face is known to every -man, woman, and child on the planet."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"Go to Pluto, Guy. Out there they will not demand ten years of -references before you apply for a job."</p> - -<p>Guy faced Kane once more. "Was I right?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"As far as I am concerned, you were. And as far as I have the -ability to make people believe—and I've made quite a pile doing -just that—they'll believe, too. We'll campaign you right back into -the service. But meantime you must play this my way. Disappear, Guy, -because when you return, we can claim another M-12 for you, and -tell the world that your dismissal was all a part of a grand plot. -Understand?"</p> - -<p>Guy nodded. Kane's argument was very sound. Remaining in the light -would destroy any chances of squashing the charge later.</p> - -<p>"I'll do it!"</p> - -<p>Kane handed Maynard the key to the <i>Loki's</i> shelter. "Keep an eye on -the newsprint," he said. "You'll know when to return!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>High in the Solar System; up near the orbit of Jupiter, Guy became -lonely. Killing time, he'd started at a 1-G drive, and in spite of the -terrific velocities that can be achieved at a single G, it took a long -time to make the run to Pluto at 1-G. He'd watched and listened daily -to the Press Broadcasts and gratified to know that Kane's campaign was -off to a successful start.</p> - -<p>Other headline stories bothered him. The Patrol had started a search -for the hidden planet. It worried Guy. Supposing that they did manage -to find it? The recurring worry caused cold sweat and shakes, and it -was only by main force that Guy willed himself into a semblance of -nervous stability.</p> - -<p>Again and again he analyzed his actions. He viewed them as Guy -Maynard. He tried to see them from the standpoint of the Patrol. He -tried to visualize the thoughts of the people, and knew that they were -being swayed by both Kane's publicity and the Patrol's adverse reports. -Would they ever know the real truth? How could they ever really realize -the facts when the facts were cloaked in suave words and shaded tones?</p> - -<p>The Mephistan was right. True democracy would occur only when the -thought-beam instruments became universal and fancy words no longer -prevailed. But all evidence of the mental instruments was destroyed on -Mephisto; Guy had seen to that. He'd been afraid that their use would -disclose his secret.</p> - -<p>It would have uncovered his secret, without a doubt.</p> - -<p>And yet he was responsible for destroying an instrument that would have -been the salvation of mankind. Wars and strife and graft and lies were -the rewards of power; and power went to the man who was wealthy and -dishonest enough to buy it. An honest man did not have a real chance to -gain power; others bought it easily, and by trying their tactics and -buying their power, they themselves became dishonest.</p> - -<p>He felt like cursing Ertene, and then remembered that without the nomad -world, he would have been dead.</p> - -<p>And yet, what had he gained from life?</p> - -<p>It was a hard thing to balance and justify. He'd had his day of success -and power. Regardless of what they said about him, he had made his -good mark on history. He realized the life was a continuous succession -of rises and falls, and by all the rules he had been heading for the -fall. But to have fallen so far—was that really fair?</p> - -<p>How should he have treated Laura Greggor? And what of Joan? Could he -have changed that, really?</p> - -<p>Mephisto? Well, he'd found the tenth planet for them because he wanted -power himself. He'd fought the tenth planet, and had given Terra -another planet to colonize, and in carrying on the long incident of -the tenth planet, had succeeded in losing something that could not be -calculated in the mean terms of money.</p> - -<p>He wondered whether he was any better than the rest. Had he been -satisfied to remain as he was, Mephisto would have been discovered -by someone else, and that would have lessened his chances of getting -involved in this present situation. But no. He had to strike high and -hard, so that he could fling the insignia of the Patrol Marshal in -Laura Greggor's face with an "I told you so!"</p> - -<p>Laura Greggor didn't deserve it.</p> - -<p>And then what had he done? He'd pinned them on himself.</p> - -<p>Guy smiled glumly. "Superstition," he snorted. And yet it had happened. -The first time he'd pinned his own lapel ornaments on, trouble -had claimed him for its own. "Superstition!" he growled. Perhaps -superstition was just the human-equation coming to the fore. Those -unexplainable factors of human behavior. In walking under a ladder, -one might get hit by falling tools; in breaking a mirror one might cut -himself; one was fortunate to find a four-leaved clover because they -were rare, one so fortunate might repeat. In having disaster fall upon -an officer that had no friend to pin his insignia on—it meant that he -had no true friends. At least, no friends among the opposite sex.</p> - -<p>And Maynard knew that a man of that character, whose friends did not -include one member of the opposite sex, was possessed of a warp in his -get-together and quite capable of speeding blindly into some form of -disaster. A man should be balanced in all things—even to the sex of -his friends.</p> - -<p>Guy felt a tiny pang of jealousy. Who, he wondered, had been the lucky -man to pin the caduceus on Joan's uniform?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy turned to the news-recorder and read the pages with aloof interest. -A great verbal fight was beginning between Kane's outfit and another. -Guy shook his head. It was all wrong. Kane shouldn't be fighting the -Patrol. They'd break him—and then what good could he do. For even -a publication company such as Kane's to attempt to sway the people -against the wishes of the Patrol was foolish. And Kane's interests -covered everything possible in the realm of the Fourth Estate. Books, -broadcast, newsprint, commercial advertising, everything.</p> - -<p>A trace of humor passed through Guy. It was a trace of that same humor -that had been essential in saving every human being since the beginning -of time.</p> - -<p>Guy listened to the glowing claims of an advertiser on the newscast and -laughed to think what the thought-beam would do to his script—"—and -these cigarettes, ladies and gentlemen, are made of no worse a grade of -floor-sweepings than any other brand!"</p> - -<p>He laughed, and it did him good.</p> - -<p>But this rise in feeling was short-lived. The next newscast took him -right down to the bottom again.</p> - -<p>It was a long editorial, written by one of the High Command, denouncing -Kane and his publications, and officially suspending all operations of -the Kane Publishing Co. for publicly and aggressively resisting the -Patrol's attempt to add still an eleventh planet to the Solar System.</p> - -<p>It made no matter that Ertene was passing through. They did not know -that Ertene was dirigible and could be swung into an orbit. In fact -they thought not. But they were determined to visit Ertene. And Guy -Maynard knew that their intent was to ravage the nomad of her treasures -and every bit of her science.</p> - -<p>So Kane was no longer a factor. He had fallen in the battle to save a -friend—himself, Guy Maynard.</p> - -<p>Guy felt that he was an unfortunate fellow. Everything that he loved -and wanted to befriend was going to hell—or had gone there already. -Even Ertene—</p> - -<p>No! Perhaps he could still do something about that!</p> - -<p>Not openly. But he could pass as Ertinian, he knew, provided that he -shaved twice daily and managed to hide his razor well.</p> - -<p>It would take years of careful planning and working to get himself to a -dominant position on Ertene—one that would be without question. He'd -done it on Terra—using Ertinian science, and no doubt he could do the -same thing on Ertene using Terran science.</p> - -<p>He had time. Ertene was still far, far out beyond the orbit of Mephisto -and the speed gave him years to prepare, unless an unhappy accident cut -his time. He made an oath, then. There were two things to take with -him. The vortex projector and the thought-beam. One, Terra had. The -other, neither knew existed. A threat on the part of Ertene to blast -Sol itself with vortices might hold Terra away, and the thought-beam -would solidify Ertene against invaders.</p> - -<p>If his action in coming to Ertene to protect them were really known, he -didn't think they'd act harshly in his direction. Ertene was one place -where the thought-beam would save him at the proper time.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Maynard strode to the tiny pilot's chamber and charted the course of -the <i>Loki</i>.</p> - -<p>When he established the barrier, he did not know that a hundred -beam-detectors throughout the system went wandering foolishly; their -center-of-urge gone completely. But he suspected, and he searched the -<i>Loki</i> with a sensitive detector rigged out of the communications set -parts and located twelve separate spotter-generators.</p> - -<p>If he were to land on Ertene safely, he'd want no detectors on him. And -if the barrier failed for the barest instant on his course, Terra would -be on the trail in minutes.</p> - -<p>Once inside the great barrier that covered Ertene, he would be -safe—except that he wanted no Ertinian to detect him either.</p> - -<p>So he combed the <i>Loki</i> free of all emission and then continued to -coast toward Pluto, concealed behind the barrier.</p> - -<p>Ertene was on the far side of Sol.</p> - -<p>Evasion of the Patrol was going to be a problem. Though he was not -undetectable, they knew where he was and how fast he was going and -in what direction. Their course-predictors could extrapolate very -well indeed, and could predict the position of a barrier-hidden -ship since no drive would work behind the barrier. It was a matter -of straight-line projection unless the celestial masses caused some -deflection, but this could also be calculated.</p> - -<p>Since his creation of the barrier would be taken as an admission of -flight, he was willing to wager his life that a Terran ship would soon -take the pursuit. Armed with the course-prediction, the ship would -match the <i>Loki's</i> velocity and position to a precision within a few -days.</p> - -<p>He could not hope to drive the <i>Loki</i> under the barrier. Yet he -was beyond the negative-detector range that he had devised on the -<i>Orionad</i> to predict the positions of sub-ships. His problem, then, -was to stay outside of that range, and at the same time change his -course.</p> - -<p>Once the barrier was removed, he would be detected by his drive. He -shook his head. Well, there were certain ideas he could give a try. -And, luckily, there was no premium put on time.</p> - -<p>He would make use of the minor errors in all detectors. He could make -use of the "angles of confusion" which give areas instead of pinpricks -at great distances for the position of a target. And he could hope to -win through.</p> - -<p>Kane's little ship was not a Patrol ship, unluckily, though the -publisher had installed just about every attachment that he could get -his hands on. Guy's assumption that he would find acceleration garb in -the locker was correct, and he strapped the binding, holding suit on -tightly and waited while the oxygen-content of the <i>Loki</i> increased.</p> - -<p>Then Guy cut the barrier and pointed the top of the <i>Loki</i> north; at -ninety degrees from his line of flight and drove it for thirty minutes -at a bone-tingling 10-Gs. Then he set the barrier again and coasted.</p> - -<p>He'd been loafing along the road to Pluto at 1-G. He was about halfway -there, and it had taken him slightly less than ten days, twenty-four -hours each, to achieve his present initial velocity, Plutowards, of -just a trace over five thousand miles per second. His action at driving -the ship northward had changed his course only slightly. It had given -him one hundred and ten miles per second velocity northward. His -course, then, differed from the original course by the angle whose -tangent is equal to one hundred ten divided by five thousand, or -roughly one over fifty.</p> - -<p>In decimals, this becomes point zero two. It is one degree, eight -minutes, and forty-four plus seconds.</p> - -<p>Not much, but enough to throw Guy quite a bit out of place by the time -he continued to coast toward Pluto. Minute angles add up when they are -projected for half the distance from Sol to Pluto, a matter of one -billion, eight hundred fifty million miles. That plus the fact that -he should start decelerating at 1-G to make Pluto and his calculated -course constants come out even.</p> - -<p>Then there came a long period of nothing to do.</p> - -<p>But Guy found things to do. He went to work on the detector. He -increased its gain, and in doing so sacrificed much of its selectivity -and directivity. Targets at one million miles, formerly at extreme -range, would no longer be pinpoints in the celestial sphere, but -shapeless masses but one third the distance out from the center of -the detector sphere. The angles of confusion would be greater, too, -and the noise level went up to almost prohibitive quantities. Flecks -of noise-projected light filled the globe with a constantly swirling, -continually changing pattern that reminded Guy of the Brownian Movement -viewed in three dimensions.</p> - -<p>Calibration of the souped-up detector range was based on estimation -since no accurate measure of distances was available to him. Guy -pessimistically estimated the range at three million miles and hoped it -good enough.</p> - -<p>At least, no ships were within that range.</p> - -<p>And since the barrier, when first established, had broken the far-flung -contact maintained by the driver-detectors on Terra, Guy was safe until -they could send out ships to intercept him.</p> - -<p>He cursed the cardex files in all Patrol ships, and wondered whether -he could change the <i>Loki</i> sufficiently to make it appear different to -the sorting machines and the characteristic detectors. The detector -impulses were based on the size, the characteristic radiation -of the drivers, the mass, and the metal of the hull. Those four -characteristics were individual and while some duplications occurred, -sufficient evidence remained to pin the cardex-information down to a -particular ship. Especially when this particular ship was being sought -and others of the same characteristic would be catalogued as to course, -and position.</p> - -<p>He had the barrier, but he could not drive through it. He could hide, -but when hiding could not run. He could run, but when running could not -hide.</p> - -<p>But he was the equal of the Patrol's best watchdogs. A bit of hare and -hounds might come out with the hare a winner. At worst, Guy had nothing -to lose.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XV.</p> - -<p>His only hope of escaping detection was his knowledge that the -negative-detector, developed in the <i>Orionad</i> for use against -sub-ships was less sensitive as to range than the positive-detector. -The establishment of negative evidence is never conclusive. And his -souped-up detector would outrange any but another souped-up job.</p> - -<p>So Guy coasted for days, which at five thousand miles took him far, far -beyond the orbit of Pluto. Then he crammed on the deceleration and came -to a stop, with respect to Sol, and then started back along a course -several degrees to the south and thirty degrees to the right of Sol. He -drove at the same 10-Gs for an hour and then closed the barrier about -him once more.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the mathematicians on Terra had been plying their trade. -The Laws of Probability came out of hiding and became their favorite -subject. Knowing his course and direction up to the first establishment -of the barrier, which surprised them and caused them to dislike Kane -that much more for having installed one on the <i>Loki</i>, they tossed -their hypothetical coin, drew probability curves, made space-models, -and came up with a flared cone, in which volume Guy must appear. And -then they buttered their decision by stating that the cone held true -only if Guy did not apply power in another direction.</p> - -<p>They grinned, when they said it. It was thirty billion to one that Guy -would apply power instead of just running off at five thousand miles -per second until he hit the next star in line with that course.</p> - -<p>So they sent out ships with souped-up detectors to follow the edges of -the cone.</p> - -<p>And Guy, running back Solward outside of the cone of expectancy with -the barrier on, detected them at extreme range and laughed. He left -them running in the opposite direction, and when they were far beyond -range, Guy dropped his barrier and drove at an angle away from Sol -which added to a quartering course from Pluto by the time he had the -course corrected. He drove solid for days at 1-G, and then decelerated -in an upwards vector which carried him a billion miles to the north of -the Celestial Equator and ten billion miles from Sol. He turned again -and ran tangent to the circle from his position to Sol, and dropped -slightly southward. Again he came to a stop.</p> - -<p>Then, with a sad shake of his head, he abandoned the <i>Loki</i>. He dropped -from the larger ship in the tiniest of lifeships, and taking the -barrier-generator with him, he let the <i>Loki</i> drive across the System -towards Mephisto, while he in the lifeship gave a short, ten minute -thrust at 10-Gs and set up the barrier again.</p> - -<p>If any detectors had been close enough to catch him, they would be -souped-up to the limit of gain, for his own super-sensitive detectors -caught no pursuit. At that range, both lifeship and <i>Loki</i> would appear -as a single drive, and when he disappeared, only <i>Loki</i> at 10-Gs would -remain to lead them across the Solar System towards Mephisto.</p> - -<p>He laughed. If this chase had been a chase to the death, he'd have been -dead by now. But they had preferred to let him think he was being let -alone, or that they had lost him. He'd given them the slip, he knew. -And if they were still on the lookout, they'd follow <i>Loki</i> right -across that vast orbit and beyond Mephisto on the other side. Better -than twenty billion miles!</p> - -<p>And with <i>Loki</i> running on clockwork for the barrier, and with the -autopilot set for a series of gyrations with an apparent ending of the -course completely unpredictable and yet obviously better than fifty -billion miles beyond Mephisto, in an area that covered as much sky as -the orbit of Mars itself—</p> - -<p>They'd spend a lot of time thinking of that one.</p> - -<p>It was slightly funny, though. The Terran mathematicians did not know -that Guy was starting for Pluto in the first place. They believed that -the initial start was but a throw-off direction on the secret way to -Ertene. They based their probabilities on that one fact, and built -their house of mathematical cards on that false premise. They came up -with what they thought to be a shrewd guess—and when the <i>Loki</i> was -picked up rifling across the Solar System in the direction of Mephisto, -they jumped up and down in glee.</p> - -<p>The Laws of Probabilities had coincided with the Laws of Absolute -Randomness, the basic rule of which argument is that there are no laws -that prevail.</p> - -<p>And while the Solar System combed the vastness of space beyond Mephisto -for the hidden planet, Guy Maynard was coasting out of the Solar System -on the opposite side, approaching the hidden planet in truth.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy was going slowly as spaceships travel, but he was secure in the -belief that he was not followed. He wondered whether his arduous path -had been really necessary. He'd given them the shake easily. Right on -the first try, and from then on he'd been able to go free as he wanted. -The rest of his manipulation had been insurance.</p> - -<p>But there had been no pursuit. It was almost impossible to have flown -the millions of miles he had covered in free flight along a course -beside another freely flying ship without diverging or converging. That -would take corrective driving, and the radiation would flare in his -detector. He had seen none. He was safe.</p> - -<p>He spent his time figuring, and trying to fix the position of Ertene. -He corrected his fix time after time, and prayed that he was right.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus14.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>And when he detected the great, nonreflecting sphere in space with his -converted detector, he shouted in joy.</p> - -<p>He passed Ertene and went beyond detector range by twenty million -miles. Then he broke his barrier and directed the lifeship to the -center of the big barrier over Ertene. He closed his own barrier again -and watched the blackness increase in size as he coasted toward it. He -made contact, passed inside, and saw Ertene and the synthetic sun.</p> - -<p>He kept his barrier on and approached the planet with the acceleration -of falling bodies.</p> - -<p>He hit the atmosphere and the falling velocity turned the silence of -space-flight into a scream. He watched the pyrometers, and though the -hull became hot, it did not become dangerously so. His velocity upon -contact had been in thousands of feet per second, not miles, as would -have been the case in a meteor.</p> - -<p>The velocity dropped slightly; Guy calculated the terminal velocity of -the lifeship at three hundred miles per hour, and with that in mind he -began to figure furiously.</p> - -<p>He had none too much time.</p> - -<p>His automatic calculator ground out the answer. The best he could -do was sixty seconds at 12-Gs! That would bring him to almost-zero -velocity upon contact with Ertene.</p> - -<p>He believed that sixty seconds would be short enough to escape -detection by any but an observer expecting him. The recorders, showing -a streak that ended deep in Ertene's broad ocean would be suspected of -recording noise-transients instead of a signal. No ship would land deep -in an ocean.</p> - -<p>And it must be remembered that Ertinians were quite nonsuspicious, -since they'd had no experience with disreputable characters for several -thousands of years. They might not even have detection circuits -working other than to enumerate the items that came in through the -screen above. His barrier would not cause reaction with the big barrier -about Ertene; it would have presented another problem of entering if it -were so.</p> - -<p>Guy sprawled in the flattened pilot's chair, took a deep breath, and -then the autopilot threw on 12-Gs of deceleration. Sixty seconds later, -the slowed ship splashed wide and beautifully into the ocean, and sank -gently to the bottom.</p> - -<p>And Guy spent twenty-four solid hours trying to detect the spurious -responses that might emanate from a close-at-hand detector circuit.</p> - -<p>No one came to investigate.</p> - -<p>Running submerged, Guy went slowly across the ocean to the nearest -land. He lowered the lifeship to the ocean floor beside a forbidding -cliff and emerged, swimming to the beach several miles down the coast, -clothed in spacesuit and bulging like a blimp with buoyant air.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus13.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>He walked along the coast back to the spot above the ship, and cached -his helmet and as much of the heavy equipment of his suit as he could -remove. He loafed and rested until night fell, and then made his way -toward the blinking lights of the city several miles in the other -direction along the coast.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>His following actions were not according to the code of ethics.</p> - -<p>He completely submerged whatever conscience he had and proceeded -along the back-ways of the darkened streets at an hour when most -honest Ertinians were fast asleep. Those who were not asleep were -preoccupied, as he found when he almost passed within arm's length of -a couple that were sitting silent and close together on a street-side -bench as far from the dim streetlight as they could get. They did not -see him, though he watched them and chuckled quietly.</p> - -<p>He located the back entrance of a clothing store and tackled the lock -with a bit of steel wire. He worked for an hour, undisturbed, before -it clicked open. Then he stood up and went to work on the lock above -the door that kept the alarm from ringing when turned by a proper key. -Another hour solved that lock, and Guy entered the store stealthily. -His action was quite logical. He went to the stock room below and -selected one each of his size from the bottom boxes. He rifled the -jewelry counter and selected a minor item or two with the Ertinian -initial that signified the pseudonym of his choice. He took a few small -coins from the register and then left, attired as an Ertinian.</p> - -<p>They'd notice the discrepancy in time. But it would occur from time to -time, as each rifled box was opened and found to be short. They might -even put the shortages to error in packing instead of robbery.</p> - -<p>He went directly away from the town, hiking along the road that -returned him to his ship. Here Guy buried the last evidence of his -Terran origin, and when the first rays of morning shone across the -broad ocean, Guy Maynard became Gomanar.</p> - -<p>He looked at himself. Gone were the Terran shirt and trousers. Gone -were the low, soft shoes. In the warmth of Ertene, Guy was thankful for -the abbreviated costume, and equally thankful for the over-all tan that -came as a result of spending much time in space.</p> - -<p>Blue trunks; loose, flowing shirt; hard-soled, high-laced boots of -the softest material known; and a short shawl or cape that hung from -the shoulders to mid-thigh in back. Maynard worried about the lack of -pockets and found some difficulty in getting used to the cartridge -belt effect that passed in place of pockets on Ertene. A small, hard -handcase contained his razor and some spare items of clothing.</p> - -<p>Maynard left Terra behind him beside the ocean, and strode along the -highway. He continued to practice his speech and though he knew he was -proficient, he worried about the first time he'd be expected to use it. -But he could not remain silent forever, and so he turned into the first -farmhouse he came to. Breakfast was his aim, and the sun was getting -high.</p> - -<p>He knocked on the door. A dog came rushing around the corner of the -house, all suspicion, and smelled Guy's feet curiously. Then as Guy -spoke to the animal, the dog backed up several feet and lay with chin -on forefeet.</p> - -<p>"Doda seems to like you," came the rich, pleasant tones of the woman -from inside the doorway. "May I ask your business, sir?"</p> - -<p>Guy smiled his best smile, usually reserved for special occasions. "I -am named Gomanar. I am a migratory worker in search of two items: -Breakfast first and work second. Have you either?"</p> - -<p>"Of course," smiled the woman. Her smile broke into a full laugh. -"You'll not mind if we present them to you in reverse order?"</p> - -<p>"You'll get the worst of the agreement that way," smiled Guy, -cheerfully. "I'll work less on an empty stomach and then be hungrier."</p> - -<p>"You look like the kind of man who can pack it away," she said. "It -might be that you would eat so much that you become sluggish?" she -finished with another laugh. Her eyes traveled up and down Guy's -muscular figure and decided that sluggish was possibly the one way that -this startling young man did not get. She turned and called: "Lors! We -have a visitor!"</p> - -<p>Her husband came to the door and looked questions at Maynard. He -repeated his tale.</p> - -<p>"Naturally," he boomed. "Naturally."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," answered Guy simply.</p> - -<p>"What's the disagreement?" he asked his wife.</p> - -<p>"A mere argument as to the sequence of events. He wants to eat first."</p> - -<p>"A natural desire. That gives him the benefit of deciding the value -received. But let's keep no man hungry, Tena. Your name again?"</p> - -<p>"Gomanar."</p> - -<p>"Lorsana," said the man. "Come in. We'll quibble over value received -while eating." He treated the argument as a huge joke though it was -serious business to Guy.</p> - -<p>Breakfast was large and appetizing, and near the finish, Lorsana said: -"You look as though hard work did not bother you too much. You didn't -get that figure just roaming back and forth, performing odd jobs."</p> - -<p>"I've managed to keep fit," said Guy noncommittally.</p> - -<p>"I see that," laughed Lorsana. "But look, Gomanar. I need a helper for -a few days. Have you ever logged?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Too bad, but not impossible. I'm clearing a bit of wooded land and -need an experienced logger. If you'll help out until it's finished, -I'll pay you the regular wage-level. Would you care to help?"</p> - -<p>"I may at that. Yes, a bit of logging would round out a wide and varied -experience."</p> - -<p>"It's done then," laughed the man.</p> - -<p>Guy thanked his active life. The job would have killed him if his -muscles hadn't been in condition. It was hard, heavy work, and it -covered long hours daily. At night, Guy crawled into his bed and slept -like an innocent. And though he kept a sharp ear out for any mention -of the System that Ertene was approaching, nothing was said in his -presence. It worried him. Had positions been reversed, the subject -would have been in every Terran radio and in every Terran newspaper, -and a common subject for dinner-conversation.</p> - -<p>When the work was finished and Lorsana paid him sixty Ertinian ronnads, -Guy said good-by to Lorsana and his wife, patted the dog and left. The -work had done him good. It had taken the newness out of his clothing -and had filled his belt with good, Ertinian money.</p> - -<p>But farm work was no place to make a start in life—from Guy's age, at -least. So with regret, he left the farmhouse and trudged along the road -for several miles until he came to a large city. He sought lodgings, -bought dinner at a restaurant, and then on the following morning -presented himself to a manufacturer of precision instruments.</p> - -<p>His age and bearing seemed to have good effect, and he was given -preference over several other applicants, and ushered into the -employment manager's office.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Be seated," directed the manager. He looked at the card in his hand -and memorized briefly. "You're Gomanar. Call me Jerimick."</p> - -<p>"Thank you."</p> - -<p>"You seek technical work, Gomanar. Yet your card indicates that you -have no formal education."</p> - -<p>"I am well read. And I believe that I can hold my own ground with any -college graduate."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps. Have you attended any college or university, even for a -single term?"</p> - -<p>Guy had, but not for Ertinian publication. He shook his head and smiled -defiantly.</p> - -<p>"You understand that regulated study is far superior to the random -investigations made at home?"</p> - -<p>"If one marshals his mind to follow a prescribed pattern, the ill -effects of random study are not present."</p> - -<p>"Quite true. I feel inclined toward you—Gomanar." He thought for a -moment. "We have some instruments in here at present which require -repair. There is no rush on a couple of them—I'm going to try you -out, Gomanar, on these. You'll pardon my taking insurance by giving -you those of little urgency first. If you succeed in your repair of -these instruments in equal or better than the time normally spent by -accredited employees, you'll be hired. Is it a deal?"</p> - -<p>"I'm confident enough," laughed Guy. Small tools and instrument-work -came as a second nature to the Terran. "Lead me to it!"</p> - -<p>"I have but one objection to hiring a man like you," said Jerimick. -"You'll prove an excellent worker—and in forty days you'll tire of it -and go to wandering again."</p> - -<p>"I can't answer that."</p> - -<p>"I can. You've never had a woman thrown your way. Some day one will -come along and tie you down, and the whole planet will be better off -for it. You're the type that we worry about."</p> - -<p>"Why?" asked Maynard innocently.</p> - -<p>"You—and all your kind—are restless. You are always searching for -something you can not find. I don't know what it is, but what you seek -does not exist."</p> - -<p>"You mean we're looking for something nonexistent?"</p> - -<p>"I do."</p> - -<p>"That's strange. After all, I've met my kind. They all seem -intelligent. No intelligent man would search the world over for -something that did not exist. Or is my logic false?"</p> - -<p>"Sounds reasonable. Yet you explain it. I know your type. I've -dealt with people for ten kilodays. I've consulted the brainiest -psychiatrists on Ertene, and they agree with me. Your type," said -Jerimick, "is restless. You are quick of mind, and sure of yourselves -save for this unrest. You can turn your hands to any trade, and -prosper, yet no trade offers you the outlet you seek. I'll wager my -income for the next kiloday that you'll repair my instruments in record -time—and wager the next kiloday's income that you have never seen -their like before. You have an ability to visualize hidden details of -operation and apply a sort of rule-thumb logic to them and make them -work. And when you've discovered that your logic is good, you seek a -more complex problem.</p> - -<p>"I'm going to make a serious admission, Gomanar. I believe that your -kind of man would be better off if Ertene joined Sol's System."</p> - -<p>That stunned Guy. "I'd keep that idea beneath my skull," said Maynard.</p> - -<p>"I know. I shall. It was merely hypothetical. I'm certain that it will -go no farther. Besides, such a rash move would most certainly be bad -for the great majority of us, though your kind might prosper."</p> - -<p>"I'd really hate to see such a thing happen," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"And that statement, I believe, is the voice of education, of -training, of conditioning. I doubt that you really know what is good -for you!"</p> - -<p>"We'll never know," said Maynard.</p> - -<p>"No, please God," said Jerimick, fervently. "But both of us have work -to do." He scribbled on a printed form, filling out less than one -quarter of the spaces, and handed it to Guy. "Through that door and to -your right. The medical examiner will O.K. you first, and then you'll -be sent direct to your job. Luck, Gomanar."</p> - -<p>"Thank you," replied Guy, worrying slightly about the examiner.</p> - -<p>He discovered that the examination was as sketchy as the filled-in -hiring-form. Within an hour he was seated at a bench with tools and -equipment before him, and was whistling a cheery but tuneless melody -as he delved into the insides of a small traffic-control that must be -intended for local flier-traffic.</p> - -<p>And so Guy Maynard came to Ertene.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVI.</p> - -<p>In the days that passed, Guy noted a tendency to show him deference. He -could not understand, though he tried, why they would single him out -above the others. When he needed a tool, and his actions showed that he -was in search, a mere question brought immediate—not only results—but -delivery to his bench.</p> - -<p>They stood aside as he approached narrow passageways, and in a tight -corridor they would back up all the way without a word. His own offer -of retreat went unwanted; the other party retreated and waited with -a smile until Guy decided that they had reached an impasse and went -himself since the other obviously had no intention of moving.</p> - -<p>He found this same condition prevailed throughout the city, too. They -spoke to him seldom, yet he found himself with the best meals, the -better seats, the quieter rooms, and the clearest path.</p> - -<p>It took about twenty days of that to get Guy worried.</p> - -<p>And since he became dead certain that they suspected him of being -different, Guy left the city at night, and gave only a short note of -thanks to Jerimick. He explained that his search required that he seek -new fields. His only concession to Terran training was the night he -selected. It was the night after payday, and it increased his tiny -store of funds to a more reasonable value.</p> - -<p>Guy took a night-flier and went halfway across the continent. It still -followed him, for the stewardess gave him more than his share of -attention.</p> - -<p>Guy was not vain. No more, that is, than any other normal man. He knew -that his figure was well-proportioned and did not require any apology -in the abbreviated Ertinian costume. His features were regular, and -though his thirty years was still considered young, the lines on his -face gave him character. He'd been shaving within an inch of his life -each morning and before dinner each night, and he knew that his beard -was light enough to escape detection as long as he maintained that -schedule.</p> - -<p>This attention he was getting bothered him. He was not ready for -attention yet. He'd prefer a couple of years to establish some sort of -false foundation by skipping around from place to place, and losing his -past in the maze of data.</p> - -<p>What was worse, he could pin nothing down definitely. He wondered -whether he might be guiltily self-conscious. That might be. But he'd -been honestly critical and knew that Ertene was singling him out for -something.</p> - -<p>It was not the kind of attention that accompanied suspicion or -notoriety. It was a universal will to help him, to offer him the best, -to accord him some sort of deference.</p> - -<p>But why?</p> - -<p>His discussions with others were nonproductive. They spoke in vague -terms until they heard his viewpoint and then agreed with him, and -it was only with difficulty that he learned their true views were -calculable only by the magnitude of their agreement.</p> - -<p>For lack of anything more desirable, Guy took to walking in the -evening. He covered miles in his meanderings through this city in the -center of the continent, and in doing so learned very little, but at -least it kept him from being everlastingly confronted by that unnamable -acclaim.</p> - -<p>Worst of all, most of them treated his name—Gomanar—with some -amusement. Guy searched his mind, and knew that it had no amusing -nuance by any stretch of the imagination. He wondered whether he had -assumed the name of some famous man, but a search of the libraries -gave him negative evidence—which in this case was fairly conclusive -both for fame and for notoriety.</p> - -<p>His work was well received. Even when he made errors, it was -overlooked, and Guy knew that others were called to task for their -errors.</p> - -<p>At last he could stand it no longer, and since his position as an -instrument worker placed him in contact with numberless small, -technical parts, Guy pilfered them shamelessly, and started to make a -thought-beam receiver in his rooms.</p> - -<p>And that was a project that might take a year in itself.</p> - -<p>But it would give him the answer.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Forty days after he arrived in this city, which contained among other -things the most prominent university on Ertene, Guy was walking -alone in his usual habit. His steps unconsciously turned toward the -university campus, and as he neared the broad campus, the pleasant -strains of music came to him. It gave him a lift of spirit, and his -steps quickened until he was approaching a ten-deep ring of people -surrounding the vast campus.</p> - -<p>He stood behind them, trying to look between their heads, and his -curiosity caused him to press forward. The man ahead of him turned, -annoyed, and his annoyance turned to pleasure. He stepped aside and -motioned Guy to take his place. Guy blinked, smiled, and moved forward; -it had become natural to accept these offers. A whispering arose, -faint, unintelligible, insidious. Those in front of him pressed aside, -one by one, and opened a lane for Guy until he could see the entire -campus from the front line.</p> - -<p>He remembered seeing a notice in the evening news; The University of -Locana was holding the graduation dance for the upper classmen. It -meant absolutely nothing to Guy, but the sight was interesting to see.</p> - -<p>The gay colors, the glad music, the circling couples—were all cheerful -until the music stopped with a sudden crash, and played a loud, joyous -chord.</p> - -<p>The orchestra leader pointed his long wand in Guy's direction, and from -the maze of dancers there came a youthful figure, running.</p> - -<p>"Elanane!" she called. "Oh, Elanane!"</p> - -<p>He heard the whisper "—the lanee's sister—" and nothing registered -save that this girl must be the sister of the elected governor of -Ertene. He didn't know her, which he thought to be a shame since she -appealed to his sense of appreciation as few other women ever had. He -probably never would know her.</p> - -<p>"Elanane!" she called as she approached her brother, who must be near -Guy. He looked around to see who he might be—and when he looked back -at her to get another "fix" on the line of her sight, to better follow -her intended course, he found himself hurled back three steps as the -girl ran, without stopping, right into him.</p> - -<p>She hurled herself at Guy hungrily, and hugged him until he felt his -ribs complaining.</p> - -<p>He grunted, and she stepped back to inspect him. "I knew you wouldn't -miss it," she said. She was deliriously happy and went right on talking -with the appearance of one who has had no one to talk to for several -years. "I was worried—you worried me, Elanane. I actually thought -you'd miss your sister's graduation, and I'll only graduate once. But -you didn't."</p> - -<p>Guy took the wise course. He said nothing. A protestation would have -caused comment and questioning as to his real identity. An acceptance -of the masquerade would set him up even afterwards as a liar and an -open fake. He decided to brazen it out and hope for an opening that -would permit him to get away without exciting more comment.</p> - -<p>He wondered what her name was. A man should know his own sister's name.</p> - -<p>"—ill, they told me. Unable to visit me. Elanane, you look the soul of -health!"</p> - -<p>Guy decided that an answer was necessary and he wondered about the tone -of his voice and the characteristics of his speech. They would give him -away. But a short, precise answer might not.</p> - -<p>"I've had a sore throat," he said. He hoped that would explain the -differences in tonal range.</p> - -<p>"<i>Pooh!</i> Couldn't have been bad at all."</p> - -<p>"They thought so."</p> - -<p>"Why, you're not even hoarse!"</p> - -<p>Guy decided that she was so elated at her brother's presence that -anyone could sell her a bill of goods. "I'm not?"</p> - -<p>"Not in the least. I don't think you were ill at all. You've been -running all over Ertene again, Elanane, trying to make people think you -are a vagrant, and trying to get honest information out of them. You -should be ashamed, not trusting us!"</p> - -<p>Guy Maynard felt a bit of worry. He began to wonder several -things, among which were the answers to the questions of: One, was -he completely insane; two: was he Guy Maynard, Elanane, or the -reincarnation of Haroun El-Raschid; and three: how was he going to get -out of this? He decided then that the first was possible, the last -desirable, and the second highly questionable.</p> - -<p>A bit of Terra's own private humor reared its horned head in Guy's -mind and the forked tail glinted impishly over the ruddy forehead as -the devil winked at him. Guy felt a hand-shaking acquaintance with the -devil at that moment and decided to have something to remember, at -least.</p> - -<p>"I'm here," he told her, "to see your graduation. I came because you -would be hurt if I remained away, and because I wanted to see you -happy. But I'm holding up the proceedings here, and not even a lanee -should demand that your ceremonies be interrupted for a whim. I'd -stay, but I have work to do—and believe me if it did not concern the -integrity of Ertene I'd remain and watch. But you go back to your -dance and I'll be with you later!"</p> - -<p>"That's a promise, Elanane?"</p> - -<p>"A promise. Now give your big brother a kiss and go back to your -ceremony."</p> - -<p>"A promise," said the girl to seal the agreement. Her kiss was -affectionate but sisterly, and Guy wondered afterwards why he expected -anything but a sisterly kiss from a sister. Then she turned and went -back to her partner. The music began again, and Guy stood there -watching. To rush off would excite suspicion, and though the nerves up -and down his spine were tingling, Guy stood there brazenly, fighting -that rising impulse to turn and bolt.</p> - -<p>Then feigning sorrow at having to leave, Guy turned and made his way -through the crowd. A man behind him shouted: "All right, folks! It's no -secret now! Do you like him?"</p> - -<p>The roar of cheers that went up nearly staggered Guy.</p> - -<p><i>Elanane must be one swell person</i>, thought Guy. Well, that was that. -Now what? Disguise upon disguise? He was a marked man, just as much -marked as if he'd permitted his whiskers to grow.</p> - -<p>He cursed Elanane for his looks, and wished that the lanee of Ertene -had been possessed of brown eyes, a hook nose, and a cleft chin—or -that he did. Well, now what—?</p> - -<p>Guy didn't know.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The next move was made for him. A man came up, tapped him on the -shoulder and said: "Thomakein will be glad to see you, Elanane."</p> - -<p>Guy squirmed inside. He'd never seen Thomakein, but he'd heard plenty -about this Ertinian. On the other hand, Thomakein had seen him on his -previous visit to Ertene, and Guy knew that Thomakein might have seen -him without his mustache at one time, for he vaguely recalled having -been shaved clean at one time during his convalescence. He turned and -looked behind him.</p> - -<p>A second Ertinian smiled widely. "Thomakein said you were playing the -vagrant again, Elanane, and that he insisted that you come immediately. -Things require your personal attention."</p> - -<p>Guy knew that violence would result in only one answer—he'd be taken -horizontal instead of vertical, and resistance would show Thomakein -that he meant harm. There was still the partly-finished thought-beam -receiver in his room—</p> - -<p>"Where is he?" asked Guy.</p> - -<p>"Come," said the first Ertinian. He led the way for several yards, and -then fell back as the other Ertinian came up to walk on the opposite -side of Guy. Guy felt like a prisoner making his Last Mile.</p> - -<p>"Look, boys, I'm really not Elanane."</p> - -<p>"We know you aren't," laughed the first one. "What name are you using -this time?"</p> - -<p>"Gomanar."</p> - -<p>"Not too good," laughed the one on Guy's left. "You did better as -Inualdi the last time."</p> - -<p>"You'll excuse us," smiled the first, "if we treat this matter lightly. -You know us and we know you. Furthermore, we know you know us and you -know we know it. We'd like to follow your wishes, Elanane, but we -cannot think of you as anything other than Lanee Elanane. May we have -your forgiveness?"</p> - -<p>Guy smiled, nodded, and gave up. To himself he admitted that he was -licked. Whatever his next move was, it was out of the question now. It -must be a spur-of-the-moment plan, Guy thought, and he decided to bluff -it out as long as he could. He'd try valiantly, for if Ertene failed -him, he was a man without a planet.</p> - -<p>He reminded himself that he had one ace in the hole. The -partly-finished thought-beam instrument. If they questioned his -motives, he could ask permission to finish that and let them see for -themselves that his interest was only in saving Ertene.</p> - -<p>With the eyes of his captors on his back, Guy strode across the cabin -of the luxurious flier and without hesitation opened the door, stepping -into the inner compartment.</p> - -<p>He had little hope that he would be able to fool Thomakein, but he must -try.</p> - -<p>The door swung shut behind him, and as it slammed, the flier lifted -into the sky, effectively cutting Guy's retreat completely.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Come in—sit down," greeted the Ertinian.</p> - -<p>"You seem to have been expecting me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes—but we knew you'd show up sooner or later. Had things become -acute, I think we might have made an open appeal. But you are in time."</p> - -<p>"Anything urgent?"</p> - -<p>"The Terran, Guy Maynard, ah—talked open!"</p> - -<p>"Uh ... he—What?"</p> - -<p>Guy blinked. It was too close to home not to stagger him. This was one -place where he'd be forced into carefulness. He'd have to watch his -step. Discussing himself as a third party was more than likely to bring -out too many things that he, as Elanane, could not possibly know. If -he were to fool Thomakein—and it looked all right at this point—he'd -have to submerge himself in Elanane's unknown personality, and use -Elanane's unknown knowledge. That could be done by permitting Thomakein -to do all the talking. Well, he'd permit Thomakein to talk continually.</p> - -<p>And then it filtered into Guy's dazed mind that the last words had been -spoken in Terran. The term "Talked open" was a Terran idiom—and—</p> - -<p><i>It had been expressed in Terran!</i></p> - -<p>"You seem surprised, Elanane. I'm amused. Really, I'm sorry that -the shock should come to you this way, Guy, but you have lost all -resemblance to Elanane in the last few minutes. Guy, don't you -recognize me?"</p> - -<p>Guy stood open-jawed and stared at the Ertinian. Slowly, uncertainly, -Guy shook his head in negation.</p> - -<p>"I suppose that surroundings and dress do have a lot to do with -recognition. That plus the fact that you never expected to see me here -on Ertene. I am in strange dress, in an impossible place, and you do -not know me. At your expense, Guy, I'm amused." Thomakein went into a -deep laugh.</p> - -<p>Guy was irritated, but he said nothing. He was still dazed. -"Thomakein—Thomas Kane!" he said after a full ten minutes had passed.</p> - -<p>"Fine! So you do recognize me? Shake, Guy. If I'd not known your -intent, I wouldn't know you either in that Ertinian get-up."</p> - -<p>"But ... but—?"</p> - -<p>"There's one thing you'll need, Guy. Your face shows the effect of -so much daily shaving. We'll have you whisker-free in three days, -Guy, using a permanent depilatory often used by some of us who are -unlucky enough to retain a few facial hairs. Then you can go on without -worrying."</p> - -<p>"But—?"</p> - -<p>"Forget everything for the moment, Guy. I want the answer to one -question. Will you swear that your desire is for the good of Ertene?"</p> - -<p>"I swear that—I came to see if I could undo the damage I started."</p> - -<p>"I knew we could count on you. We still can—and will. Now listen, and -I'll tell you my end of this long and complicated tale. And, Guy, it -is complicated beyond imagination. Confound it, remind me to call you -Elanane. I might slip and that would be bad. You'll be Elanane for some -time, you know, and you must be Elanane to the letter. Sit down and -I'll begin to talk."</p> - -<p>"I'm dazed."</p> - -<p>"You must be thunderstruck. But you won't really feel the shock for a -couple of hours. I'm going to do my talking now before shock sets in, -and you'll be able to evaluate both sides at once. O.K.?"</p> - -<p>"Well, to tell the truth, I feel that an explanation is due."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"It started with a coincidence and swiftly built up into an impossible -necessity, Guy. First, an explanation of my actions. Ertene does not -kill unless it is necessary, Guy. You won the liking of too many -men; to eliminate you would have gone against the grain. You are a -likable, innocuous chap, Guy. You are intelligent, quick, ingenious, -and ambitious. You have few bad traits and vindictiveness is not one of -them.</p> - -<p>"However, since you were set free, and a living danger to us in spite -of our drugs, plus the desire on the part of Ertene to learn all we -could of Terran science—and what makes Terra run—I was appointed to -the unenviable position of spy. Fortified with unlimited wealth, I -purchased my way into the high spots. I took a sincere liking to you -too, Guy, and together we climbed to a place near the top. I reported -regularly to Ertene, and we are in possession of Terra's every secret. -Believe me, it was necessary."</p> - -<p>"I can see that," said Guy. "Ertene has never wanted to join Sol, nor -wanted any part of us."</p> - -<p>"Correct. You also realize that Terra would try like everything to keep -us once you knew where we were—and that we were. You do not begrudge -us Terra's secrets, Guy, because you believe in Ertene's ideal.</p> - -<p>"Seven decdays ago, Elanane died. Ordinarily we would hold an -immediate election to select a new lanee. One thing interfered. There -is a faction on Ertene that desires conquest. Why, I do not know. They -do—that's all. They are powerful, and the death of Elanane put these -people in the limelight—or would have if his death had been disclosed. -Therefore, knowing the majority of the people were against union, we -kept Elanane's death a secret. We hired an actor for a few days—twenty -or thirty. He is one of us, and one of the few who really know."</p> - -<p>"How many know?"</p> - -<p>"Believe it or not, Guy, less than ten men on all Ertene know that -Elanane is dead. Members of the Council, even, are not all in the -knowledge. Too many knowers make a bad secret, Guy. Now comes the -coincidence."</p> - -<p>"Me?" asked Guy in surprise.</p> - -<p>"You," said Thomakein, nodding his head in amusement. "Your likeness -to the assistant lanee on your initial visit was a factor in your -freedom, Guy. Had you resembled one of our hateds you might not have -had your chance. But people and human nature are funny. Resemblance to -a loved character is a fine way to get yourself liked in an alien land. -You resembled the assistant lanee then—and he became lanee not many -decdays after your return to Terra. When, after his death, you became -involved in the trouble on Terra and headed this way, I came to the -conclusion that permitting you to masquerade as Elanane would serve us -well."</p> - -<p>"It sounds thin to me," objected Guy.</p> - -<p>"I'll explain why you are a logical man. I've been the only one with -contacts in your system. My stories about Terran prowess in the art of -war have not been too well received. Most of Ertene do not understand -your ability to take two widely divergent arts—luxuries, even—and -combining them into hard-hitting weapons. Ertene would never think of -using the barrier for a thing of war—yet you did it in a few weeks. -That's one example.</p> - -<p>"Now Elanane was openly against any traffic with Terra. You are -Elanane. If we elected a new lanee who believed me and armed Ertene, -those who desire conquest—and they really mean conquest—would use -that as a lever. Their propaganda would direct everyone to the thought -that the new lanee believed in conquest. In spite of previous thought, -that conquest would be desirable and that he was preparing for eventual -war. Follow?"</p> - -<p>"I think so. If Elanane ordered that Ertene be prepared, no such -propaganda would hold water. With Elanane, it would be strictly -defensive armament. Is the fact of our resemblance clear to Ertene?"</p> - -<p>"Uh—Oh. You mean the resemblance between the races. No. That would -excite Ertene even more. Generally similar, yes. But the identicalness -has been withheld."</p> - -<p>"Do they know of me?"</p> - -<p>"Vaguely. We caught a denizen, baffled him, questioned him completely, -and strove to cure him of terrible MacMillan burns but failed."</p> - -<p>"Too bad you couldn't use his open talk as a lever to gain your ends."</p> - -<p>"No. We can't. But you'll help?"</p> - -<p>"I must. It was my foolishness that put Ertene in danger. I'll strive -to help Ertene as best I can. How am I to fool my friends?"</p> - -<p>"With my help. You are a closer double to Elanane than you think, Guy. -Even Leilanane, your sister, is fooled."</p> - -<p>"I won't fool her too long," smiled Guy wryly.</p> - -<p>"You will. Leilanane has been in school for four kilodays and her -contact with her famous brother has been limited to scant visits, -letters occasionally, and the visibox broadcasts every decday. People -change—so have you changed. Oh, you've been ill and your lapses will -be forgiven."</p> - -<p>"I hope."</p> - -<p>"Why," laughed Thomakein, "your predecessor even had the habit of -masquerading so that he could get the un-retouched opinion of the man -in the street."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy understood the meaning of the deference, the willingness to give -him the better portion, the smiles and amusement at the name Gomanar, -the willingness to accept his scant record as experience. A lot of -things became clear, and he smiled, wiped his face with his open hand -and said: "Thomakein, my heart is with Ertene. I feel that I have -failed you in one thing. But with my knowledge of Terran strategy plus -my high position on Ertene, we'll do everything in our power to keep -Ertene free!" Guy's face brightened at the thought of far horizons, -"I'll see another system some day. Perhaps ... Thomakein, has Lanee -Elanane a wife or do I start from scratch?"</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid you'll have to remain single—or give up the idea of -children. I doubt very much that any offspring can come of a union -between Terra and Ertene. You might marry, but you'll remain childless."</p> - -<p>"At least I'd have company," said Guy, "or would I be likely to talk in -my sleep?"</p> - -<p>"Your trouble was something we of Ertene hadn't anticipated. It was -twofold. You imbibed considerable of the higher alcohols, which -exert a temporary nullifying effect on our super-drug. It is of the -iso-dinilamine family too, you know. Well, that, plus your ingrained -desire to tell people off after being goaded to the screaming point did -it. You actually willed yourself to speak—and speak you did. Nothing -Ertene could have done would have saved you, Guy, and so I am not -holding you in blame."</p> - -<p>Guy nodded, and then said: "Not to change the subject, Thomakein, but -haven't you the ability to become lanee?"</p> - -<p>"My liaison work with Sol kept me too much out of the public eye. Also, -I am the only one who had contacts there. I'll have to return from time -to time, too, which would interfere with being lanee. No, you're the -man, Guy. We'll play this our way, you and I, and we'll get our answer -that way."</p> - -<p>"O.K. I'll play."</p> - -<p>"You're tired."</p> - -<p>"I am."</p> - -<p>"Also slightly whirly, I imagine," grinned Thomakein. "Well, Elanane, -you may sleep in the royal apartment tonight. We'll be there shortly. -One more thing. You'll see Charalas. He's not aware. But you'll -be hidden because of your resemblance to Elanane and the Ertinian -dress, and so forth, plus the idea that no one—no, never—would ever -impersonate the lanee! The latter is going to get us over a lot of -close spots, Guy."</p> - -<p>"I won't fear meeting Charalas. As long as you think I'm capable, I -must be. You know the answers to this problem, Kane."</p> - -<p>"From now on, it's Thomakein," reminded the latter. "And don't forget -it for your life. That's one job—remembering one another's names—that -we'll both have to work at."</p> - -<p>"Right—Thomakein."</p> - -<p>"Dead right—Elanane!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVII.</p> - -<p>In the lanee's apartments, Guy sat down to think. It was morning, -breakfast was over, and Guy had enjoyed a full night of deep and honest -sleep. He had analyzed things to his satisfaction right up to the next -move, and that troubled him.</p> - -<p>There was no doubting Thomakein's statements concerning the need -for masquerade, though Guy wondered whether it wasn't slightly -off color. But Thomakein was of Ertene, and should know the temper -of the Ertinians better than any Terran. Certainly there was no -doubting Thomakein's ideals. And as for his friendship—that was well -established.</p> - -<p>But Thomakein was a little glib in expecting a rank outsider to come -in and masquerade as a Public figure. It would be hard enough to act -as a mere citizen with no popularity, let alone a rising, popular, and -well-balanced governor of a planet.</p> - -<p>He fingered the book of Elanane's friends and their descriptions and -habits, and despaired of ever being able to call them by name, much -less knowing them well enough to discuss their favorite subjects with -them. It was a heavy volume, and Guy knew that Elanane was very much -loved by his people.</p> - -<p>Habit set in at this point, and Guy opened his little kit to shave -before he recalled the depilatory that Thomakein gave him. Shaving, for -Guy Maynard, was over forever since his trial of the rather tingling -unguent that morning.</p> - -<p>But—beside his razor was the partly-assembled thought-beam instrument. -Guy laughed aloud.</p> - -<p>This would put him in the possession of anything that was needed. And -Guy grinned again. This was his secret. Let Thomakein think that he was -really brilliant. He'd use the thought-beam gadget for himself, and -use it for the best. Besides, letting knowledge of the thought-beam -instrument out would be as dangerous for Guy on Ertene as it would -have been on Terra. No one alive, save Guy, knew of the instrument. Its -inventors were dead and gone and every instrument of its kind a smoking -mass of burned components. For his own protection, he would keep this -one secret.</p> - -<p>He snorted in derision. Would he never finish having secrets to keep? -Was his life to continue with one important phase hidden from the -world? Would he never be free?</p> - -<p>Or, came the comforting thought, do all men have something hidden from -their fellows?</p> - -<p>Finishing the instrument was impossible at the present time. That -would take some work. But if Guy by-passed some of the finer -circuits, he could at least gain a crude idea of a man's surface -thoughts, especially if they were directed at him. Guy started to -hook the partially-completed instrument together, and considered the -effectiveness of the instrument.</p> - -<p>It was small, luckily. It fitted one pouch of the pocket-belt to -perfection, and Guy closed the flap over the instrument and snapped the -little catch with confidence.</p> - -<p>Guy nodded. Then he rang for his valet.</p> - -<p>"You rang." It was an introductory statement rather than a redundant -question, and it held none of the abruptness that a query as to the -wants of the lanee might have held.</p> - -<p>Guy faced the Ertinian and read in the man's mind that his name was -Willadoran. "Willadoran, when is Leilanane expected to arrive?"</p> - -<p>In the man's mind Guy could see admiration for his lanee, enhanced -since the busy governor had time to think of his younger sister no -matter how busy he was.</p> - -<p>"Sometime today," answered Willadoran.</p> - -<p>"I wonder if I'll have time to see Charalas first."</p> - -<p>An annoying thought crossed Willadoran's mind—had Elanane forgotten -that Charalas never awakened at this time?</p> - -<p>"I mean after Charalas arises," amended Guy.</p> - -<p>Elanane must be reading my mind, came the amused thought. "I'll see," -came the reply, "that he is informed of your desire as soon as he -awakens."</p> - -<p>"Good," said Guy. He reminded himself never to take an expressed -thought for speech. He smiled inwardly at Willadoran's amusement and -wondered what the valet would do if the truth were known. Willadoran -was highly amused at the idea that Elanane was a mind-reader, and -considered the act utterly impossible.</p> - -<p>A deep-seated impulse to shock the valet crossed Guy's mind, and it was -only with trouble that he stifled the impulse.</p> - -<p>Guy tried to discern Willadoran's thought concerning Charalas again, -but it was a blank. Thomakein was blank, as was Leilanane, and Guy -decided that his instrument was not sensitive enough to dig these -deep-seated thoughts out of the below-threshold level. Only the surface -thoughts were available—which, thought Guy, were sufficient.</p> - -<p>Guy spent an hour speculating, and roaming the apartment to investigate -its mysteries. Then Charalas came.</p> - -<p>The neuro-surgeon smiled affably, looked around, and asked: "Well, -where is it?"</p> - -<p>Guy started, and then smiled. "You're slightly earlier than I -expected." He went to the cupboard indicated in Charalas' mind and -returned with the toran set. He was about to ask: <i>white or black?</i> -when he perceived that Charalas expected the black men since he -had been victorious on their last game. Reading the positions from -Charalas' mind, Guy set up the various men upon their proper squares, -and offered Charalas the first move, which was proper.</p> - -<p>Guy's knowledge of chess was fair, and toran was an Ertinian version of -the ancient Terran game. He had no idea as to the moves, but—Charalas -thought: <i>Elanane always counters my first move by counter-attacking -with his vassal.</i></p> - -<p>Guy moved the minor piece up to confront the other.</p> - -<p>Charalas covered his pawn with a major piece and Guy countered with -exactly the one thought that Charalas hoped against.</p> - -<p>Charalas set up a complicated trap, and sat back thinking: <i>Let's see -you outguess that one, Elanane.</i></p> - -<p>Guy wondered about the move of the castle piece, and touched it -briefly. <i>Four moves in any direction</i>, came Charalas' thought. Guy -moved the castle, and Charalas thought: <i>Now why did he do that?</i></p> - -<p>Guy worried. Elanane might not have made that move.</p> - -<p><i>If I move my protector, he should fall into the trap by capturing it. -He always does.</i></p> - -<p>Guy decided that this game was no fun at all, and took the piece. -Charalas smiled brightly and removed three of Guy's major pieces with -a single move, Guy countered by making the one move that Charalas did -not want, and the Ertinian lost the piece that he was hoping to save. -The rest was quick, Charalas moved and Guy countered, but Charalas -triumphed because Guy didn't know enough to set up his own traps. He -could avoid Charalas' traps, but in simple exchanges he lost ground, -and finally Charalas removed the last white piece from the board.</p> - -<p>The neuro-surgeon smiled tolerantly, "You may be lanee, Elanane, but I -am still your master at toran."</p> - -<p>"I'll learn some day," promised Guy.</p> - -<p>"You seemed preoccupied," said Charalas. "You've been worrying."</p> - -<p>"That's possible."</p> - -<p>"About Sol, I'd guess."</p> - -<p>"Right."</p> - -<p>"Why worry about them?" asked Charalas.</p> - -<p>"They threaten our integrity."</p> - -<p>"You mean since Thomakein informed us that the Terran, Gomanar, was -forced to violate his oath?"</p> - -<p>Guy blinked. To treat this properly, he would have to absolutely -divorce himself from his personality and treat the Terran as another -entity. "Yes," he said. "The Terrans, according to Thomakein, are more -than capable of setting up a detector that will detect the presence of -the light-shield."</p> - -<p>"We'll cross that bridge when it comes."</p> - -<p>"We should look forward to it—and plan."</p> - -<p>"Elanane," said Charalas, "my loyalty has never been questioned. For a -moment, I'd like to discuss this as an impartial observer."</p> - -<p>"Of course."</p> - -<p>"Ertene is stale."</p> - -<p>"Stale?" asked Guy in astonishment.</p> - -<p>"Ertene has lost the pathway that leads to the apex," said Charalas. -"We have become soft and stale."</p> - -<p>"I don't understand."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"When mankind came to Ertene, he was a soft, inefficient creature. -Nature had tried size, force, quantity, physical adaptability, and a -score of other concepts before she tried brains. Mankind was nature's -experiment with brains as a means of survival. We are a weakling race, -Elanane. Unarmed, we are no match for any of the beasts of the jungle. -Dropped into the depths of uncivilization—naked and alone—what -happens?"</p> - -<p>"We die."</p> - -<p>"No we do not. Within fifteen minutes we are armed with a stone bound -to a treelimb. Then we are the match for anything that lives. Within a -day, we are supreme in our jungleland. Our home is in a tree. Snares -are set for food animals, death traps are set for carnivores, and the -jungle is cleared for our safety. And, Elanane, from that time on the -beasts of the jungle avoid us. We, the weakling creature, are to be -feared mortally."</p> - -<p>"Granted, but what has that to do with the present?"</p> - -<p>"Mankind fought the jungle to supremacy. Mankind fought beasts, the -cannibals, and nature herself. He pushed himself upward by walking on -the heads of those below him. Then he fought with himself, since there -was nothing left that was worthy of his mettle. He fought himself -because he could gain no more by fighting lesser things."</p> - -<p>"What may we gain by fighting among ourselves?" asked Guy.</p> - -<p>"The right way to live," said Charalas thoughtfully. "Consider, -Elanane, the extremes of government. No matter what you call them, -they are absolute anarchy and absolute tyranny, and between these two -lie every other form of government. Obviously complete anarchy is -impossible at the present level of human nature. Equally obvious is the -impossibility of absolute tyranny in a culture based upon ambition and -education. But, Elanane, somewhere between these extremes is the best -system."</p> - -<p>"Can fighting find it?" asked Guy doubtfully.</p> - -<p>"It is the only way. Consider an hypothetical planet containing two -continents of equal size, on opposite hemispheres. One continent -is absolute anarchy, the other complete tyranny." Charalas grinned -boyishly for all of his years. "Obviously they have been living -in complete ignorance of one another up to now, for otherwise they -couldn't have arrived at those extremes.</p> - -<p>"Well, it is hypothetical, anyway, and there are your constants. This -goes on, and then one day one of two things happen. Either is possible -and I am not plumping for either side—but the two possibilities are: -One, the tyrant decides to gather the anarchs under his rule, or; two: -the anarchs decide to free their fellows from the tyrant rule. This, -Elanane, means war, to quote an ancient cry.</p> - -<p>"Immediately the tyrant finds that he cannot run the whole show by -himself, so he relegates power to able men. The anarchs decide that -they are impotent, and elect leaders to run certain phases of the -campaign. So we have less of a tyranny on one side and less anarchy on -the other. In either case, power relegated is seldom regained, and as -the years bear on, war after war is fought and either side approaches a -norm."</p> - -<p>Guy smiled. "Supposing one side wins."</p> - -<p>"That is a sign that the winning side is closer to the best form of -social co-operation."</p> - -<p>"And when they reach that norm, then what?"</p> - -<p>"They never reach," said Charalas. "Their struggles cause each of them -to rise above the norm, and then they swing like the pendulum below the -norm. It is a long, damped cycle."</p> - -<p>"A damped cycle must eventually cease."</p> - -<p>"Not when you constantly change the norm," said Charalas. "The norm -of prehistoric times is vastly different from the present. Our norm -is different than the future norm. Men advance in knowledge and in -responsibility, and they resent, bitterly, being judged on laws and -rules set up to control their forefathers. City Indilee was the object -of ridicule some hundred kilodays ago because some jurist tried to -invoke a rule against flying less than five thousand noads above the -city."</p> - -<p>"I've read about that," smiled Guy, reading it from Charalas' mind. "At -the time, we'd been landing on the building stages for thirty kilodays."</p> - -<p>"Right. Another thing, Elanane. Some day anarchy will be the government -of man. But not until man has learned to control himself as an -individual, to respect the rights of others, and to follow the common -wish. Until then we will have government."</p> - -<p>"Which brings us back to the original question. You said Ertene is -stale."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I mean it. Elanane—are we capable of running ourselves?"</p> - -<p>"Obviously."</p> - -<p>"Then we shouldn't fear a test of fire."</p> - -<p>"Our ability to keep out of the fight should be answer enough."</p> - -<p>"Any coward can keep from fighting by hiding. Perhaps these Terrans are -right."</p> - -<p>"Right? Is it right to destroy the people of Pluto with their way of -living in comfort?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. We do not mind killing cattle for food, do we?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but—"</p> - -<p>"No, Elanane, it is no different."</p> - -<p>"Then how about the ones used by the Terrans for medical experiments?"</p> - -<p>"Justified. Up to a certain point a race may experiment to good -advantage on the lower primates. Eventually, there is little to be -known, since the more delicate investigations must be carried out on -higher levels of intelligence."</p> - -<p>"These denizens of the outer moon of one of their planets were not of -high intelligence."</p> - -<p>"Wrong," said Charalas. "They are of a high order of intelligence. It -is their knowledge that is low. They have the capability. Yet, Elanane, -we have the fundamental law of the survival of the fittest. In warring -upon Mars, weapons and sciences are unloosed which out-strip the -advances made in medicine. Nothing is said against Terra for fighting -against Mars. They are traditional enemies.</p> - -<p>"To return to the denizens of Titan. These semi-intelligent natives -are like swine wearing diamonds. They evolved in a society in which -they had no native enemy. They were not forced to become intelligent -in order to live—if they had but one single enemy, they would have -evolved into first-rate civilization ages ago. There has been no -forward step on Titan for ten thousand Terran years. They will never -make an advance. Even if offered the sciences of the inner system, they -would shrug them off and revert back to their semi-savagery."</p> - -<p>"I've been told that three generations of schooling would make them -suitable allies for Terra," objected Guy.</p> - -<p>Charalas shook his head. "Wrong. Mankind on Terra rose because he -was ambitious—he still is. Titan is not ambitious and never will -be. They have no reason to work, and will not. Terrans—and early -Ertinians—fought their way upward because they had to in order to -live. Therefore, Elanane, the Titanians fall under the classification -of those whose lives are only to support intelligence."</p> - -<p>"Um," said Guy. "Then Terra is not the black race they've been painted?"</p> - -<p>"Not by a jugful. Nothing was said of downtrodden races of the -past—why balk at downtrodden races of the present?"</p> - -<p>"But they should help—"</p> - -<p>"Helping anyone is possible only when they want to be helped. The -Titanians are not even grateful for the comforts given to them by -Terra."</p> - -<p>"Comforts?" sneered Guy. "The comfort of being vivisected?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Terra is not a vampire race," smiled Charalas. "Terra tried to raise -their level and failed because of their lassitude. They didn't give a -hoot. Terra tried to conduct their experiments on a gentle basis; small -experiments such as testing vaccines and antibodies—all, mind, on -Titanians who were ill. They had no chance of danger, and a good chance -of living. Titan had nothing to lose; either the vaccines would work -and save the victim, or would not work and the victim would receive the -best care possible anyway. Terra offered to pay royally. Titan didn't -even care for that. They didn't care for payment; didn't care for -comfort; didn't care that some of their members died.</p> - -<p>"And," added Charalas pointedly, "they do not care now, when Terra uses -a few of them for medical purposes."</p> - -<p>"How many?"</p> - -<p>"There are one hundred million Titanians. Terra takes perhaps one -thousand per year. And a goodly portion of these are ill already. Terra -developed their limb-grafting method out of them, and that alone is -worth their trouble."</p> - -<p>"That puts a new face on it," said Guy.</p> - -<p>"As for their new find—Mephisto. Mephisto might have received good -friendship. The Mephistans were absolutely alien to Terrans. Mephisto -has nothing that Terra really needs, that Terra couldn't exchange for. -Terra has items that Mephisto could have had, too, thus completing the -cycle. Mephisto's atmosphere is unsuited for Terrans and vice versa. -Their body chemistry would have been poisonous to each other. Here, -then, we have a condition whereby two alien races could have lived in -peace together. Yet Mephisto, not knowing the entire story, thought -Terra a rapacious, vampire race. They, the utter fools, sought Martian -assistance."</p> - -<p>"That's what I'd have done."</p> - -<p>"Not smart," smiled Charalas. "Never, never get between traditional -enemies, Elanane. You become an innocent bystander that goes down -before the steam roller of a spite battle. That, plus the traditional -system of both planets."</p> - -<p>"What's that?"</p> - -<p>"Never fight your battles on the home ground—it spoils it badly. Fight -your battles all over some poor innocent's land and leave the homeland -unscarred. Also dirty, Elanane, but Nature is a dirty fighter."</p> - -<p>"So you think Terra is all right fundamentally?"</p> - -<p>"Obviously. Nature will not permit any unsuitable system to obtain. -Given a few hundred years and Terra will see eye to eye with Mars -against some other system."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps against Ertene—?"</p> - -<p>"I hope not," said Charalas fervently. "Yet they have some attributes -we need."</p> - -<p>"Have they anything we need?"</p> - -<p>"They have the verve, the ambition, and unbeatability of youth. We, -Elanane, are stodgy and slow and old."</p> - -<p>"That doesn't please me too much."</p> - -<p>"That's too bad. It's true. Look, Elanane, how long is our history -compared to theirs?"</p> - -<p>"Several hundred times as long, I believe."</p> - -<p>"Not quite several hundred, Elanane. But long enough—far long enough -to prove my statement. How does their scientific culture compare?"</p> - -<p>"Somewhat less—"</p> - -<p>"Equal! Or better perhaps!"</p> - -<p>"Oh no."</p> - -<p>"Oh yes. The two are divergent to the nth power, but their development -is as high as ours is. Now, Elanane, they've come up alone, driven only -by Mars and other exigencies. Mars came with them. We, Elanane, came up -by slyly taking bits of culture from this system and that system as we -came along.</p> - -<p>"Be that as it may," added Charalas. "The question I ponder is this: -<i>How do we know we're so right?</i>"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XVIII.</p> - -<p>Guy didn't answer. And Charalas smiled. "I've said my piece," he told -Maynard. "Take it as from an old, old, bothersome man who may be bitter -because of his age."</p> - -<p>"Charalas, you are Ertene's foremost neuro-surgeon, and also one of the -most popular philosophers. I'll accept your arguments. But I am still -convinced that Ertene will suffer if any alliance is formed between -Terra and Ertene."</p> - -<p>"A little suffering might wake us from our lethargy, but it is also -human nature to let the other guy suffer. We'll go on and on until we -get caught. Some day," promised Charalas, "Ertene will suffer. It's -just a matter of time before we get caught."</p> - -<p>"Not if I can help it," said Maynard stoutly.</p> - -<p>The door opened to admit Thomakein. He bore a sheaf of papers. He -looked surprised at Charalas and then greeted the neuro-surgeon. "Been -here long?"</p> - -<p>"Couple of hours," answered Charalas. "Elanane and I have been -discussing the state of Ertene."</p> - -<p>Thomakein's forehead wrinkled, and he cast a worried look at Guy, who -smiled cheerfully. "Have you come to a conclusion?" he asked with -forced cheer.</p> - -<p>"We've decided that Ertene may be in for trouble some day," said -Charalas. "And also that we'll forestall it as best we can."</p> - -<p>"That's what I came for," said Thomakein. "We're setting up vortex -projectors on strategic places. We need your signature, Elanane, on the -orders which procure the land."</p> - -<p>"Upon what basis?"</p> - -<p>"Purchase, of course."</p> - -<p>"I'll sign—and pray that they are never used."</p> - -<p>"So will we all," smiled Thomakein. "But to need them and not have them -would be terrible."</p> - -<p>Guy signed the papers, and Thomakein left with Charalas. Maynard smiled -inwardly as they left. Thomakein's anxiety was so obvious; he wanted -to question Charalas to see what, if anything, was said that might lead -to trouble. He shrugged as the phone rang once and a girlish voice -told him that she was home and could she come up to see him. The voice -clicked a chord in Guy's mind, and he answered: "Come on up, Leilanane."</p> - -<p>He wondered whether it was customary for the lanee to kiss his sister -on every possible occasion; his thought-beam instrument gave him enough -information to make his heart beat faster.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The days passed swiftly for Guy Maynard. Had he been the real Elanane, -they would have passed slowly, for nothing of any real interest -transpired. It was a humdrum life, he found. The affairs of state -were few and far between, and more and more Guy came to believe that -Ertene's system was as good or better than the turmoil that prevailed -on Terra. The only activity that went on was the construction of the -vortex machines, and that was the job of a few, specially-trained -technicians. Guy found his time passing swiftly because of the constant -necessity of keeping his guard up.</p> - -<p>The thought-beam instrument kept him out of trouble, and gradually he -completed it, making the special parts in a tiny workshop that the real -Elanane had furnished. He thanked the dead lanee for having that kind -of a hobby, and used it to the best advantage.</p> - -<p>Leilanane helped. The affairs of state were the small part of being -lanee, but the social functions were nightly. And since Lanee Elanane -had no mate, nor cared to speak with intent, he appeared at the state -functions with his sister. He was gently criticized for this; not as -lanee, but for the fact that he prevented his sister from the company -of young men of her own set. In shorter, blunter words, Guy was -"spoiling her chances!"</p> - -<p>But Leilanane did not seem to care. She was happy. Guy pondered this, -and wondered whether she would have been as happy with her real -brother, or whether the facts, though unknown to her mind, were not -unknown to the chemistry that attracted men and women mutually.</p> - -<p>Wondering, Guy opened the gain of his instrument one evening and looked -into her mind. He wanted to know, truly, whether she preferred him, or -whether her preference was but a desire to serve him. To Guy's way of -thinking, there was a difference in love between love of the man and -love of doing things for him.</p> - -<p>So Guy looked and retreated blushing. For in Leilanane's mind there was -confusion and frustration; she was bitter against the laws that forbade -mating between blood relatives. That one experience told Guy how huge a -weapon the thought-beam instrument really was, and he swore never to do -that again.</p> - -<p>It also gave him confusion. He was in no position to ponder -the unanswerable question he put to himself. It evolved into a -merry-go-round that left him dizzy. In telling Leilanane the truth, -he could establish a right to openly court her. But it would at once -remove any possibility of remaining close to her. On the other hand -not telling her kept them together—with the most formidable barrier -between them.</p> - -<p>It gave Maynard sleepless nights, and in order to keep from thinking -himself into a bottomless pit, Guy started to build a thought-beam -instrument of monster proportions. What he hoped to do with the -instrument he did not know, but at one time he considered using it to -condition Ertene into believing that it would be proper to mate him -with his sister. When he analyzed the latter consideration, he scorned -himself for thinking of it. He'd be throwing Ertene to the dogs for his -own personal desire for a woman. And then he knew that no matter how he -felt, he could not use the instrument in that manner.</p> - -<p>It was excellent, he found, for gaining information without the giver's -knowledge. But trying to coerce the individual in the slightest thing -was impossible without letting the one know that mental tricks were -being played.</p> - -<p>He was forced to do some fast talking on the day he found that out, -and only managed to talk himself out of trouble by calling to mind and -attention the fact that he had known the man for many kilodays.</p> - -<p>If the small one were that ticklish a proposition, the larger one would -be more brutal in its operation. Yet he continued to work on the thing -as a means of keeping his mind and hands busy. So night after night he -worked in the little workshop, and then as he grew drowsy at his bench, -Guy would stand under the stars upon the spiderweb of a foot-bridge -that connected the governmental offices with the governmental -apartments. He would look Solward and wonder how and why such a mess -had been made of his life, and whether happiness would always be out of -grasp.</p> - -<p>He counted on his fingers. He'd been kidnaped, and he'd spent a -year on Ertene. That was one. There was a year or so developing the -barrier-screen—that made two. There were five years of advancing from -senior executive to marshal's rank, and that made seven. It was a year -since his being discharged from the Terran Space Patrol, and that made -eight years.</p> - -<p>Eight long years since he hadn't had a care on his mind. And in spite -of his successes, there was that constant gnawing knowledge that he was -not true to himself or his fellows. Yet, his conscience was clear. The -knowledge had not been bad for his morale; it was merely disconcerting -to know that the things they gave him credit for were not his own.</p> - -<p>Maynard did not consider for one moment that Ertene hadn't given him -everything. It took inventive genius to fit the barrier to spacecraft, -and the other developments were all Maynard's own. But he scorned them -all and debased himself.</p> - -<p>It was eight long, lonely years ago—</p> - -<p>He mentally kicked himself. He wondered whether Joan Forbes would -have made a difference in his life. She might have been the outlet to -pent-up feelings that he needed so badly. Joan would have given him -rest without asking suspicious questions. It might have been better—</p> - -<p>But Joan was dead, and though Thomakein claimed that she would have -been there anyway, it did little to cheer him up. Thomakein's reasoning -did not include the possibility that Joan might have been making a home -for him, or that even the tiniest mite of family would have immobilized -her against following a planet invasion.</p> - -<p>Joan Forbes, thought Maynard, might have been the answer—but at the -present time she was another blind alley of thought. <i>Might have been</i> -is the cry of the second-guesser; the Monday Morning Quarterback.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The sense of thermal balance that was high in Maynard warned him first. -Then that sense that tells of another sentient being close by, its -warning, and Guy turned to see a small figure beside him on the bridge.</p> - -<p>"Elanane," she said.</p> - -<p>"Don't say it," he warned softly. "I can watch the stars, too."</p> - -<p>"They're so silent and quiet and big."</p> - -<p>"And peaceful," agreed Guy.</p> - -<p>"I've been lonesome," said Leilanane plaintively. It was with effort -that Maynard resisted the impulse to put his hand on her shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Are you now?" he asked softly.</p> - -<p>She shook her head. "Elanane, I want to talk."</p> - -<p>"Go right ahead," smiled Guy. "I like to hear you."</p> - -<p>"No—this is important, and it is hard for me to begin."</p> - -<p>"Serious?"</p> - -<p>She nodded. "No ... Elanane, please don't take my shoulders like -that ... it makes it more difficult."</p> - -<p>Guy turned her around, pointed her head at the sky. "Up there, -somewhere," he said quietly, "is the answer to everything. We'll find -it some day. Now, Leilanane, tell me what you are worrying about."</p> - -<p>"Thomakein asked me to marry him."</p> - -<p>Guy's reason beat his reflex to the muscles in his forearms and -prevented him from closing his hands tight on Leilanane's shoulders. -Thomakein perceived the emotional tangle that was becoming more and -more imminent, and by marrying Leilanane he would eliminate it. Guy -knew that Thomakein thought everything of Leilanane—possibly loved -the girl in a passive manner. Guy smiled briefly, obviously Thomakein -could have had little opportunity to make real love to her, but a man -of Thomakein's personality could carry off such a proposal by his own -sheer persuasiveness. Also, Thomakein wanted power himself. Marrying -the lanee's sister would put him in the eyes of the public, and doing -it with the approval of the lanee himself would give him the official -recognition that he needed to become lanee after Elanane. Well, Guy -would resign as soon as Thomakein wanted him to, that was reasonable -and desirable. It also solved the problem that bothered both Guy and -Leilanane.</p> - -<p>"Why not?" he asked softly.</p> - -<p>"I don't know. Something—keeps me from it."</p> - -<p>"Me?" asked Guy in a voice that was almost a whisper.</p> - -<p>Leilanane turned and buried her face in Guy's shoulder. "Am I bad?" she -cried. "Is it so terrible to love my brother?"</p> - -<p>"It is unfortunate, Leil," said Guy softly. "It cannot be. I, too, -am torn. We must face this thing as it is. Brothers and sisters -normally do not care for one another. Perhaps our being apart so much -has removed the usual reason. Yes, Leil, I love you too. Do you love -Thomakein at all?"</p> - -<p>"Thomakein attracts me," admitted Leilanane. "There is something -dynamic in him; dynamic and powerful and all-sweeping. I could learn to -love him truly."</p> - -<p>"Then do so. Leil, no matter what we do, you and I, if we permit this -outlandish thing to go on, it will mean unhappiness for both of us."</p> - -<p>"No. Couldn't we go ... to Sol ... and live there?"</p> - -<p>Guy shook his head. "You'd learn to hate me, Leil. In our hearts we'd -always know that what we were doing was dead wrong."</p> - -<p>Leilanane nodded pitifully. "There are times, though," she said -earnestly, "when you do not seem like my brother."</p> - -<p>"Forget it," said Guy. "There is nothing more certain in the world." -Guy's sense of humor told him that he was right, all things considered.</p> - -<p>"I suppose I will forget it soon enough. What will you do?"</p> - -<p>"What I should have done years ago—go out and find me a mate."</p> - -<p>"I'll hate her."</p> - -<p>Guy laughed, and if it sounded forced, Leilanane did not notice. He -turned her around to face him and shook her gently. "You're a silly -little lovely," he told her. "Nothing is less like the intelligent -girl I know you are. It's been my fault all along. Now you'll marry -Thomakein and you'll love it."</p> - -<p>"Think so?"</p> - -<p>"Do you think of him at all?"</p> - -<p>Leilanane thought for a moment. "I think so," she said slowly. "Perhaps -I might learn to love him—I've never had much chance."</p> - -<p>"Again my fault. Come on, I think he's up. We'll settle this right now."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They found Thomakein reading. Guy opened abruptly with: "Thomakein, -Leil says you have been talking deep."</p> - -<p>Thomakein smiled solemnly. "I have—and what's your answer?"</p> - -<p>"There can be one answer. When?"</p> - -<p>"As soon as possible."</p> - -<p>Guy searched the other man's mind for any ulterior motive and found -none. He feared to increase the sensitivity of his instrument because -of the necessity of fiddling with the tuning and gain controls before -their eyes. He nodded, smiled and gave Leilanane a little hug. "You're -it," he said. "Now go away."</p> - -<p>Leilanane left, and Guy sat quiet for a moment, thinking. Thomakein had -solved his problem again. No matter how he felt, Guy knew that what had -been growing was not to be. He asked: "Are you on the level?"</p> - -<p>"I am. I've loved her a long time."</p> - -<p>"Good. I think rather well of my sister."</p> - -<p>"I know."</p> - -<p>"Look, Tom, you're not doing this just to break this up?"</p> - -<p>"Not entirely. Forgive me if I ramble a moment, but I want you to -understand. You are never out of danger, Guy. You never will be as long -as you are lanee. Once you retire, you can accept the alternative of -utter retirement, or you may be more inclined to a less public life. -People will revere you always, but your importance will wane, and your -words will be less quoted and less watched until you are safe from -chance slips of the tongue.</p> - -<p>"Now I want to be lanee—permit me that. As I have said, I've been -too far from Ertene too long. People know me, but not well enough. -You sponsor this marriage, and it will be practically an endorsement -from you. Then in a kiloday you may announce your retirement and I'll -announce my candidacy. The family tie-up will run me in on a wave of -popularity. As for Leilanane, I'll be as good and as loving a husband -as I can. I know that she'll be a good wife."</p> - -<p>"I haven't heard the word 'love' used yet."</p> - -<p>Thomakein smiled wryly. "Honest, Guy, it always struck me slightly -silly to hear two grown, mature, intelligent, strong, capable men -discussing love. Forgive me. I feel that some things should be kept -between the man and the woman alone. I do love Leilanane, that I -promise."</p> - -<p>"O.K.," laughed Guy. "Go ahead and commit matrimony. But look, Tom, -once you get settled and running, see if you can find a friend for me."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Forty days later, Guy led Leilanane down the long aisle with a -golden cord. The choral voice of the great organ rolled sonorously, -exultantly, and then faded to a musical whisper as the couple reached -the altar bar. The ceremony started, and its origin was lost in -antiquity but returned in symbol. Guy removed the golden halo from -Leilanane's head, and burned it on the flame-blackened pedestal. -Thomakein accepted the protection of the woman as Guy's protection was -removed and destroyed by the all-consuming fire.</p> - -<p>Guy returned up the long aisle alone where he stood to watch the final -phases of the ceremony.</p> - -<p>The bridal couple clasped hands, and then as the music rolled out -again, they left the altar bar hand in hand. They stopped before Guy, -who smiled and said: "Life, love, and happiness."</p> - -<p>Then he shook his head. The official ceremony was over, and Guy grinned -hugely. He pried them apart and took an arm of each, leaving the chapel -with them. He handed them into their flier, and motioned them away with -a jerking movement of his thumb. "Beat it," he said, "and don't return -until you're better acquainted."</p> - -<p>Guy returned to his offices and called for Charalas.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XIX.</p> - -<p>The period that follows defies description. It is simple to take a -protracted length of time and describe the events that transpire, but -when little or nothing of interest takes place, there is nothing to -record. It is similar to the engineering report of negative answer; it -is inconclusive and unsatisfying.</p> - -<p>This is an historical record of the events that took place during a -certain period, and during that period there are times such as this in -which nothing happened.</p> - -<p>Literally nothing.</p> - -<p>It is this lack of action that made the outcome. Guy Maynard was a -Terran. Terrans have been accustomed for centuries to action. From -the time of the caveman to the present, Terrans have lived in a -cultural system that was ever accelerating. They progressed from the -animal-powered vehicle to the machine-powered vehicle in a matter of -years, and they went from land-travel to air-travel in the scant -matter of years. Life on Terra has been a constantly-increasing tempo -to the present, when Terrans traverse space in velocities measured in -thousands of miles per second.</p> - -<p>It is improbable that Terrans will slow down. Like the Ertinians, once -a race is geared to high-velocity, slowing down is impossible.</p> - -<p>The Ertinians, geared to a nomad life, could not conceive of a stable -system and like the proverbial tramp, continued to think in terms of -travel.</p> - -<p>The Terran—Guy Maynard—found the peaceful life on Ertene suitable for -a long time. He expected that action would take place once Thomakein -and Leilanane were mated, but things fell into their grooves again, and -time went on interminably.</p> - -<p>Guy tried to push the physicists that were working on his pet projects -and found a placitude that maddened him. The necessities of sudden and -decisive action were not there. Ertinians didn't think as Terrans do. -Eons had passed since anything of real velocity was needed, and their -thinking habits had been trained along these lines.</p> - -<p>The idea of accepting an idea and developing it immediately into a -practical thing was unheard of. There had been no need. Certainly there -must be no need now.</p> - -<p>Guy was a dynamo of action in a world geared to ten miles per hour.</p> - -<p>He found that their scientific developments were slow and cumbersome. -Their science was not their own, but that of the worlds of their -passage, and with years between such contacts, scientific ambition was -low, indeed. With no competitive force driving them forward, Ertene had -assumed the role of a lazy man, content to live in indolence.</p> - -<p>Had any danger come to Terra, it would have been answered immediately -and more than likely Terra would have gone out to meet the threat on -the threat's home ground. But after the first flurry of worry over the -disclosure of Ertene to Terra by the man Gomanar, Ertene's concern -subsided. Half-heartedly Ertene put up vortex projectors about their -cities, and then returned to their homes.</p> - -<p>At first, Guy worried about these weapons. It was not fair to his peace -of mind to see on every hand the evidence of Ertene's dislike of Terra. -His own feelings were mixed; Terra hadn't played fair with him, true, -but the idea of ruling a planet that would kill thousand upon thousand -of his people stuck in Guy's throat. He worried about this, and because -he could tell no one about it—not even Thomakein for fear that his -motives be mis-read—he worried alone.</p> - -<p>His worry gave him something to do, at least.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>But then as the days added into kilodays, and Ertene continued on -and on and on in its course through the heavens, and no Terran -forces came to contest or to seek, Guy became used to the idea that -Ertene's barrier was far more obscure than the proverbial needle -in the haystack. A magnet, well plied, will show the fallacy -of that platitude, but trying to see nothing against a field of -black—impossible.</p> - -<p>Guy knew that his no-radiation detectors were being used. He suspected -deeper developments, and fumed and fretted because he could not know -what they were. His imagination cooked up many ideas, possible and -impossible, for the finding of such a minute bubble in space. And it -all reduced to one thing.</p> - -<p>Mephisto had been unfound for hundreds of years of space travel and -exploration. Men suspected the possibility of inner- and outer-planets -and went on the search for them. They failed until the Ertinian science -provided Guy with an instrument to locate such bodies.</p> - -<p>Ertene's chances were excellent.</p> - -<p>And the mathematicians of Ertene spent kilodays in deep theory and high -abstractions and decided that the law of probabilities prohibited the -finding of Ertene.</p> - -<p>And instead of feeling concern at the idea of fighting his own people, -Guy looked upon the vortex projectors in the same light as a fire -department in a city of pure metal.</p> - -<p>Guy's life changed as a result of this. Like the man on vacation, he -began to seek something to do. The job of lanee was unexciting and drab -after the life of activity he knew on Terra.</p> - -<p>On every hand he saw things that would be hailed as miraculous on -Terra. Medical science was far ahead of Terra's in spite of the drive -of necessity; Ertene's science had gone forward passively and the -diseases were gone completely from the planet. Their accident-surgery -could stand a bit of Terran influence just as the Terrans could stand -some of Ertinian vaccine and antibody discoveries.</p> - -<p>He scorned the speed of the workmen that erected the home for Thomakein -and Leilanane—now named Leilakein, of course—because it took them -almost a thousand days. The same home, he knew, could have been erected -upon the planets Venus, with material shipped cold from Terra, and the -couple would have been living in it within sixty days.</p> - -<p>But Terran workmen used tiny MacMillans to drill holes instead of -the brace and bit of the ancients. Spikes and nails were unused on -Terra, instantaneous welding was done on metal, and molecular-bonding, -and forming. Wood was worked with portable power-tools, and fastened -together with huge wire staples formed as used from spools of wire, and -driven with the machine on the premises.</p> - -<p>In the sky, traffic moved ponderously and sedately. Even in rush -periods Ertinian traffic did not approach the mad scramble that took -place on Terra.</p> - -<p>Guy drove his flier through the skies with them and came to the -conclusion that the hurrying scramble of traffic and its frequent -accidents was productive of a bunch of better drivers. The percentages -of dented wings to fliers in the sky was higher on Ertene.</p> - -<p>He read an editorial in a paper objecting to the lanee's hairbreadth -sky-tactics and Guy scorned the words because he hadn't been in the -slightest danger. After all, Guy had learned to run a flier over -Sahara Base, where a flier sometimes cut between building tops in a -vertical bank to keep from hitting wingtips, and where one of the more -scatter-brained stunts consisted of racing another driver to the last -landing space.</p> - -<p>"Sure, they lost fliers that way," grinned Guy aloud. But it made for -the quick or the dead and it kept people on their toes.</p> - -<p>He accepted Charalas' theories about survival, and admitted that if -Terra were rotten and avaricious, so was he. He knew that if it came to -a choice, he'd prefer that they experiment on a Titanian than upon him.</p> - -<p>His only sore spot was the fact that Terra denied him his right to his -secret—and his life. They had been more than unreasonable in that, -expecting him to break his oath to them.</p> - -<p>And that brought back the old argument. Who was right? Should he have -agreed to Ertene's oath and then sold them out?</p> - -<p>He shook his head. Had he been that kind, Ertene would not have -permitted him to leave.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy had spent his life under the idea that when things went too -quietly too long grief was brewing. He had theorized upon it, and had -formulated the relation that the amount of grief was proportional to -the length of quiet time.</p> - -<p>His accounting was piling up to a terrible, staggering total. He -knew it wouldn't last, couldn't last. He hoped that Thomakein would -move, giving him a chance to lose himself. But Thomakein went about -his business quietly, testing the vortex projectors and handling the -details of defense.</p> - -<p>What form the end would take, Guy didn't know.</p> - -<p>He'd have welcomed it save for the one fact that if and when it came, -Guy would then be out of a place to live. Terra had made it impossible -to remain there, to have Ertene denied him would make him a man without -a planet.</p> - -<p>And so he fought the idea of alliance with Terra because such an -alliance would place him right in the hands of the Terrans themselves. -There would be no forgiving if they came, and once they came and -disclosed Guy's real identity, Guy would have no Ertinian shelter. -Ertene would throw him out for violating his promise never to return.</p> - -<p>Guy snorted at himself. His was a life of broken promises and -cross-purpose oaths.</p> - -<p>But there was one oath he intended to keep. He would do all he could to -keep Ertene free—his life depended upon it! It occurred to Guy that -the way to keep things that way was to remove the source of irritation, -and so he began to investigate and to reason.</p> - -<p>How lucky it was that Elanane had passed on as he did. How lucky -that Guy resembled him. Guy had accepted these coincidences glibly, -without question, until it came to him that Thomakein could have -done otherwise if he had found it necessary. Charalas had been lanee -once, and the neuro-surgeon would have followed Thomakein's urgings, -especially after Thomakein's stories of Terran intrigue.</p> - -<p>It was too trite.</p> - -<p>Would a popular ruler, professing isolation, refuse to arm his planet -against invasion? Perhaps. There are men who think that if they mind -their business, others will mind theirs. But not Terra. Not when known -otherwise, would such a policy work. The idea of passive resistance -went out when the airplane came in.</p> - -<p>The real Elanane was quite a man. He was loved, admired, and eulogized. -He was intelligent, well-balanced mentally, morally, and physically. -Elanane was neither crank nor crackpot, and Guy knew that his theories -of government were stable and sensible.</p> - -<p>Therefore Guy reasoned that Elanane would be certain to take any -measures to insure the safety of Ertene.</p> - -<p>That would mean absolute co-operation with Thomakein. Elanane had -appointed Thomakein to study Terra and to report. A spy, if the word -must be used. Elanane would accept the word of his friend and do as -that friend suggested.</p> - -<p>But Elanane might go so far and no more. There is a vast difference -between preparing to stand off a possible invasion and preparing to -fight an offensive war. Elanane might believe that the best defense is -a quick offense.</p> - -<p>Would Thomakein do away with a friend for that?</p> - -<p>Hardly. It must be deeper.</p> - -<p>Coincidence was too thick. That alcohol and irritation business did not -make sense. Ertinian anti-lamine drugs were similar to Terra's, and -furthermore Ertinians used alcohol which would mean that the Ertinian -drug must have been tested under these conditions. That brought up -another thought.</p> - -<p>If Thomakein had slipped a neutralizer into Guy's drinks, he could -almost be certain that exposure would follow.</p> - -<p>Would Thomakein gain by such a deal?</p> - -<p>Well, would he?</p> - -<p>Guy's hand found the sensitivity control and stepped the power high. -His sensitive fingertips tuned for maximum contact with Thomakein.</p> - -<p>The answer he sought exploded in his mind with clearness and -conciseness. Its sheer audacity staggered Guy. The very gall of the man -was appalling, and yet the utter forcefulness of Thomakein might push -it through. The plan itself was so daring that Thomakein would stun -those who were against him. Not permanently, but they would be amazed -long enough for the Ertinian to take his toll.</p> - -<p>Once Thomakein unwound his plot, it would defy catching.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Guy headed for Thomakein's office on the run, and caught him present.</p> - -<p>"I've just figured it," snapped Guy.</p> - -<p>"So? Figured what?"</p> - -<p>"That little plot you've been cooking!"</p> - -<p>"Plot? You mean my plan for—"</p> - -<p>"It's a stinking plot and nothing more."</p> - -<p>"You're a little upset, Elanane. Remember that you live only at my -bidding."</p> - -<p>"What did you do to Elanane?"</p> - -<p>"It was unfortunate—"</p> - -<p>"The men who permitted his death were dealt with," admitted Guy harshly.</p> - -<p>"So?"</p> - -<p>"But removing Elanane permanently didn't bother you at all."</p> - -<p>"No, not too much. But remember that Elanane was my friend."</p> - -<p>"I hope that I never have such a friend."</p> - -<p>"You have," smiled Thomakein in a superior manner.</p> - -<p>"You? God forbid!"</p> - -<p>"Look, hothead, cool down. If you get tossed off of Ertene, then what?"</p> - -<p>"I made an oath to protect Ertene."</p> - -<p>"You made an oath never to return."</p> - -<p>"I also made an oath never to tell. Also one previous to tell Terra of -anything I discover."</p> - -<p>"Do you suppose that Ertene will believe anything you tell them once -the truth of your broken oaths are known?"</p> - -<p>"They needn't know. I—am Elanane."</p> - -<p>"We can put a stop to that," snapped Thomakein.</p> - -<p>"I think that I can stop you first."</p> - -<p>"No doubt," said Thomakein easily. "The Terran methods of hand-to-hand -fighting are devastating. But you'll never conceal your victory."</p> - -<p>"You stinker," snarled Guy. "How about Leil?"</p> - -<p>Thomakein's face fell. "I will be blamed for Elanane's death," he said -solemnly. "I am more than sorry about that."</p> - -<p>"Being sorry is not enough."</p> - -<p>"What do you intend to do about it?"</p> - -<p>"Thomakein"—Guy opened the phonoscope key, dialed government -headquarters, and continued—"I arrest you, Thomakein, for treason -against the integrity of Ertene!"</p> - -<p>The faces on the plate registered horror, and then action. The plate -continued to register as headquarters kept the circuit open. Guy -dropped his hold on the audio key to cut the sounds of men in full cry.</p> - -<p>"Now we'll see."</p> - -<p>"You idiot," laughed Thomakein. "You'll see how Ertinians stick -together!"</p> - -<p>"We'll see."</p> - -<p>"You might have come in," said Thomakein. "Together we could have ruled -the entire System."</p> - -<p>"You planned to rule it alone," sneered Guy.</p> - -<p>"I shall—now."</p> - -<p>"You're the kind of man to share such power with me."</p> - -<p>"Certainly."</p> - -<p>"Rot."</p> - -<p>"Have it your way."</p> - -<p>"I'll have it my way," said Guy. "It's not your way."</p> - -<p>"Nor yours. I don't particularly care," said Thomakein easily. "My -plans are about set anyway. A day or so means little."</p> - -<p>"Days—even hours can ruin anything."</p> - -<p>"Not when the plan includes the possibility of something slipping."</p> - -<p>"Nice trick you played on me."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Guy. That's just an idea. If I can play puppets with a -ruler of Ertene, an ambitious young man from Terra, and the fate of -worlds and make everything come out even—I can run the show."</p> - -<p>"You controlled the election of Elanane because he resembled me."</p> - -<p>"Naturally. That was part of it."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because I knew that no Ertinian would permit me to arm Ertene for -power and invasion. It took an energetic man, with will, force, and -fear of discovery to push it through. Guy, you'd have been safe if I'd -been permitted to run this freely. Terra couldn't touch you. But you -choose to pit your futile will against mine. Mine—and Ertene's!"</p> - -<p>"I am going to keep Ertene free!" shouted Guy, hammering on the desk -with his fist.</p> - -<p>"You mean, 'Gomanar is going to save his skin!' don't you?" sneered -Thomakein.</p> - -<p>"I'll shoot the works, Thomakein, if it's necessary."</p> - -<p>"Poor lad. You had promise."</p> - -<p>The door flung open, and police entered. They begged Thomakein's -forgiveness, and then marched him from the office to the great hall -wherein the Council met.</p> - -<p>The great Hall of History brought back the memory of his first visit, -and Guy smiled. Then as the Council entered and seated itself, Guy -faced them. In the balcony above, faces peered over at the governmental -representatives. The wall below the balcony's edge came alive with the -hundred and eighty phonoscopes that would take this proceeding to all -Ertene.</p> - -<p>"A grave charge has been made," said the leader of the group. "Who -brings this charge."</p> - -<p>"I, Lanee Elanane, charge that this man, Thomakein, has plotted against -the Will of Ertene."</p> - -<p>"The charge is treason, then?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Explain the reason for these charges. Remember, Lanee Elanane, this is -no trial, but a pretrial to arrive at the decision as to the graveness -of the crime. Evidence for such a crime must be collected, and if the -charge is allowed, you will be permitted to gather such evidence during -a period of time decided by this Council."</p> - -<p>"I have reason to believe that Thomakein is plotting to take Ertene -into the Solar System," said Guy.</p> - -<p>The Council exploded. The austere meeting broke into a riot of talk -until Guy shouted: "Quiet!"</p> - -<p>"Proceed, Elanane."</p> - -<p>"In addition, Thomakein has ambition to become the supreme ruler over -the allied Solar System and Ertene."</p> - -<p>Harabond, the head of the Council, arose. "Assuming that Thomakein were -successful in his mechanical intrigue—he might be elected to rule. The -accomplishment of such a feat would prove his ability."</p> - -<p>"Ertene can be swung, can't it?" asked Guy.</p> - -<p>"Yes—but only if it is universally agreed on Ertene."</p> - -<p>Guy leaned forward and his voice was dry and hard. "Harabond, on Terra -it is reported that many times a brilliant but dishonest leader of -minorities has succeeded in making a shambles of the world before he -was subdued. It is fear of this that has made Terrans distrustful -of everyone who is not openly for them. And do you think that a man -capable of running this intrigue to its present state of completion -would stop at elections? He'll grab!"</p> - -<p>"Thomakein, will you offer defense?"</p> - -<p>Thomakein stood forward with a cryptic smile upon his lips. "Harabond, -how long have you been Leader of the Council?"</p> - -<p>"Proceed, Thomakein. Leave the personalities out of this."</p> - -<p>"You do not know the man before you," said Thomakein. "Those of you who -were here when we first met a denizen of Sol—do you remember Gomanar? -This is he!"</p> - -<p>"Impossible."</p> - -<p>"Not at all. I remembered how he resembled the lanee-assistant. Elanane -became lanee later, remember. This man before you, Members of the -Council, is the man who promised never to tell of Ertene. He was -willing to violate his initial oath to Terra and keep us from exposure. -This is the man who spoke openly on Terra, violating his oath to us. -This is the man who is now violating his oath to us by being here—he -promised never to return."</p> - -<p>"Get Charalas," said Harabond. A courier left silently, scowling that -his absence would deprive him of some interesting scenes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Now," said Harabond, "if this is whom you say, prove it here and now!"</p> - -<p>"Have I no time to gather evidence?" asked Thomakein cynically.</p> - -<p>"His charge against you was first. This matter of counter-charges -complexes the proceedings. Must we hold our lanee in trial to prove his -right to charge another with treason?"</p> - -<p>"I need no time," said Thomakein. "I can prove that he is not Elanane."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps I can disprove you," smiled Guy.</p> - -<p>"He thinks to baffle us all," laughed Thomakein. "Harabond, so great is -his deceit that he thinks to fool us all."</p> - -<p>"You may answer his charge," said Harabond to Guy.</p> - -<p>"Harabond, do you recall thrashing me for swimming in your abandoned -quarry as a youngster? I was four kilodays old, then. At four point -three kilodays, Neilamon, your son and I—we were of an age—skipped -school and ran away to become vagrants. They found us and we were again -thrashed. It is laughable, gentlemen, but I find that I cannot recall -any incidents of good, bright, intelligent youth. Apparently I was a -healthy, normal youth that got into trouble as any healthy schoolboy -will. And there is Tocamay. He knocked out one of my baby teeth for -pulling the hair of the girl that sat in front of me in school. -Afterwards, we split an apple stolen from Harabond's orchard, and swore -never to trust a woman again—she walked home with the school sissy -whom we both hated. The sissy, remember him, Tocamay? He sits beside -you, now one of the better philosophers of Ertene and destined to go -down in history. Did you marry her, Diamony?"</p> - -<p>"No," grinned the philosopher.</p> - -<p>"Shall we take a vote?" asked Harabond.</p> - -<p>"No impostor can be that well read," said Tocamay.</p> - -<p>"To become educated in the present society might be accomplished, but -never to recall childhood things from learning. Impossible."</p> - -<p>"Then you admit that Elanane is Elanane?"</p> - -<p>"We do."</p> - -<p>"I wish to add something," smiled Guy. "If I am this Gomanar, I want to -know what Thomakein did with Elanane?"</p> - -<p>"You answer me that," smiled Thomakein. Guy started. The Ertinian -looked as though he were enjoying himself immensely. It worried Guy, -and he knew that Thomakein must have a pair of aces up his sleeve.</p> - -<p>"Then we proclaim that this man is Elanane," said Harabond, "and Lanee -Elanane may proceed with the charges against Thomakein." He thought -for a moment. "No, we must—by law—listen to any evidence offered by -Thomakein that this man is not Elanane."</p> - -<p>"I'll take the chance," said Thomakein brightly. Harabond looked at -Thomakein in amazement.</p> - -<p>"Yes," nodded Thomakein. "I'll take the initiative now. Members of the -Council, a mind-reader could baffle us all. He could recall things of -our childhood at will, by reading our minds. This impostor—Gomanar by -Ertinian pronunciation—Guy Maynard by his mother on Terra—Elanane by -his own selection, has a mental amplifier, which enables him to read -thought!"</p> - -<p>"Incredible!"</p> - -<p>"Impossible!"</p> - -<p>"Not at all," said Thomakein. "It is fact. This instrument is not -perfect. It reads surface thoughts only—unless the subject is thinking -at you. Then the deeper thoughts are clear."</p> - -<p>"But if this is true, and he is not Elanane, how can he read deep -thoughts directed at Elanane?"</p> - -<p>"Misdirection," said Thomakein. "You and I and Ertene thought he was -Elanane. We thought at him as Elanane. He used these thoughts for his -own purpose."</p> - -<p>"Can you prove this?"</p> - -<p>"Am I talking for fun?" sneered Thomakein. He stepped to the -phonoscope, snapped the key, and said: "Bring it in, Lentanar."</p> - -<p>The door opened and the man brought in the huge thought-beam instrument -that Guy built in Elanane's workshop. "This is it," said Thomakein.</p> - -<p>"What have you to say?" asked Harabond.</p> - -<p>"May I show you how it works?" asked Guy. He stepped forward, turned it -on, tuned it to Thomakein and himself, and broadcast their thoughts.</p> - -<p>"Now," he said, "read and think!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XX.</p> - -<p>An hour passed in silence. Then Harabond held up a hand and Guy turned -the instrument off. "So," he said to the Council, "you see that my -interest is for Ertene!"</p> - -<p>"A man who is capable of developing an instrument such as this," said -Harabond, "is more than capable of distorting its output to his own -purpose!"</p> - -<p>"But thought—" said Guy.</p> - -<p>Harabond shook his head. "To think that Thomakein would plot this -way against Ertene is unbelievable. Were this charge brought by an -Ertinian, we might consider it valid. There is too much at stake to -believe a Terran, whose word has proven to be none too good."</p> - -<p>"Use this thing for yourself," Guy directed. "Put technicians on it, -build several and prove that you cannot distort its output. Then -believe me."</p> - -<p>"An instrument such as this would deprive all of us of our sacred -privacy. I direct that it be destroyed and that no research be -permitted along these lines," said Harabond. "As for the incredible -story I see—or was directed to witness—at the operation of this -machine, I can only shake my head. I reiterate, any man possessing -genius enough to build an instrument like this is more than capable -of making it perform to his will. Therefore its evidence will not be -allowed. And, furthermore, the Terran, Guy Maynard, will be charged -with the murder of Elanane!"</p> - -<p>"But—!"</p> - -<p>"Take him away!"</p> - -<p>Guy was marched from the room before the same policemen that he had -summoned to bring Thomakein. As they passed the portal, Charalas -entered, shook his head in puzzlement and asked Thomakein what was this -all about?</p> - -<p>"An incredible impersonation," said Thomakein, "plus the loss of a -loved leader," Guy heard him explaining as the door closed behind them.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Halfway across the rotunda between the buildings, the whine of sirens -climbed up the scale and shook the very ground with their power. It was -a frightening sound, and the men clinging to Guy's arms let go to look -around in wonder.</p> - -<p>Guy might have run, but he was too stunned and bitter to react -properly. The very gall of Thomakein! The utter blindness of the -Council!</p> - -<p>Guy envisioned the end of Guy Maynard's unhappy life at the end of a -rope—or according to the Ertinian plan of painless removal. He went -limp and beaten. He was licked. He was a poor pawn, and all that he -could do to sway the lives of worlds was to push in futility and fall -below them when they refused to move. It would have been better—</p> - -<p>"Terrans!"</p> - -<p>"The Space Patrol!"</p> - -<p>"You summoned them!" snarled one captor.</p> - -<p>"No—"</p> - -<p>"Liar!"</p> - -<p>"I swear not."</p> - -<p>"We believe not!"</p> - -<p>Down out of the clear sky came the Terran Patrol in battle formation. -With the precision that spoke volumes, the space pattern flowed from -the closed cylinder to a lenticular disk and the massed ships of the -task force sped across the city at fifty thousand feet.</p> - -<p>"They've come for you!"</p> - -<p>"No," swore Guy.</p> - -<p>"They'll not get you!"</p> - -<p>"We'd best give him," argued the other. "They'll fire!"</p> - -<p>"They're firing."</p> - -<p>"No, they're not," said Guy. "That's signaling."</p> - -<p>"Either signaling or poor marksmanship," said the captor. "Nothing's -hit."</p> - -<p>"Terra doesn't miss," said Guy.</p> - -<p>From the ringed emplacements, the vortex projectors vomited their -toroids. Upward went the pattern of vortexes, and the Patrol broke -formation in an effort to elude the whirling toroids.</p> - -<p>"Did you?" asked Charalas, coming up behind.</p> - -<p>"Send for them? No."</p> - -<p>"Your story is true?"</p> - -<p>"I swear it!"</p> - -<p>"Then what of them?"</p> - -<p>The pattern of toroidal vortices went up and up, and caught Terran -ships, passed on, and left the Terran ships to fall inert. Pressor -beams cradled the falling ships and lowered them to ground. The rest of -the Terran Patrol drove inward on a slant, with the turreted AutoMacs -blazing purple at the snouts and the invisible beams cutting flaring -furrows across the city.</p> - -<p>Another toroid went up before them, and pilots fought their controls to -divert the ships. The slow-moving vortex hovered, and the high-velocity -ships arrowed through the vortex in spite of the pilots. More pressor -beams caught the inert ships.</p> - -<p>Torpedoes started to burst in the city, and with each explosion a -building leaped skyward in a mass of flame and dropped in ruin. The sky -crisscrossed with flaring beams, and the vortex projectors spewed forth -again and again, filling the air with death.</p> - -<p>The Patrol drove high, hovered. They fenced with MacMillans on -automatic, and then fled precipitately as a super-sized toroid formed -and raced upwards.</p> - -<p>"Beat 'em off."</p> - -<p>Guy nodded.</p> - -<p>Then he turned and slugged his nearest captor. He took the man's -MacMillan and faced the rest. "I'm leaving," he snarled.</p> - -<p>He backed carefully away, keeping his back against the building. A -movement caught his eye, and Guy's quick hand dropped an Ertinian from -a high window. With the diversion, the other policeman reached for his -MacMillan, and Guy blasted the hand as it grabbed, and then drilled the -man behind him for trying to reach forward for it.</p> - -<p>"I'm not fooling," snarled Guy. "And I'll take hostage. Charalas, come -along!"</p> - -<p>"Me?" asked the aged man, stalling for time.</p> - -<p>"You—and jump!" yelled Guy, sniping a swift shot at his feet. Guy -reached the parked police flier, pushed Charalas in, and then took off -on a screaming zoom upwards.</p> - -<p>A MacMillan flared and missed, a vortex rolled upwards too slow by -half, another MacMillan missed, and then Guy was off and far away and -free once more. He grinned. They'd left him his personal thought-beam -instrument. They'd find it hard to run him down when he could read -their minds. He turned the gain a little lower so that they couldn't -read his, and he wondered whether the more powerful instrument would -really be destroyed now.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>An hour later, along near the ocean's edge, Guy dropped the flier. -"Charalas," he said, offering a hand, "I'm sorry."</p> - -<p>"You're in a real mess," said the neuro-surgeon.</p> - -<p>"I know—but what's Ertene going to do now?"</p> - -<p>He snapped on the flier-radio and caught Thomakein in the act of -speaking: "—obviously came at the call of the impostor. He was a high -official in the Patrol, and was working undercover here. People of -Ertene, we must reply! We may not hold up our heads until this insult -has been repaid. We now have a fine space fleet, thanks to the vortex -and the pressors, and the Terrans. Never could we have built such a -fleet here on Ertene; but it is now ours."</p> - -<p>Guy growled and snapped Thomakein off.</p> - -<p>"What are your plans?" asked Charalas.</p> - -<p>"I'm going to drop you off here. Then I'm going somewhere."</p> - -<p>"Where?"</p> - -<p>"That's it. I don't know where. I'm barred from everything but Mars—I -might try there."</p> - -<p>"You loved Ertene, didn't you?" asked Charalas.</p> - -<p>Guy nodded. "Until I found out how blind they are. A fine thing! They -give credence to a plotter because his accuser is not of Ertene. And -this last—I hate them and him!"</p> - -<p>"This last?"</p> - -<p>"Thomakein dropped the barrier so that the Terrans would come to -investigate. He planned it all—and got his fleet ready-made."</p> - -<p>"They came to fight—"</p> - -<p>"They wouldn't have come if Thomakein hadn't started it all. Blame whom -you will, but Thomakein saw his plan start when he found me alive in -the <i>Mardinex</i>. My life has been just a pusharound for Thomakein for -nine years."</p> - -<p>"You think Ertene will win?"</p> - -<p>"Thomakein may be highly successful for a long time—but Terra will -win," said Guy. "Remember, Charalas, when you strike a rat, the rat -bites back. That slaughter of Terrans back there is just nasty enough -to make Terra completely mad. It happened before, on Mephisto III, and -when we cooled down to the mere screaming point, there wasn't a living -thing on Mephisto proper. Berserk, is the word for angry Terrans, -Charalas. And I say Beware."</p> - -<p>"And you?"</p> - -<p>"Me, I'd like to push something around. I'm getting sick of being a -pawn. I've reached the last straw, Charalas, and something's going to -be crowned. That utter murder of Terrans just about broke me, and if I -break completely, I'll take after Ertene single-handed."</p> - -<p>"Slaughter?" asked Charalas.</p> - -<p>"It was downright murder. If I only had an army."</p> - -<p>"That's not murder. Ertene seldom kills."</p> - -<p>"Look, Charalas, I'm in no mood for foolishness. I saw those ships come -down after the vortex hit them. Terrans do not scare stiff, Charalas, -they fight to the last."</p> - -<p>"I know, but the vortex does not kill."</p> - -<p>"The ... vortex ... does ... not ... kill?" repeated Maynard dully.</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"It doesn't kill?" came the dazed repeat again.</p> - -<p>"No. The vortex slows the life processes to almost zero, but not quite. -Several, repeated exposures will kill, of course, but two or three -aren't too dangerous to healthy people."</p> - -<p>"What do they do to recover them?"</p> - -<p>"Heat lamps, massage, and a shot of cuperenalin."</p> - -<p>"I've got my army then," said Guy quietly. "I've got my army!" His -voice repeated the phrase, and his tone crescendoed from stunned -quietness to an exultant roar. "<i>I've got my men!</i>"</p> - -<p>"I don't understand," said Charalas.</p> - -<p>"I don't expect you to," smiled Guy. "Below here, in the ocean, is my -spacecraft. I'm leaving Ertene—but I'll be back. Oh, will I be back! -Terra needs some Ertinian love of leisure, and Ertene needs some of -Terra's ambition. As a team, they should get on fine!"</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do?" asked Charalas in alarm.</p> - -<p>"Terra pushed me around for trying to protect Ertene. Ertene shoved me -out for being Terran. They're both blindly unreasonable. I'm going to -play Kilkenny cats, Charalas."</p> - -<p>"Play what?"</p> - -<p>"The Kilkenny cats were tied by the tails and hung over a line. They -clawed each other to death. I'm going to break up this balance of power -in Sol, with Mars and Terra always running the main show, by hanging -Ertene in an orbit. Then there'll be three to treat with, plus the -minority on Venus, and they'll all be standing around with their hands -in one another's pockets. Mars will have to come off of her high horse -or lose her shirt when Terra and Ertene get together, and Terra will -have to listen to Mars if and when Ertene takes a notion to let Mars -into confidence. Ertene will have to play baseball with both Terra -and Mars or the Solarians will gang up in spite of themselves. And -eventually there'll be less isolationism around Sol, and we'll all be -better off. I'm going out to get me enough people to do the job—and -now I know where to get 'em!"</p> - -<p>Guy grinned at Charalas, stepped to the high bluff over the ocean, and -dived.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The <i>Loki</i> emerged from the ocean an hour later. It went high and -arrowed into the sky, and it was out of sight in seconds. Charalas -wondered if followers would come, certainly the detectors would be -running full power and would catch this ship and register it as -nonconforming to the licensed ships of Ertene.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus12.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>But the followers did not come, and Charalas realized that Guy Maynard -was once a high officer in the Terran Patrol, and that he was more than -familiar with the technical details of such a small craft. Charalas -grinned, and wondered which one of Ertene's destroyed ships was now -being detected in action again, and not being recorded because of -matrices that eliminated unwanted alarms.</p> - -<p>But Charalas wondered most about Guy's future plans. How and what was -he going to do—and alone, too!</p> - -<p>"Also unarmed," added Guy to himself. "Nice to know you, Charalas. -And if you'll wonder about me for a week, I'll appreciate it. Bet the -Ertinian land forces are on the prod right now—and you'll be found -directly. No matter, I can take care of Guy Maynard from here."</p> - -<p>Guy nosed the <i>Loki</i> cautiously toward the moon of Ertene. Their -synthetic sun, dimming a bit now that the unbounded energy-intake was -cut, shone full and bright upon one side, and Guy wasted precious -minutes circling to the dark side.</p> - -<p>It was mostly wasteland, yet Guy went die-straight to the -half-concealed emplacement.</p> - -<p>With callousness born of necessity, Guy rammed the dome and the <i>Loki</i> -was flung away in the out-rush of air. Guy set his grapples, and -literally tore the building apart, brick by brick, and then hooked -onto the great vortex projector and lifted it high into the sky. He -returned for the power equipment and took that also. He thanked his -lucky star that the <i>Loki</i> was a Terran ship and not one of the less -agile Ertinian jobs. The fact that it was fitted with everything but a -set of turret-mounted MacMillans made Guy jump up and down in glee. He -recalled the game of hide-and-seek of a couple of years ago, and knew -that the <i>Loki</i> could take it.</p> - -<p>He set the <i>Loki</i> down on a barren plain on the side away from Ertene, -and donned space garb. Welding the vortex projector on the top of -the <i>Loki</i> made a strange-looking spacecraft, but streamlining was -unimportant in space anyway. He hooked girder after girder on the huge -parabolic reflector, welding them securely to his hull. He fitted the -supply cables with air-tight bushings through the walls, and then -spent several hours fitting up a series of relays to a thumb-button on -the pilot's levers.</p> - -<p>His detector rang as he was finishing, and Guy poked the drive control -without waiting to see the nature of the approaching ship.</p> - -<p>He grinned as he arrowed away from Ertene, because he knew that no -matter whose ship it was, it was against him. They'd given him the -time he needed, and if he managed to get through the next phase, they -would never be able to stop him again. No one would ever collect the -price that was upon his head—a double price, one in Solar coin, one in -Ertinian.</p> - -<p>His detector rang again, and Guy saw a small Terran ship approaching. -Its turrets jerked forward, and Guy's thumb hit the button. The <i>Loki</i> -bucked to avoid the discharge of the AutoMacs, but the velocity of the -Terran was too high to swerve. It ran into the floating vortex and went -dead, at full velocity, on and on into the nothing of the sky. It was -picked up later by Ertinians, who added it to their captured fleet.</p> - -<p>And Guy, knowing that his life might control the future of billions of -lives, hardened. Friend or foe, all must fall before him until he had -reached the end of this phase of his life. If he fell, the Solar System -itself might never recover from the outcome of his failure.</p> - -<p>For Maynard, knowing his Terrans, his Martians, and also his Ertinians, -could have pointed out the moves of the next five years on the fingers -of his hand—and no one alive could have denied him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>From ten thousand miles above, Guy looked at Mephisto III. "Two or -three aren't dangerous," muttered Guy, repeating Charalas' statement. -"Please God it be three with no danger, for they will have had two!"</p> - -<p>His thumb pressed the button, and the vortex formed, whirled, and -then went racing forward in a boiling toroid of energy. It spread as -it went, widening swiftly and encompassing the entire moon before it -wrapped itself about the ground, closing like a monstrous blanket on -the far side in curlers of lightnings and fire. The vortex died, and -Mephisto III was again lifeless. Guy dropped quickly, and landed the -<i>Loki</i> on the same spaceport that he had created from the hard ground -years ago. He looked about him at the supplies and the ships lying -mute, and shuddered at the bodies that lie a-sprawl. Then he smiled -wryly and apologized mentally. There were but few of the big guns of -the Terran Patrol present—but they would be a good nucleus.</p> - -<p>For now, though, Guy had work to do.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXI.</p> - -<p>Maynard looked at the ground, and wondered. It was cold—deathly -cold—in spite of the years of the barrier-input. Cold enough to give -him hope.</p> - -<p>Guy set his crowbar into the grave and pried. The dirt came out in -lumps—the same lumps blasted long ago to create the shallow trench. -The white wrappings were not soiled; the ground was frozen hard enough -to prevent bits of grime from working their way into the soft cloth. -The body was stiff and utterly cold beneath the wrappings, and it was -more like carrying a log than a human being. But Guy took the exhumed -one to the <i>Loki</i>, removed the white wrappings, and snapped on the -battery of heat lamps.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus15.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Losses made the air grow unbearably hot in the little cabin, but Guy -worked woodenly and did not notice. He forced himself to this. The -handling of a corpse—for until it showed the sign of life it was a -corpse—made Guy's stomach crawl and made his hands feel as though they -never would be clean again. Time and again he looked away to keep from -screaming aloud.</p> - -<p>And when it came time to insert the needle containing superenalin into -the body, Guy's fingers went cold and insensitive. The needle did not -slide in the way it should, it entered with that dead feeling similar -to cutting dead flesh with a dull knife. It sickened him, and after -emergence, when the tiny droplet of blood did not come, it brought on -that nausea again.</p> - -<p>Massage! It was a gruesome thing, this fondling and stroking of cold, -stiff limbs. The heat seemed to be doing no good, for Guy could discern -no softening of the joints. They creaked and cracked as he moved the -arms and legs, and it worried him because he knew the brittleness of -frozen flesh. Was he breaking bone and flesh deep within this body?</p> - -<p>More—was it worth it?</p> - -<p>Guy's mind recoiled and rejected the horror that he felt. This body -was no stranger to him. Alive, physical contact would not have been -distasteful. Now that it was dead, why did he feel horror?</p> - -<p>Alive, it might have fought him because of the liberties he was taking; -with no objections to his ministrations possible, why did he feel -horror and fear?</p> - -<p>It struck Guy as insanely funny and he laughed uproariously. The cabin -rocked to the sound of his laughter, and as he stopped, the echo -reminded him of the cackle of an idiot. He stopped with indrawn breath, -shook his head, and returned to his task.</p> - -<p>The body moved perceptibly, and Guy recoiled from the table with the -same feeling of horror and fear. This was too much like awakening the -dead.</p> - -<p>A gasp of indrawn breath came, and the body choked on the volume of -air that entered the lungs. Color returned to the cheeks, and the eyes -opened, fluttered, and then looked at Guy full and open.</p> - -<p>The lips parted.</p> - -<p>"Guy!"</p> - -<p>"Joan! You're all right?"</p> - -<p>"Of course—shouldn't I be?"</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"That toroid in the sky—what was it?"</p> - -<p>"It came from Mephisto."</p> - -<p>"Then it is not dangerous?"</p> - -<p>"Not when you understand it."</p> - -<p>Joan snorted. "If that's the best they can do—we'll lick them easy."</p> - -<p>Guy nodded foolishly. How was he going to tell Joan the whole story in -short of a lifetime?</p> - -<p>She looked around. "This isn't the <i>Orionad</i>. Why did you bring me -here?"</p> - -<p>"I ... we—"</p> - -<p>"Guy!" she came from the table, put her hands on his shoulders, and -looked up into his face. "It's been long, hasn't it?"</p> - -<p>He nodded.</p> - -<p>She searched his face understandingly, comprehended the suffering and -worry there, and said: "Tell me."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It came then, all in a burst of words. The entire tale from start to -finish with nothing withheld. It took an hour solid, and when Guy -finished, Joan looked up and asked:</p> - -<p>"You're still going on?"</p> - -<p>He nodded, but asked: "Should I?"</p> - -<p>"You must. First off, Guy, you are a man alone. That might be fine for -you, but life demands that you do your utmost to progress. You know -what will happen."</p> - -<p>"Ertene and Terra will fight. Ertene will fight to join the System as -ruling planet, and Terra will fight to haul Ertene in by brute force. -Eventually, Terra will win, partly, and subdue Ertene. Ertene will -reply by swerving outward again, and try to continue on the roaming, -nomad life. As a last measure, Ertene will hit Sol with a vortex. That -will set things off—how, I do not know. Nova, perhaps. Instability, -definitely. Or Ertene will hit Terra with a vortex. At any rate, -super-vortexes will be hurled back and forth, and Ertene—if she isn't -a black ruin—will go on through space with no man alive. Sol will -continue to run as a dead, sterile system.</p> - -<p>"So long as they are permitted to fight, complete ruin will be the -outcome. I must ... I MUST prevent that."</p> - -<p>"You must," agreed Joan. "You must be ruthless and calloused. You -mustn't hesitate to kill and maim—though it sounds against all nature. -Ertene must be chastened—and Ertene must be brought into the System! -To let Ertene go will constitute a constant threat to Sol—no constant, -but lasting for a hundred years. So long as Ertene can hurl a vortex at -Sol, we are endangered. Ertene must be immobilized, and placed under -the same necessities—those of keeping Sol alive and stable. Terra must -be taught to accept Ertene as an equal.</p> - -<p>"And since a three-world system must become interwoven to remain, -Terra, Ertene, and Mars will lose their isolationism. But it's your -job, Guy. You're the only man who understands. You are the only man who -can bring a balance of power to bear. Take it and knit a new system!"</p> - -<p>"You'll help?"</p> - -<p>Joan smiled. "Naturally." She lifted herself on tiptoe and held him -close. "I've always wanted to help, Guy. Anything you say—name it!"</p> - -<p>Guy choked.</p> - -<p>"You've"—and Guy recalled years ago when Joan said the same words to -him—"been lonely, Guy."</p> - -<p>Years of loneliness and yearning and heartbreak expended themselves in -a matter of minutes, and the long, bitter years dropped away, bringing -them right up to the present moment. Then the future promised briefly -before they broke apart. They regretted the break, though something -unspoken made them stop; they could not seek the future with so much to -be done in the present: They must cross this bridge first.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Gradually, the scene took on a busy appearance. Men in suits bustled -around the ships, and they rang with the sound of repair and servicing. -And across the plain there came a steady stream of men carrying -white-swathed bodies, and when six came in, twelve left to continue -the work. With progressingly larger numbers at work, the stream of -men entering the huge, squat building became a double line, a triple -line, and then a sixfold line. Other buildings opened, and the stream -continued to expand.</p> - -<p>Projectors and turret-mounted MacMillans roved the sky and the -detectors went out to their extreme limit.</p> - -<p>Technicians worked over Guy's thought-beam, and produced a large one -for each ship in the small group. Maynard's fleet would be knit with -thought-communications, and no interference would cause them to lose -control. Other technicians toyed with the vortex projectors, and though -Guy saw no more success here than on Ertene, the amount of activity -was higher by far, and in a few weeks the Terrans had passed the most -advanced researches of the Ertinians.</p> - -<p>A convoy of Terran ships approached, and Guy merely smiled.</p> - -<p>"I've been expecting them. Go get 'em, Harrison!"</p> - -<p>"Right. They're replacements for this gang?"</p> - -<p>"Were."</p> - -<p>"Why don't we wake up the gang that was here when you came?"</p> - -<p>"You know that. I can't trust 'em. I brought you fellows back—at least -you owe me your lives."</p> - -<p>"I'll argue that point when I get back. Ships, supplies, and men! We -need 'em!"</p> - -<p>The little fleet sped out to contact the larger convoy. Unlike the -usual Terran procedure, Maynard's fleet spread wide apart, and waited -in the dark of space, behind barriers.</p> - -<p>It would have been slaughter again. This convoy expected to find its -own men awaiting supply and materials. Instead, the vortex projectors -spewed.</p> - -<p>Out they rolled, and the barriers went down as they passed. Turreted -MacMillans whirled, and the invisible energies laced the sky. Torpedoes -winked in gouts of flame and the interferers chopped the communications -band into uselessness. Maynard's ships fired a second series before -the first reached the Terrans, and the Terrans, fighting their own -velocity, rolled into the whirling toroids firing their AutoMacs to the -last.</p> - -<p>Ships rained out of the sky in flaming ruin, cut bright arcs in the -sky, and died.</p> - -<p>And then it was all over. Massacre it would have been if the vortex -projectors had been deadly. The Terran convoy was not prepared to meet -a powerful fleet, and it succumbed in a matter of seconds.</p> - -<p>Cradling pressors lowered the Terran ships to ground, and Maynard's men -took possession.</p> - -<p>"Well?" asked Harrison. "Have we got what it takes?"</p> - -<p>"Not enough," said Guy glumly. "There was one constellation craft -in that bunch—the <i>Leoniad</i>. It's a creaky old crate that uses -co-ordinator fire in the turrets instead of autosyncs. Her torpedo -tubes are rusty, her generator room reeks, and her drive is one of -those constantly variable affairs that never settles down to a smooth -run. The <i>Leoniad</i> is a derelict, as far as I'm concerned. The smaller -stuff is fine business, though I doubt that they could stand up to a -half dozen constellations. We'll fit the old tub up, though, and use -her. She's all we have in that class."</p> - -<p>"Any chance of getting more?"</p> - -<p>"Might raid Ertene. I think it might be easy—Ertene is none too sharp -invasionwise. They're armed to the teeth with vortex jobs, though."</p> - -<p>"Vortexes aren't deadly."</p> - -<p>"A local anaesthetic would be a killer-weapon if you could numb up a -man's trigger finger only," grinned Guy. "Might as well be dead as -sleeping it off on Ertene."</p> - -<p>"I get you. How about raiding Sahara Base?"</p> - -<p>"We might duck their mounted stuff. I wish I knew what they are doing -with the vortex projectors."</p> - -<p>"Let's wake up the commanding officer of the convoy and ask. He'd know."</p> - -<p>"Good idea," said Maynard, and gave the order over the phone.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Eventually, the man was brought in. He was indignant, defeated, angry, -and anxious about his future in turns, and his emotions changed from -one to the other swiftly. He was Sector Commander Neville.</p> - -<p>"What is the meaning of this outrage?" he asked. "I know you. You're -the renegade, Maynard."</p> - -<p>"Stop it!" exploded Harrison. "He is Guy Maynard, and a better man than -you and I, Neville."</p> - -<p>"You, too, must have turned pirate, commander."</p> - -<p>"I'm no pirate. What I'm doing is by sheer choice. Wait until you hear -his story, and you may wish to join us."</p> - -<p>"Never."</p> - -<p>"Never say 'never'," grinned Harrison. "It shows how much you don't -know about everything—especially human nature."</p> - -<p>"Look, Neville, I want to know what Terra is doing with the vortex gun."</p> - -<p>"I'll never tell you."</p> - -<p>"I'll tell you, then," smiled Maynard. "Emplacements augmenting -the planet-mounted MacMillans are being set up around Sahara Base. -Luna is being set up with them, too, since the moon is a natural -invasion-springboard. The main cities are being protected, too, and -some long-range stuff is being put in the remote spots to stave off -any attempt at entry. The triple-mounts in the midships turret of all -constellation craft are being changed from MacMillan to vortex, and the -fore turret on all cruisers. Destroyers will carry a smaller edition in -a semi-mobile mount in the nose, and the fighter craft of the heavier -classes are to have vortex projectors in fixed position. The three -MacMillans will drop to two, the center being replaced in the lighter -ships.</p> - -<p>"Oh, and yes, Neville, I mustn't forget the super-sized job that is -being erected on Luna for cross-space work. That's a nice, brutal, -long-futured thought, Neville, and it can do nothing but bring -reprisals."</p> - -<p>"That one will not be used except in self-defense—"</p> - -<p>"Sky-juice! I only hope that it can be destroyed before it is used. The -fools! Can't you realize that Mars is erecting one on Phobos, too?"</p> - -<p>Neville blanched. "Hadn't considered it."</p> - -<p>"Why not? Why shouldn't they? They're no less intelligent than we -are ... don't jump up and down, Neville, they are and you know -it ... and they react in about the same fashion. The only thing that -has enabled us to stay ahead of Mars is the fact that we can take -three times the acceleration standing up. Another item of general -interest. Ertene—you've heard of that one—is erecting a projector of -super-size, too. Guess where it will be used."</p> - -<p>Neville thought, and then asked: "How do you know these things?"</p> - -<p>Guy tapped the thought-beam on his belt. "Thought-reading gadget," he -said quietly, and then proceeded to read Neville's thoughts to him, -saying them word for word as Neville expressed them in his mind.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Now," said Guy, "Sol is in for trouble. That is, unless we get Ertene -in here too. That'll mean invasion. But, Neville, I don't want Ertene -overrun like we did on Mephisto. Ertene is like Terra, but its culture -is just enough different and its physiology different enough to make a -separate entity in the System. They think somewhat differently, too, as -you'll see later. But, Neville, getting Ertene here as a prime power -will entail much work."</p> - -<p>"Why must she be a power?"</p> - -<p>"Because this projector is a final weapon. With it, I alone in a tiny -fighter, can lay every living thing down on Terra, and then proceed -onward to Mars, Ertene, the inhabited planetoids, moons, asteroids, -meteors, spacecraft, and anything else I've forgotten to mention. The -planets of Sol must be stripped of their militant attitude. Otherwise -any progress we might make is stopped. With Mars and Ertene, Sol may -have the combination to the long-sought space drive. Centauri lies -beyond the horizon, Neville, and we may reach it if we forget our petty -quarrels."</p> - -<p>"Why couldn't Terra get that herself?"</p> - -<p>"Because Ertene and Mars hold certain keys. Neither will work for -Terra, either freely or under duress. If this war is fought to the -finish, there'll be no great minds left to carry on the research. -Remember that."</p> - -<p>"What do you intend to do?"</p> - -<p>"I intend to conquer them all!"</p> - -<p>"You deluded idiot—"</p> - -<p>"Look, Neville, I've got this," and Guy slapped the mind instrument. -"I've got this," and Guy waved a hand at the field, teeming with its -workmen, awakened from the vortex-induced sleep. "And, I've got this!" -and Guy pointed outside to the great vortex projector that stood on the -ordnance field. "Do you think I can be beaten?"</p> - -<p>"Eventually, you will. No dictator ever held out against the entire -System."</p> - -<p>"I don't intend to hold out. All I want to do," said Guy pointedly, "is -to set up this mind-reading, thought-beam instrument on every planet, -in every congress, in every voting booth, and in every home! Then we'll -see what happens to warmongers, hate-raisers, and petty politicians! -The will of the people is to work in peace, and peace they will get -when each knows the will of the other, alien races. Fear drives men to -fight, Neville, and if any group decides to get up and run things, the -vast majority will know it first."</p> - -<p>"It'll destroy our privacy," whispered Neville.</p> - -<p>"With everyone wearing one, the effects cancel pretty well," said Guy. -"Except when the wearer intends to have his thoughts read. And the -larger models, set in voting places and congressional groups, will be -used to broadcast on frequencies open to anyone who cares to listen. I -don't intend that this thing will be used to deprive people of their -right to think as they please, but it can be used wisely and well -to prevent criminal cliques, ill-advised minorities, and individual -criminals."</p> - -<p>"It won't work."</p> - -<p>"That I want to see for myself. At any rate, either we put a stop to -this warfare that will leave Sol lifeless or we will never be able to -look up into the sky ourselves."</p> - -<p>"Far too much time and wealth is spent," said Neville slowly, "in -fighting or preparing for war. The research—could use some of that -money. No one has even got the first inkling of a defense against the -vortex—you're right, if all have it, it will wind up in death to all. -I'll help Maynard."</p> - -<p>"Because you think that Terra is unable to accomplish her purpose -alone?"</p> - -<p>"No," answered Neville. "It's because you are sincere. You let me read -your mind—and I know."</p> - -<p>"If used for nothing else," grinned Guy, "we can assume right now that -any candidate for high office must use this machine. Any who do not -will find their qualifications and intentions up for argument. The -graft it will kill will be wonderful."</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXII.</p> - - -<p>Maynard's force swept out from Mephisto, drove in toward Sol, and -slipped between Terra and Venus. They passed Sol just outside of the -orbit of Mercury and headed outward again.</p> - -<p>Just beyond the orbit of Terra, the souped-up detectors flared briefly -and then burst into full indication. Maynard smiled wryly and said: -"How can any military strategy work when both sides have mental -telepathy, even though it is mechanical?"</p> - -<p>The Martian task force was plunging into space almost on an opposite -course, coming forward under battle acceleration. "We're not having -any," snapped Guy.</p> - -<p>"They must have heard of the trouble Terra had with us," observed -Turretman Holmes. "Maybe they'd like Mephisto?"</p> - -<p>"They aren't heading for Terra," said Guy. "Well, we're being attacked, -technically. Let's have at them."</p> - -<p>The indication in the detector opened, and the pattern of the Martian -fleet became clear. Guy shook his head at the perfection of the space -lattice. Against the vortex, a perfect space lattice meant ruin.</p> - -<p>Into the Martian fleet went Maynard's group. At terrific velocity, -the two fleets met, and the vortexes flowed from Guy's ships and ran -together in a mad pattern through which there was no place to pass -unharmed.</p> - -<p>There was a flash of MacMillan fire. Crossed beams radiated, and the -space between the ships dotted with blinding flashes of premature -torpedoes.</p> - -<p>The Martians were more interested in avoiding the toroids, and their -fire was desultory. The Terrans were more interested in the Martian -ships, and their fire was defensive only.</p> - -<p>Then at once, the Martians were through, passed, and inert. They sped -on at zero drive, and their courses diverged.</p> - -<p>"After 'em!" grunted Maynard. "Get 'em on detectors!"</p> - -<p>The Martians went out of sight. The contact-detectors stretched as -the two opposing velocities caused the separation to add into the -unthinkable miles. Days passed before the velocity of Guy's fleet -dropped to turn-back velocity, and more days passed before Guy's ships -were within sight of their quarry. By then, no ship was within detector -range of its fellow; the sky was clear save for the inert Martian and -the pursuing ship.</p> - -<p>Slowly, the <i>Leoniad</i> crept up beside the Martian ship. And then as -the velocity of <i>Leoniad</i> approached zero relative to the Martian, -there was motion in the sky, the detectors flared bright, and the alarm -bells rang with ear-splitting loudness. The detector showed a Martian -sub-ship at pointer range.</p> - -<p>Its barrier had been blasted open by the huge vortex that crept and -rolled towards the <i>Leoniad</i>.</p> - -<p>"Pilot! Vortex at fourteen—seven ten!"</p> - -<p><i>Leoniad</i> creaked. Ponderously, it swapped ends. A seam split, and the -intercom became hoarse with the shrill of escaping air and the cries -of the repair crew. An alarm rang loud, which stopped when the split -seam was plastered. Acceleration took hold, and the men were nailed -to their places. The generator alarm pealed, indicating dangerous -overload. More plates creaked as the drivers took the power and -strained against the mass and inertia of the <i>Leoniad</i>.</p> - -<p>"Not enough!"</p> - -<p>The turrets of the <i>Leoniad</i> whipped around and the sub-ship was -blasted in a vast, expanding flare.</p> - -<p>But its work was done. Though the drivers, straining their best, were -fighting the <i>Leoniad</i> into velocity, there was too little time. The -vortex caught up with the <i>Leoniad</i>, passed upward from base to top, -and went on to die in the remoteness of space.</p> - -<p>The breakers blew, the fuses sputtered, and <i>Leoniad</i> went inert.</p> - -<p>She coasted away from the Martian at much less than one mile per second.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Maynard bumped gently into the wall of his scanning room and the pain -wakened him. Dazedly, he passed a hand over his face, and the movement -turned him over in midair. He clutched foolishly at the wall, and then -waited until he found a handhold. He handed himself to the floor of the -room, and sought the desk.</p> - -<p>Forcing himself into the seat, Guy snapped the safety belt and then -reached for the communicator.</p> - -<p>"Pilot! Technician! Navigator! Isn't there anybody alive on this crate!"</p> - -<p>He sat and thought. Something had happened that was not in the books. -He'd hit a vortex and had awakened without help. The others—what had -happened to them?</p> - -<p>The communicator spoke tinnily: "Is there anybody else on this space -can?"</p> - -<p>"Maynard—who's speaking?"</p> - -<p>"You and I are all?" came the return. "This is Hume, the assistant -calculator."</p> - -<p>"Might as well get together," said Maynard. "Come on in."</p> - -<p>"This is Evans, of the Technician's crew. Can I come in, too?"</p> - -<p>"Wait a minute, both of you," said Guy. "Go take a look around. Someone -else may be alive, too."</p> - -<p>"How many?" asked another voice. "In case anyone's interested, this is -Ted Jones, of the power gang."</p> - -<p>"Pete Rivers and I ... I'm Jim Phelps ... are both O.K."</p> - -<p>"Wait a minute," said Guy. "Someone run into the turretman's office, -and the other go into the navigator's office. If either of them come -out of it, let me know immediately."</p> - -<p>"Pilot Tinsley, sir. Just came out of it."</p> - -<p>"Were you on duty?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir. Assistant Pilot Adcock was on the board."</p> - -<p>"Oh," answered Guy. "He's still in the greenhouse, then."</p> - -<p>"Did you expect him?"</p> - -<p>"Dunno," said Guy slowly. "The passage of the vortex effect is leaving -this office spherically. Or roughly so. Spread out—"</p> - -<p>"Turretman Greene just came to, sir."</p> - -<p>"You beat me by ten seconds. Navigator Sampson just took up <i>his</i> -interest in life."</p> - -<p>"See?" continued Guy. "As I was saying; spread out and cover the ship. -Record each awakening time precisely. Later we'll get the dimensions of -this can to the fractional millimeter, and we can chart what happened."</p> - -<p>As time went on, the communicator took up the clamor, swelling from -individual calls to the full cry of the personnel in a regular increase.</p> - -<p>The calculator and Guy sat before the plans of the <i>Leoniad</i> and drew -lines, scribed curves, and calculated in simple trigonometry. It did -not take long. Guy put a pinprick in the plan and said:</p> - -<p>"It's right here!"</p> - -<p>"You suspected that," answered the other.</p> - -<p>"I know—but what's in here that would nullify that effect? It takes -heat, work, and superenalin."</p> - -<p>"Haven't you anything odd?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing that the other ships haven't got ... no, wait ... no, can't -be."</p> - -<p>"What?"</p> - -<p>"Can't possibly be."</p> - -<p>"Name it, Maynard. No matter how silly it may seem, that's it!"</p> - -<p>"This thought-beam gadget—the heavy-duty one."</p> - -<p>"That's it."</p> - -<p>"But Mephisto went down under the vortex projector. To the last man. -They had these things."</p> - -<p>"You fired and fired and fired, though. Hundreds and hundreds of -vortexes. The effect is cumulative, I've heard. But for a single shot, -Guy, we've got a remedy."</p> - -<p>The ship took control as the instrument gang replaced the fuses, threw -in the breakers, and reset the balancing controls. The <i>Leoniad</i> -swapped ends, raced for the quarry that was invisible in the distance, -and took over the Martian.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was days before the combined fleets were collected again. They -converged upon a million cubic miles of space, and mulled around in a -mad pattern before they turned and headed for Mephisto.</p> - -<p>The commander of the Martians came before Guy.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus16.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"I am defeated," said the Martian stiffly. "I would have preferred it -at the hands of—"</p> - -<p>"One who is not a traitor?" asked Guy. "Marshal Monogon, why am I a -traitor?"</p> - -<p>"You betrayed your oath."</p> - -<p>"My oath," said Guy, "was intended to set up a condition in which a man -will do the best thing for his homeland. That I am doing."</p> - -<p>"You think so."</p> - -<p>"They'll all think so."</p> - -<p>"I am defeated," repeated Monogon. "I hope to see the day when you are -caught."</p> - -<p>"You may, at that."</p> - -<p>"But to what end are you working? You fought Terrans. You fight us. -Why?"</p> - -<p>"Monogon, you have a super vortex machine set up on Phobos. Terra has -one on Luna. You now know that the vortex will not kill on a single -try. But how much less dead will the entire System be if either of us -fires?"</p> - -<p>"I ... yes, the speed will permit you to fire once we have fired. You -would be able to detect the operation of the projector hours before the -toroid envelops Terra."</p> - -<p>"And with no one alive to awaken any of us—those who are not on Terra -will fight one another to the death—vortexes will be coming from every -solid body in the Solar System within a week. Do you think I want that?"</p> - -<p>"You hope to accomplish something?" asked Monogon. "What—and how and -why?"</p> - -<p>"I hope to unify. I cannot appeal directly because of my ... my -traitorous past. But Monogon, I can and will fight to the last breath -to try my plan. Never forget Ertene, Monogon. They'll be here next, -looking for me—or something. They've got to have their trouble, and -they well know that a good offense is the best defense. They've got -vortexes too, you know. As a last resort, they'll fire on us both. What -I've got to do is to hold off both Mars and Terra—and then go out and -take Ertene!"</p> - -<p>"Madness."</p> - -<p>"Necessary. Ertene must be brought in, so that she will depend on Sol -and the rest of us."</p> - -<p>"You're mad, Guy Maynard. Stark mad. But I agree with you. The vortex -is deadly, and with things at the breaking-point as they are now, -oblivion is but a step. Can you believe me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," smiled Guy. He tapped the thought-instrument and explained.</p> - -<p>"Then you can also believe me when I offer you my aid?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"I'll make no move against Mars, understand."</p> - -<p>"I'll not ask you to. You'll go to—"</p> - -<p>The radiation alarm broke.</p> - -<p>"What's up?" asked Maynard.</p> - -<p>"Nothing dangerous. We just uncovered a Terran crate trying to run -through us under a barrier."</p> - -<p>Maynard looked at Monogon. "We'd better hurry," he told the Martian. -"They'll be tearing up the Solar System before we can stop them."</p> - -<p>The combined fleet increased its acceleration towards Mephisto.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The spaceport on Mephisto became a mad place. Terran ships stood -plate to plate against Martian ships, and the sky above the port was -interlaced with the invisible communication beams that connected -incoming and outgoing ships. At no time was the sky ever completely -clear of spacecraft.</p> - -<p>They came in sight out of the clear black sky of the moonlet, and -hovered until the ship before them had landed. Then they dropped slowly -into the landing place assigned to them, coming to a full landing just -in time to see the next ship begin to drop. Another ship would come -from outer space at this time, and assume the hovering area, awaiting -its turn.</p> - -<p>Ships took off at the same rate. But unlike the cumbersome landing -feat, they leaped upward into the sky, running a direction-beam before -them, and disappeared in seconds.</p> - -<p>The nerve center of this activity was a squat building on the edge of -the port. In it worked Maynard's spies—his <i>agents provocateur</i>. A -black chamber of intense men, all working their shifts over huge mental -projectors.</p> - -<p>Solarian shipping was being completely disrupted.</p> - -<p>No ship took off from any of the spaceports without Guy's knowledge. -And no cargo worth having ever reached its destination. Mephisto was -becoming the most valuable planet-system in the Solar sphere, for the -cargoes that were pirated and brought to Mephisto were those items that -Terra and Mars could not find in plenty at home.</p> - -<p>The capture of single ships had gone on unchecked for a long time. Then -protection began to go with the shipping, and finally the spacelines -were running in full convoys that sported constellation craft for -protection. But Guy's fleet collected the constellation craft as easily -as they caught tramp spacers. When a spaceship is going a thousand -miles per second, a barrier-sown toroid could burst from space before -the huge ship. It was a matter of dropping the toroid so close to the -nose of the ship that the turreted AutoMacs had no time to answer the -impulses that came from the detector-couplers. The huge ship plunged -through the toroid, and left the rest of the unprotected convoy for -Maynard's choice.</p> - -<p>And when they sent decoys, Maynard's men ignored them. Only when the -carriers held valuable material did they suffer.</p> - -<p>The ships of Ertene came in for their share. Guy worried about the -thought-beam instrument that he had left there; he knew that no -sensible world would adhere to a program of destroying such a device. -One of the main thought-beam jobs was continually directed at Ertene -and the thought-beam instrument that Guy had left. So far, they had -done nothing but use the thing locally. It would not reach Mephisto by -a billion miles, and so Guy knew his secret was safe.</p> - -<p>At least for the time being.</p> - -<p>But molesting Ertene on Ertene's own ground was not possible; once they -came within range of Ertene's thought-beam, the secret of avoiding the -vortex would be out. Only those ships of Ertene that came outside of -range were taken—and they were all too few.</p> - -<p>But there are ways of starting trouble—</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The intercom pealed in Maynard's office. "Andrew has escaped," came the -message.</p> - -<p>Maynard smiled. "Good. As we planned?"</p> - -<p>"According to clockwork," came the amused answer. "He bopped Timmy -over the head with that hunk of plastic, used the same plastic rod to -pry his way out of the house, and then he took off like a demon in the -<i>Ursiad's</i> lifeship."</p> - -<p>"I wonder what he thought we had it out for," laughed Guy. "Also I -wonder what he thought we were using to keep him in?"</p> - -<p>"He's not too well informed. He knows, for instance, that we can avoid -the vortex—and that some sort of mind-reading gadget is available. -Furthermore, he knows that there is one on Ertene. Nothing about the -stuff, understand, but just that such a thing exists."</p> - -<p>"That's the ticket," smiled Guy. "Now we'll get action!"</p> - -<p>Detector operation of the following events were impossible. In their -place, the men in Maynard's black chamber controlled a model of the -System, synchronized with others throughout the Mephistan system of -planet and moons.</p> - -<p>And for the first time in history, Mars and Terra took off in battle -array and headed together in the same direction. And Mephisto followed -them, watching all the way.</p> - -<p>At nightside, the combined fleets dropped onto Ertene, showered the -area with toroids, and landed. They forced the heavy doors open and -emerged again with the machine.</p> - -<p>Up they drove, into the Ertinian sky, and away. Ertene came to life -then, and vortex projectors hurled their toroids into the sky after the -fleeting ships of Sol.</p> - -<p>Sol's ships scattered and avoided the toroids, and then answered by -dropping their own onto a greater area than before. They silenced those -that might give danger, and then sped away in a die-true line for Sol. -From Ertene there arose the Ertinian fleet to give chase.</p> - -<p>Normally, Terra could have out-distanced them, for they had the head -start in an accelerative race. But Mars could not keep that killing -pace, and Terra was forced to hang back; they hoped to best Ertene in -full battle, if escape were impossible.</p> - -<p>Conquest would give them Ertene, and that would have been desirable, -too. But conquest of Ertene was planned for the future, and -well-planned.</p> - -<p>So Ertene caught up with the slower fleet of Sol, and the two -intermingled.</p> - -<p>Space filled with the myriad winking spots of prematured torpedoes. -Gouts of released energy burst in empty space as crossed MacMillans -backfired. Energy bombs were strewn as a matter of course to prevent -the operation of sub-ships, and the milling mass circled in a battle -plan that no space marshal had ever planned.</p> - -<p>The ship that had Ertene's thought-beam was known. Battle centered -about it, and it became evident that neither side cared to direct its -fire in that direction. The whirling melee spread out into a vast -sphere of fighting ships, with the thief in the middle. Wide spread -the battle; the thickness of the fighting globe dropping as the sphere -increased.</p> - -<p>Maynard smiled. "Now!" he said.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And from the <i>Leoniad</i> there dropped a torpedo in a barrier. Invisibly -and indetectably it sped, led by the radiation from the thief. Through -the fighting globe it went safely, and inside, where no bit of stray -energy filled space. Not even detector beams entered this space, and -the men in the thief looked out on all sides at the mighty globular -battle with wonder. They realized that this fight was over them, and -that because of their loot—the thought-beam instrument—neither side -would strike at them.</p> - -<p>But the barrier-covered torpedo found them. The barrier hid the torpedo -from them, but the barrier permitted the detecting radiation to enter -and energize the director.</p> - -<p>The thief exploded in one coruscating flash. The white-hot gases -expanded rapidly, wildly, cooling as they spread.</p> - -<p>Action stopped.</p> - -<p>Had this been a fight on land between men, they would have turned as -one and looked at the ruin. They would have stood elbow to elbow with -their enemies, and wondered. Both sides knew the value of what they -were fighting for, and they knew the other side knew its value, too. -Loss of the thief stunned them beyond belief—</p> - -<p>And stunned them beyond the desire to fight one another.</p> - -<p>The flashing lights of prematured torpedoes died as the mechanical -finders still worked on the already-launched missiles. No more came -from the tubes, and gradually the flaring died, leaving the ether clear -of crackling radiation.</p> - -<p>Far-flung detectors flared, and the cardex machines in hundreds of -ships purred, and came up with a single answer. It was called aloud, -and on the throats of a million men, Terrans, Ertinians, and Martians, -there came the single word:</p> - -<p>"<i>Leoniad!</i>"</p> - -<p>With no order from High Command, every ship turned and headed for the -<i>Leoniad</i>.</p> - -<p>The <i>Leoniad</i> lazed along, waiting. Just ahead of MacMillan range, the -<i>Leoniad</i> ran before the combined fleets. From all sides there came the -rest of Maynard's fleet, making a space pattern about the <i>Leoniad</i>.</p> - -<p>Within the Solarian fleet, quick orders and consultations passed. The -fleet took battle shape, spread out, and gave chase according to plan. -Their space pattern became that which was developed by the Terran -command to avoid sown toroids, and in comparative safety, they settled -down to the long, stern chase.</p> - -<p>Before them, Maynard's fleet ran easily. Forward-flying toroids -died abruptly, killed by the anti-radiations of Guy's high-powered -projectors; torpedoes were sought and prematured in space; and -MacMillan fire was not answered save to cross the oncoming beam with a -backward-flung beam. The initial flurry of fire stopped, then, and the -chase became a matter of hare and hounds.</p> - -<p>The Solarian fleets were forcing the flight. Mephisto's fleet was -obviously running to their base. That meant, to the Solarians, that -at midway, there must be a turnover maneuver so that Mephisto's fleet -could decelerate for their landing. Then they would catch up, for -the velocity attained by Maynard's outfit must be forced down. The -Solarians were not trying to effect a Mephistan landing, but were -after the other fleet. They would not turnover at mid-point, and then -they could catch that fleet of pirates that stayed just out of range.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">XXIII.</p> - - -<p>Turnover came, inevitably. Maynard's fleet flashed up to the "fix" in -space and began the end-swapping job. Solarians watched, gloating. -Maynard <i>was</i> going to turnover! The gap closed. Terra and Ertene -alerted for action, and the entire personnel of the combined fleets -went on double-watch. No one knew how much stuff Maynard's men had -developed.</p> - -<p>Vortex projectors sowed toroids that floated with Guy's ships. In and -about the pirate fleet, the huge vortexes of energy roamed, covering -the fleet by sheer number.</p> - -<p>Torpedoes directed against the toroids prematured. MacMillan fire -entered them, and added to their total energy. Other toroids flung into -them merely added to their number.</p> - -<p>And the very number of them made operations in the combined fleets -difficult. The space pattern was never intended to fight into a massed -effect. Ertene and Terra spread slightly, opening up a hole. Through -this hole flowed the toroid-covered Mephistan fleet, and Maynard's -men were behind. Turnover was completed, and with the indifference -to the Solarian fleet that was maddening, Maynard gave the order to -decelerate for landing on Mephisto.</p> - -<p>Solarians fell behind—below, now, for they were dropping onto -Mephisto, the deceleration creating a false gravity.</p> - -<p>They crammed on the deceleration too; not to do so would have put them -far beyond Mephisto. They crammed on all they had, and it was just -enough to stay below Maynard's fleet—</p> - -<p>Just outside of range.</p> - -<p>The men in the combined fleets of Ertene and Terra writhed in hatred. -Mars, unable to keep up with the man-killing gravities, laughed -nastily—she thought that the fun would have been over before her -slower ships could join.</p> - -<p>But though amused, Mars was none the less angry. Her men in her ships -were killing themselves to keep from arriving too late. They knew now -that the big fight would be around Mephisto.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It takes but a minute to tell, but it was days and days in the action. -Men slept and changed watches and went through the tiresome routines of -space travel across the System. And ever before them was the specter of -Maynard's fleet, just out of range. It maddened them, and it made them -sacrifice a few fighter ships that tried to run ahead, into the other -fleet. They were lost, every time, without doing any damage.</p> - -<p>And the temper of the men increased by the minute—and days and days -with hours full of minutes went by with not one bit of action to salve -their hatred.</p> - -<p>Mephisto loomed in the sky below, eventually, and the fleets swept down -to Mephisto, and the Solarian fleet spread wide and passed the planet. -They did not like the idea of being between a fighting fleet and its -home base. Maynard landed easily, and was able to consolidate his force -on the ground before the combined Ertinian and Terran fleets circled -and returned.</p> - -<p>"Just hold 'em off," said Guy.</p> - -<p>And again there passed the maddening job of not being able to -do anything to the enemy. They patrolled the planet, but it was -unsatisfactory patrol. Any ship that came too low was fired upon and -collected by Guy's planet-mounted projectors. Solarians thought that -they knew how to arm a planet, but Mephisto was well-nigh impregnable. -Toroids stopped, torpedoes prematured, and MacMillans flashed in the -sky, dissipating the energy with no harm save the blown fuses in the -ships.</p> - -<p>"How long?" asked Neville.</p> - -<p>"Wait for Mars," smiled Monogon. "I insist that Mars be not left out. -What's good enough for them is good enough for my world, too."</p> - -<p>"He's right," said Guy. "We'll wait."</p> - -<p>And finally Mars arrived on the scene, and the fleets went high to -discuss the problem of extinguishing this menace. Guy followed their -conference—and they suspected that he did. Their plan was bold. A -power play, and it came in a down-thrust of the ships of three worlds. -They drove toroids before them, filled the air with torpedoes, and -interlaced the sky with MacMillans.</p> - -<p>"Now?" asked Neville.</p> - -<p>"Now," smiled Guy. His smile was bitter and hard. He stepped to the -vast instrument and put the helmet over his head. His left hand turned -the switch and the right hand adjusted the intensity. "Cease fire!"</p> - -<p>The fighting stopped.</p> - -<p>"Land!"</p> - -<p>The inrushing of fighting ships continued, and they landed quietly, one -after the other. Immediately, doors opened in three of them and three -men emerged. Stiffly they walked to Maynard's headquarters where they -were greeted and taken to Guy's room.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"You can not touch me," said Guy in a hard, cool voice. "I am -impregnable. You will never be able to touch me!"</p> - -<p>"You stinker," snarled Space Marshal Mantley.</p> - -<p>Guy faced Thomakein next. "Have you anything to say?" he snapped.</p> - -<p>"We are defeated," said Thomakein. "What would you have me say?"</p> - -<p>Guy turned to the Martian. "Marshal Ilinoran, any comment?"</p> - -<p>"We are defeated—but we need take no insult! What have you in mind?"</p> - -<p>"At the present time, the carriers of your fleets are being packed -with your men. Some of them will remain, of course. But I like the -size of your fleet, gentlemen. I'm keeping most of it for my own. I -have prepared a little proclamation which you may take back to your -respective governments. I, gentlemen, proclaim myself the Emperor of -Sol!"</p> - -<p>"Megalomaniac!"</p> - -<p>"As Emperor of Sol, I will tell you," continued Guy, indifferent to the -snarl, "how and when to collect the yearly tribute from each and every -Terran, Martian, and Ertinian. You may suit yourselves to any other -arrangements. Mephisto is mine, and will stay mine. But I shall require -money, merchandise, and supplies to stock the planet.</p> - -<p>"And if you think differently, you may try to defeat me! <i>And I hope -you try!</i>"</p> - -<p>"We'll pay nothing—"</p> - -<p>"I hope you try that, too," snapped Maynard. "You have no idea of how -tough a real tyrant can get! A single lesson might convince you. A -super-toroid hurled into the Manhattan area—?"</p> - -<p>"You're a fiend!"</p> - -<p>Guy nodded. "Never make me prove it," he said quietly. "Now, gentlemen, -you will receive your instructions as you leave, if you prefer to -leave. I offer you the chance to join me—but remember that I can read -your mind and find out how true you intend to be. I intend to be very -harsh with spies."</p> - -<p>"I'm leaving—but I'll be back!" promised Mantley. He tried to sound -ominous, but his position was not firm to carry it away. He knew that -he sounded flat and it enraged him.</p> - -<p>"We'll both be back, together!" snapped Ilinoran.</p> - -<p>"Ertene will be back, too!" added Thomakein. "You wouldn't permit us to -leave, and I know it!"</p> - -<p>Guy nodded. "I'll be waiting. But don't forget that I am still master -of you all. And I'm going to stay master. I've spent ten years being -pushed around, and now I'm going to do some pushing myself! I have very -little affection for any of you; Terra disowned me, Ertene did not want -my offer of fidelity; Mars wanted to torture me and did, partly. Had -any one of you taken me for what I had to offer, this would never have -happened."</p> - -<p>Mantley and Ilinoran left. But Thomakein came forward and put out a -hand.</p> - -<p>Guy looked at the hand and then at Thomakein. "Why?" he said sharply.</p> - -<p>"You did it!"</p> - -<p>"I did it, all right. But look at me. And what have you to offer?"</p> - -<p>"You still do not know. Guy, forgive me. I tried, myself, and failed. -Your plan is superior to mine—yours works."</p> - -<p>"Plan? Know?"</p> - -<p>"I forced you into this."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but you had no plan except a sort of self-aggrandizement."</p> - -<p>Thomakein shook his head. "You didn't read my mind deep enough, Guy. -The instrument you carried was never perfect and deep-seated concepts -are often hidden because of the more powerful surface thoughts. I -thought of conquest—and realized that sleepy, lazy Ertene couldn't -conquer the Solar System and keep it conquered. What Sol needed was a -man with drive and ability. No one wanted you, Guy, because you were -continually torn between your own promises. I was responsible for that, -I fear. I took you because of your latent ability, those long years -ago, and planned well."</p> - -<p>"And so you forced me into this place?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," smiled Thomakein. "But the only way that you'll hold this sun -full of cross-purposes together is to provide a common menace. Terra -hates you more than she hates Mars, and Mars will co-operate with -Ertene to get you. Ertene, burning mad because her desire to wander is -curtailed by you, will throw in with both of them. Perhaps they will -get used to co-operation after a bit, but never forget that competition -will make advances far quicker than complete co-operation.</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Thomakein, "I tried. I plotted and tried, and then knew -that Ertene did not have the drive, the ambition. You, Guy, had the -ambition, and all you needed was to get the killer-instinct, so to -speak. You had to be driven to it. You did it. Can you hold it once -someone finds the key to the mental-gadget?"</p> - -<p>Guy grinned. "They never will. Mephisto is the only world with normal -temperatures low enough to make key more than a feeble-order effect. -Upon Mephisto, it becomes evident in the third decimal place; on any -other world it is several decimal places beyond the experimental error. -Besides," Guy said with a hardening of the jaw muscles, "I've got the -whole System under coverage. I'll permit no experiments along those -lines!"</p> - -<p>"I see what you mean. Well, Guy, you're the Emperor. For the love -of God, stay that way! The first time you abdicate, hell will break -loose all over the System. You are the common menace that will hold us -together."</p> - -<p>Guy smiled wryly. "So you drove me to it. It was necessary. I know. But -it was a dirty trick to play on any man. It goes deeper than that. Joan -and I can't see raising a kid in this mess."</p> - -<p>"Your children must be raised absolutely incognito. I owe you more than -life, Guy. May I help, please?"</p> - -<p>Maynard took Thomakein's outstretched hand.</p> - -<p>"Finished," said Thomakein, shaking the hand hard.</p> - -<p>"Not finished—nor will it be. I have a lifetime job of making myself -more hated than any traditional enemy."</p> - -<p>Thomakein nodded. He stepped back and saluted.</p> - -<p>"Farewell, Guy Maynard—Ruler of The Solar Worlds!"</p> - - -<p class="ph1">THE END.</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOMAD ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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