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ISAAC ASIMOV

N M SIS
!o Mar" #urst$ my valued co%y editor$ &ho$ I thin"$ &or"s over my manuscri%ts harder than I do CONTENTS

A'!#O()S NO! P(O*O+' ON , MA(* N !-O, N M SIS !#( , MO!# ( .O'(, .A!# ( .IV , +I.! SI/, APP(OAC# S V N, 0 S!('C!ION1 I+#!, A+ N! NIN , (2!#(O ! N, P (S'ASION * V N, O(3I! !- *V , AN+ ( !#I(! N, 0OM .O'(! N, .IS#IN+ .I.! N, P*A+' SI/! N, #2P (SPAC S V N! N, SA. 1 I+#! N, S'P (*'MINA* NIN ! N, ( MAININ+ !- N!2, P(OO. !- N!24ON , 3(AINSCAN !- N!24!-O, AS! (OI0 !- N!24!#( , AI(.*I+#! !- N!24.O'(, 0 ! C!O( !- N!24.IV , S'(.AC !- N!24SI/, P*AN ! !- N!24S V N, *I. !- N!24 I+#!, !A5 O.. !- N!24NIN , N M2 !#I(!2, !(ANSI!ION

!#I(!24ON , NAM !#I(!24!-O, *OS! !#I(!24!#( , MIN0 !#I(!24.O'(, C*OS !#I(!24.IV CONV (+IN+ !#I(!24SI/, M !IN+ PI*O+' A3O'! !# A'!#O(

AUTHORS NOTE
!his boo" is not %art of the .oundation Series$ the (obot Series$ or the m%ire Series. It stands inde%endently. I 6ust thou7ht I)d &arn you of that to avoid misa%%rehension. Of course$ I mi7ht someday &rite another novel tyin7 this one to the others$ but$ then a7ain$ I mi7ht not. After all$ for ho& lon7 can I "ee% flo77in7 my mind to ma"e it &or" out these com%le8ities of future history1 Another %oint. I made u% my mind lon7 a7o to follo& one cardinal rule in all my &ritin744to be clear. I have 7iven u% all thou7ht of &ritin7 %oetically or symbolically or e8%erimentally$ or in any of the other modes that mi7ht 9if I &ere 7ood enou7h: 7et me a Pulit;er %ri;e. I &ould &rite merely clearly and in this &ay establish a &arm relationshi% bet&een myself and my readers$ and the %rofessional critics44-ell$ they can do &hatever they &ish. #o&ever$ my stories &rite themselves$ I)m afraid$ and in this one I &as rather a%%alled to find out that I &as &ritin7 it in t&o strands. One set of events &as ta"in7 %lace in the story)s %resent$ and another set &as ta"in7 %lace in the story)s %ast$ but steadily a%%roachin7 the %resent. I am sure you &ill have no trouble follo&in7 the %attern$ but since &e are all friends$ I thou7ht I &ould let you "no&.

NEMESIS

PROLOGUE
#e sat there alone$ enclosed. Outside &ere the stars$ and one %articular star &ith its small system of &orlds. #e could see it in his mind)s eye$ more clearly than he &ould see it in reality if he merely de4o%acified the &indo&. A small star$ %in"ish4red$ the color of blood and destruction$ and named a%%ro%riately. Nemesis< Nemesis$ the +oddess of 0ivine (etribution. #e thou7ht a7ain of the story he had once heard &hen he &as youn744a le7end$ a myth$ a tale of a &orld&ide 0elu7e that &i%ed out a sinful de7enerate humanity$ leavin7 one family &ith &hich to start ane&. No flood$ this time. =ust Nemesis. !he de7eneration of humanity had returned and the Nemesis that &ould be visited u%on it &as an a%%ro%riate 6ud7ment. It &ould not be a 0elu7e. Nothin7 as sim%le as a 0elu7e. ven for the remnant &ho mi7ht esca%e44-here &ould they 7o1 -hy &as it he felt no sorro&1 #umanity could not continue as it &as. It &as dyin7 slo&ly throu7h its o&n misdeeds. If it e8chan7ed a slo& e8cruciatin7 death for a much faster one$ &as that a cause for sorro&1 #ere$ actually circlin7 Nemesis$ a %lanet. Circlin7 the %lanet$ a satellite. Circlin7 the satellite$ (otor. !hat ancient 0elu7e carried a fe& to safety in an Ar". #e had only the va7uest idea of &hat the Ar" &as$ but (otor &as its e>uivalent. It carried a sam%lin7 of humanity &ho &ould remain safe and from &hich a ne& and far better &orld &ould be built. 3ut for the old &orld44there &ould be only Nemesis< #e thou7ht of it a7ain. A red d&arf star$ movin7 on its ine8orable %ath. Itself and its &orlds &ere safe. Not so arth. Nemesis &as on its &ay$ arth< -rea"in7 its 0ivine (etribution<

ONE: MARLENE
1. Marlene had last seen the Solar System &hen she &as a little over one year old. She didn)t remember it$ of course. She had read a 7reat deal about it$ but none of the readin7 had ever made her feel that it could ever have been %art of her$ nor she a %art of it. In all her fifteen years of life$ she remembered only (otor. She had al&ays thou7ht of it as a lar7e &orld. It &as ei7ht "ilometers across$ after all. very once in a &hile since she &as ten44once a month &hen she could mana7e it44she had &al"ed around it for the e8ercise$ and sometimes had ta"en the lo&47ravity %aths so she could s"im a little. !hat &as al&ays fun. S"im or &al"$ (otor &ent on and on$ &ith its buildin7s$ its %ar"s$ its farms$ and mostly its %eo%le. It too" her a &hole day to do it$ but her mother didn)t mind. She said (otor &as %erfectly safe. ?Not li"e arth$@ she &ould say$ but she &ouldn)t say why arth &as not safe. ?Never mind$@ she &ould say. It &as the %eo%le Marlene li"ed least. !he ne& census$ they said$ &ould sho& si8ty thousand of them on (otor. !oo many. .ar too many. veryone of them sho&in7 a false face. Marlene hated seein7 those false faces and "no&in7 there &as somethin7 different inside. Nor could she say anythin7 about it. She had tried sometimes &hen she had been youn7er$ but her mother had 7ro&n an7ry and told her she must never say thin7s li"e that. As she 7ot older$ she could see the falseness more clearly$ but it bothered her less. She had learned to ta"e it for 7ranted and s%end as much time as %ossible &ith herself and her o&n thou7hts. *ately$ her thou7hts &ere often on rythro$ the %lanet they had been orbitin7 almost all her life. She didn)t "no& &hy these thou7hts &ere comin7 to her$ but she &ould s"im to the observation dec" at odd hours and 6ust stare at the %lanet hun7rily$ &antin7 to be there44ri7ht there on rythro. #er mother &ould as" her$ im%atiently$ &hy she should &ant to be on an em%ty barren %lanet$ but she never had an ans&er for that. She didn)t "no&. ?I 6ust &ant to$@ she &ould say. She &as &atchin7 it no&$ alone on the observation dec". (otorians hardly ever came here. !hey had seen it all$ Marlene 7uessed$ and for some reason they didn)t have her interest in rythro. !here it &asA %artly in li7ht$ %artly dar". She had a dim memory of bein7 held to &atch it s&im into vie&$ seein7 it every once in a &hile$ al&ays lar7er$ as (otor slo&ly a%%roached all those years a7o. -as it a real memory1 After all$ she had been 7ettin7 on to&ard four then$ so it mi7ht be. 3ut no& that memory44real or not44&as overlaid by other thou7hts$ by an increasin7 reali;ation Bof 6ust ho& lar7e a planet &as. rythro &as over t&elve thousand "ilometers across$ not ei7ht "ilometers. She couldn)t 7ras% that si;e. It didn)t loo" that lar7e on the screen and she couldn)t ima7ine standin7 on it and seein7 for hundreds44or even thousands44of "ilometers. 3ut she "ne& she &anted to. Very much. Aurinel &asn)t interested in rythro$ &hich &as disa%%ointin7. #e said he had other thin7s to thin" of$ li"e 7ettin7 ready for colle7e. #e &as seventeen and a half. Marlene &as only 6ust %ast fifteen. !hat didn)t ma"e much difference$ she thou7ht rebelliously$ since 7irls develo%ed more >uic"ly. At least they should. She loo"ed do&n at herself and thou7ht$ &ith her usual dismay and disa%%ointment$ that someho& she still loo"ed li"e a "id$ short and stubby. She loo"ed at rythro a7ain$ lar7e and beautiful and softly red &here it &as lit. It &as lar7e enou7h to be a %lanet but actually$ she "ne&$ it &as a satellite. It circled Me7as$ and it &as Me7as 9much lar7er still: that &as really the %lanet$ even thou7h everyone called rythro by that name. !he t&o of them to7ether$ Me7as and rythro$ and (otor$ too$ circled$ the star Nemesis. ?Marlene<@ Marlene heard the voice behind her and "ne& that it &as Aurinel. She had 7ro&n increasin7ly ton7ue4tied &ith him of late$ and the reason for it embarrassed her. She loved the &ay he %ronounced her name. #e %ronounced it correctly. !hree syllables44Mar44*A244nuh44&ith a little trill to the ?r.@ It &armed her 6ust to hear it. She turned and mumbled$ ?#i$ Aurinel$@ and tried not to turn red. #e 7rinned at her. ?2ou)re starin7 at rythro$ aren)t you1@ She didn)t ans&er that. Of course that)s &hat she &ould be doin7. veryone "ne& ho& she felt

about rythro. ?#o& come you)re here1@ 9!ell me you &ere loo"in7 for me$ she thou7ht.: Aurinel said$ ?2our mother sent me.@ 9Oh &ell.: ?-hy1@ ?She said you &ere in a bad mood and every time you felt sorry for yourself$ you came u% here$ and I &as to come and 7et you because she said it &ould 6ust ma"e you 7rum%ier to stay here. So &hy are you in a bad mood1@ ?I)m not. And if I am$ I have reasons.@ ?-hat reasons1 Come on$ no&. 2ou)re not a little "id any more. 2ou)ve 7ot to be able to e8%ress yourself.@ Marlene lifted her eyebro&s. ?I am >uite articulate$ than" you. My reasons are that I &ould li"e to travel.@ Aurinel lau7hed. ?2ou)ve traveled$ Marlene. 2ou)ve traveled more than t&o li7ht4years. No one in the &hole history of the Solar System has ever traveled even a small fraction of a li7ht4year. 44 8ce%t us. So you have no ri7ht to com%lain. 2ou)re Marlene Insi7na .isher$ +alactic !raveler.@ Marlene su%%ressed a 7i77le. Insi7na &as her mother)s maiden name and &henever Aurinel said her three names in full$ he &ould salute and ma"e a face$ and he hadn)t done that in a lon7 time. She 7uessed it &as because he &as 7ettin7 close to bein7 a 7ro&n4u% and he had to %ractice bein7 di7nified. She said$ ?I can)t remember that tri% at all. 2ou "no& I can)t$ and not bein7 able to remember it means it doesn)t matter. -e)re 6ust here$ over t&o li7ht4years from the Solar System$ and &e)re never 7oin7 bac".@ ?#o& do you "no&1@ ?Come on$ Aurinel. 0o you ever hear anyone tal" about 7oin7 bac"1@ ?-ell$ even if &e don)t$ &ho cares1 arth is a cro&ded &orld and the &hole Solar System &as 7ettin7 cro&ded and used u%. -e)re better off out here44masters of all &e survey.@ ?No$ &e)re not. -e survey rythro$ but &e don)t 7o do&n there to be its masters.@ ?Sure &e do. -e have a fine &or"in7 0ome on rythro. 2ou "no& that.@ ?Not for us. =ust for some scientists. I)m tal"in7 about us. !hey don)t let us 7o do&n there.@ ?In time$@ said Aurinel cheerfully. ?Sure$ &hen I)m an old &oman. Or dead.@ ?!hin7s aren)t that bad. Any&ay$ come on out of here and into the &orld and ma"e your mother ha%%y. I can)t stay here. I have thin7s to do. 0olorette@ Marlene felt a bu;;in7 in her ears and she didn)t hear e8actly &hat Aurinel said after that. It &as enou7h to hear440olorette< Marlene hated 0olorette$ &ho &as tall and44and vacuous. 3ut &hat &as the use1 Aurinel had been han7in7 around her$ and Marlene "ne&$ 6ust by loo"in7 at him$ e8actly ho& he felt about 0olorette. And no& he had been sent to find her and he &as 6ust &astin7 his time. She could tell that &as ho& he felt and she could also tell ho& an8ious he &as to 7et bac" to that44to that 0olorette. 9-hy could she al&ays tell1 It &as so hateful sometimes.: Cuite suddenly$ Marlene &anted to hurt him$ to find &ords to 7ive him %ain. !rue &ords$ thou7h. She &ouldn)t lie to him. She said$ ?-e)re never 7oin7 bac" to the Solar System. I know &hy not.@ ?Oh$ &hy)s that1@ -hen Marlene$ hesitatin7$ said nothin7$ he added$ ?Mysteries1@ Marlene &as cau7ht. She &as not su%%osed to say this. She mumbled$ ?I don)t &ant to say. I)m not su%%osed to "no&.@ 3ut she did &ant to say. At the moment she &anted everyone to feel bad. ?3ut you)ll tell me. -e)re friends$ aren)t &e1@ ?Are &e1@ Marlene as"ed. She said$ ?O"ay$ I)II tell you. -e)re not ever 7oin7 bac" because arth is 7oin7 to be destroyed.@ Aurinel didn)t react as she had e8%ected. #e burst into a loud s>ua&" of a lau7h. It too" him a &hile to settle do&n$ and she 7lared at him indi7nantly. ?Marlene$@ he said$ ?&here did you hear that1 2ou)ve been vie&in7 thrillers.@ ?I have not! ?3ut &hat ma"es you say anythin7 li"e that1@ ?3ecause I "no&. I can tell. .rom &hat %eo%le say$ but don)t say$ and &hat they do$ &hen they don)t "no& they)re doin7 it. And from thin7s the com%uter tells me &hen I as" the ri7ht >uestions.@ ?*i"e &hat thin7s it tells you1@ ?I)m not 7oin7 to tell you. ? ?Isn)t it %ossible1 =ust barely %ossible@44and he held u% t&o fin7ers very closely to7ether44@that you)re ima7inin7 thin7s1@

?No$ it isn)t %ossible. arth &on)t be destroyed ri7ht a&ay44maybe not for thousands of years44but it)s 7oin7 to be destroyed.@ She nodded solemnly$ her face intense. ?And nothin7 can sto% it.@ Marlene turned and &al"ed a&ay$ an7ry at Aurinel for doubtin7 her. No$ not doubtin7 her. It &as more than that. #e thou7ht she &as out of her mind. And there it &as. She had said too much and had 7ained nothin7 by it. Everything &as &ron7. Aurinel &as starin7 after her. !he lau7hter had ceased on his boyishly handsome face and a certain uneasiness &as creasin7 the s"in bet&een his eyebro&s. D. u7enia Insi7na had 7ro&n middle4a7ed durin7 the tri% to Nemesis$ and in the course of the lon7 stay after arrival. Over the years she had %eriodically &arned herself, !his is for lifeA and for our children)s lives into the unseen future. !he thou7ht al&ays &ei7hed her do&n. -hy1 She had "no&n this as the inevitable conse>uence of &hat they had done from the moment (otor had left the Solar System. veryone on (otor44volunteers all44had "no&n it. !hose &ho had not had the heart for eternal se%aration had left (otor before ta"eoff$ and amon7 those &ho had left &as44 u7enia did not finish that thou7ht. It often came$ and she tried never to finish it. No& they &ere here on (otor$ but &as (otor ?home@1 It &as home for MarleneA she had never "no&n anythin7 else. 3ut for herself$ for u7enia1 #ome &as arth and Moon and Sun and Mars and all the &orlds that had accom%anied humanity throu7h its history and %rehistory. !hey had accom%anied life as lon7 as there had been life. !he thou7ht that ?home@ &as not here on (otor clun7 to her even no&. 3ut$ then$ she had s%ent the first t&enty4ei7ht years of her life in the Solar System and she had done 7raduate &or" on arth itself in her t&enty4first to t&enty4third years. Odd ho& the thou7ht of arth %eriodically came to her and lin7ered. She hadn)t li"ed arth. She hadn)t li"ed its cro&ds$ its %oor or7ani;ation$ its combination of anarchy in the im%ortant thin7s and 7overnmental force in the little thin7s. She hadn)t li"ed its assaults of bad &eather$ its scars over the land$ its &asteful ocean. She had returned to (otor &ith an over&helmin7 7ratitude$ and &ith a ne& husband to &hom she had tried to sell her dear little turnin7 &orld44to ma"e its orderly comfort as %leasant to him as it &as to her$ &ho had been born into it. 3ut he had only been conscious of its smallness. ?2ou run out of it in si8 months$@ he had said. She herself hadn)t held his interest for much lon7er than that. Oh &ell It &ould &or" itself out. Not for her. u7enia Insi7na &as lost forever bet&een &orlds. 3ut for the children. u7enia had been born to (otor and could live &ithout arth. Marlene had been born44or almost born44to (otor alone and could live &ithout the Solar System$ e8ce%t for the va7ue feelin7 that she had ori7inated there. #er children &ould not "no& even that$ and &ould not care. !o them$ arth and the Solar System &ould be a matter of myth$ and rythro &ould have become a ra%idly develo%in7 &orld. She ho%ed so. Marlene had this odd fi8ation on rythro already$ thou7h it had only develo%ed in the last fe& months and mi7ht leave 6ust as >uic"ly as it had come. Alto7ether$ it &ould be the hei7ht of in7ratitude to com%lain. No one could %ossibly have ima7ined a habitable &orld in orbit about Nemesis. !he conditions that created habitability &ere remar"able. stimate those %robabilities and thro& in the nearness of Nemesis to the Solar System and you &ould have to deny that it could %ossibly have ha%%ened. She turned to the day)s re%orts$ &hich the com%uter &as &aitin7$ &ith the infinite %atience of its tribe$ to 7ive her. 2et before she could as"$ her rece%tionist si7naled and a soft voice came from the small button4 s%ea"er %inned to the left shoulder of her 7arment$ ?Aurinel Pam%as &ishes to see you. #e has no a%%ointment.@ Insi7na 7rimaced$ then remembered that she had sent him after Marlene. She said$ ?*et him come in.@ She cast a >uic" loo" at the mirror. She could see that her a%%earance &as reasonable. !o herself$ she seemed to loo" youn7er than her forty4t&o years. She ho%ed she loo"ed the same &ay to others. It seemed silly to &orry about her a%%earance because a seventeen4year4old boy &as about to enter$ but u7enia Insi7na had seen %oor Marlene loo"in7 at that boy and she "ne& &hat that loo" %ortended. It didn)t seem to Insi7na that Aurinel$ &ho &as so fond of his o&n a%%earance$ &ould ever thin"

of Marlene$ &ho had never been able to rid herself of her childhood %ud7iness$ in any &ay other than as an amusin7 child. Still$ if Marlene had to face failure in this$ let her not feel that her mother had contributed to that failure in any &ay and had been anythin7 but charmin7 to the boy. She)ll blame me any&ay$ thou7ht Insi7na &ith a si7h$ as the boy &al"ed in &ith a smile that had not yet out7ro&n its adolescent shyness. ?-ell$ Aurinel$@ she said. ?0id you find Marlene1@ ?2es$ ma)am. (i7ht &here you said she)d be$ and I told her you &anted her out of there. ? ?And ho& is she feelin71@ ?If you &ant to "no&$ 0r. Insi7na44I can)t tell if it)s de%ression or somethin7 else$ but she has a rather funny idea in her head. I don)t "no& that she)d li"e my tellin7 you about it.@ ?-ell$ I don)t li"e settin7 s%ies on her either$ but she fre>uently has stran7e ideas and she &orries me. Please tell me &hat she said.@ Aurinel shoo" his head. ? All ri7ht$ but don)t tell her I said anythin7. !his one is really cra;y. She said that arth &as 7oin7 to be destroyed.@ #e &aited for Insi7na to lau7h. She did not. Instead$ she e8%loded. What? -hat made her say that1@ ?I don)t "no&$ 0r. Insi7na. She)s a very bri7ht "id$ you "no&$ but she 7ets these funny ideas. Or she may have been %uttin7 me on.@ Insi7na cut in. ?She may have been doin7 e8actly that. She has a stran7e sense of humor. So listen$ I don)t &ant you to re%eat this to anyone else. I don)t &ant silly stories to 7et started. 0o you understand1@ ?Certainly$ ma)am.@ ?I)m serious. Not a &ord.@ Aurinel nodded bris"ly. ?3ut than"s for tellin7 me$ Aurinel. It &as im%ortant to do so. I)ll s%ea" to Marlene and find out &hat)s botherin7 her44and I &on)t let her "no& you told me.@ ?!han" you$@ said Aurinel. ?3ut 6ust one thin7$ ma)am.@ ?-hat)s that1@ Is arth 7oin7 to be destroyed1@ Insi7na stared at him$ then forced a lau7h. ?Of course not< 2ou may 7o no&.@ Insi7na loo"ed after him and &ished earnestly that she could have mana7ed a more convincin7 denial. E. =anus Pitt made an im%ressive a%%earance$ &hich had hel%ed him in his rise to %o&er as Commissioner of (otor. In the early days of the formation of the Settlements$ there had been a %ush for %eo%le of no more than avera7e hei7ht. !here had been thou7hts of havin7 a smaller %er ca%ita re>uirement for room and resources. ventually$ the caution had been deemed unnecessary and had been abandoned$ but the bias &as still there in the 7enes of the early Settlements and the avera7e (otorian remained a centimeter or t&o shorter than the avera7e citi;ens of later Settlements. Pitt &as tall$ thou7h$ &ith iron 7ray hair$ and a lon7 face$ and dee% blue eyes$ and a body that &as still in 7ood sha%e$ des%ite the fact that he &as fifty4si8. Pitt loo"ed u% and smiled as u7enia Insi7na entered$ but felt the usual small sur7e of uneasiness. !here &as somethin7 al&ays uneasy4ma"in7 about u7enia$ even &earyin7. She had these Causes 9ca%ital C: that &ere hard to deal &ith. ?!han" you for seein7 me$ =anus$@ she said$ ?on such short notice.@ Pitt %laced his com%uter on hold$ and leaned bac" in his chair$ deliberately %roducin7 an air of rela8ation. ?Come$@ he said$ ?there)s no formality bet&een us. -e 7o bac" a lon7 &ay.@ ?And have shared a 7reat deal$@ said Insi7na. ?So &e have$@ said Pitt. ? And ho& is your dau7hter1@ ?It)s about her I &ish to s%ea"$ as a matter of fact. Are &e shielded1@ Pitt)s eyebro&s arched. ?-hy shielded1 -hat is there to shield and from &hom1@ !he very >uestion activated Pitt)s reali;ation of the odd %osition in &hich (otor found itself. !o all %ractical %ur%oses$ it &as alone in the 'niverse. !he Solar System &as more than t&o li7ht4years a&ay$ and no other intelli7ence4bearin7 &orlds mi7ht e8ist &ithin hundreds of li7ht4years or$ for all anyone "ne&$

billions of li7ht4years in any direction. (otorians mi7ht have fits of loneliness and uncertainty$ but they &ere free of any fear of outside interference. -ell$ almost any fear$ thou7ht Pitt. Insi7na said$ ?2ou "no& &hat there is to shield. It &as you &ho have al&ays insisted on secrecy.@ Pitt activated the shield and said$ ? Are &e to ta"e that u% a7ain1 Please$ u7enia$ it)s all settled. It &as settled &hen &e left fourteen years a7o. I "no& that you brood about it no& and then44@ ?3rood about it1 -hy not1 It)s my star$@ and her arm flailed out&ard as if in the direction of Nemesis. ?It)s my res%onsibility.@ Pitt)s 6a& ti7htened. 0o &e have to 7o throu7h all this a7ain1 he thou7ht. Aloud$ he said$ ?-e)re shielded. No&$ &hat)s botherin7 you1@ ?Marlene. My dau7hter. Someho& she "no&s.@ ?5no&s &hat1@ ?About Nemesis and the Solar System.@ ?#o& could she "no&1 'nless you)ve told her1@ Insi7na s%read her arms hel%lessly. ?Of course I didn)t tell her$ but I don)t have to. I don)t "no& ho& it is$ but someho& Marlene seems to hear and see everythin7. And from the little thin7s she hears and sees$ she &or"s thin7s out. She)s al&ays been able to do it$ but in the last year it)s 7ro&n much &orse.@ ?-ell then$ she 7uesses$ and sometimes she ma"es luc"y 7uesses. !ell her she)s &ron7$ and see that she doesn)t tal" about it.@ ?3ut she)s already told a youn7 man$ &ho came to tell me. !hat)s ho& I "no&. Aurinel Pam%as. #e)s a friend of the family.@ ?Ah yes. I)m a&are of him44some&hat. Sim%ly tell him not to listen to fantasies made u% by a little 7irl.@ ?She)s not a little 7irl. She)s fifteen.@ ?!o him$ she)s a little 7irl$ I assure you. I said I)m a&are of the youn7 man. I)m under the im%ression he)s %ushin7 adulthood very hard and I remember$ &hen I &as his a7e$ that fifteen4year4old 7irls &ere beneath contem%t$ es%ecially if they &ere44@ Insi7na said bitterly$ ?I understand. s%ecially if they are short$ %lum%$ and %lain. 0oes it matter that she)s hi7hly intelli7ent1@ ?!o you and to me1 Certainly. !o Aurinel$ certainly not. If necessary$ I)ll tal" to the boy. 2ou tal" to Marlene. !ell her the idea is ridiculous$ that it isn)t true$ and that she must not s%read disturbin7 fairy tales.@ ?3ut &hat if it is true1@ ?!hat)s beside the %oint. *oo"$ u7enia$ you and I have concealed this %ossibility for years$ and it &ould be better if &e continued to conceal it. If it 7ets around$ it &ill be e8a77erated$ and there &ill be risin7 sentiment about the matter44useless sentiment. It &ill only distract us from the 6ob that has occu%ied our time ever since &e left the Solar System$ and &hich &ill continue to occu%y us for 7enerations$ %erha%s.@ She loo"ed at him44shoc"ed$ unbelievin7. ?#ave you really no feelin7 for the Solar System$ for arth$ the &orld on &hich humanity ori7inated1@ ?2es$ u7enia$ I have all sorts of feelin7s. 3ut they)re visceral and I can)t let them s&ay me. -e left the Solar System because &e thou7ht it &as time for humanity to s%read out&ard. Others$ I)m sure$ &ill follo&A maybe they are already doin7 so. -e have made humanity a +alactic %henomenon and &e mustn)t thin" in terms of a sin7le %lanetary system any more. Our 6ob is here. ? !hey stared at each other$ then u7enia said$ &ith a touch of ho%elessness$ ?2ou)ll tal" me do&n a7ain. 2ou)ve tal"ed me do&n for so many years.@ ?2es$ but ne8t year I)ll have to a7ain$ and the year after. 2ou &on)t stay do&n$ u7enia$ and you tire me. !he first time should have been enou7h.@ And he turned a&ay$ bac" to his com%uter.

TWO: NEMESIS
F. !he first time he had tal"ed her do&n had been si8teen years a7o in the year DDD0$ that e8citin7 year in &hich the %ossibilities of the +ala8y had o%ened u% for them. =anus Pitt)s hair &as a dar" bro&n then$ and he &as not yet Commissioner of (otor$ thou7h everyone s%o"e of him as the u%4and4comin7 man. #e did head the 0e%artment of 8%loration and Commerce$ ho&ever$ and the .ar Probe &as his res%onsibility$ and$ to a lar7e e8tent$ the result of his actions. It &as the first attem%t to %ush matter throu7h s%ace &ith a hy%erassisted drive. As far as &as "no&n$ only (otor had develo%ed hy%er4assistance and Pitt had been the stron7est %ro%onent of secrecy. #e had said at a meetin7 of the Council. ?!he Solar System is cro&ded. !here are more s%ace Settlements than can easily be found room for. ven the asteroid belt is only an amelioration. It &ill be uncomfortably cro&ded soon enou7h. -hat)s more$ each Settlement has its o&n ecolo7ical balance and &e are driftin7 a%art in that res%ect. Commerce is bein7 throttled for fear of %ic"in7 u% someone else)s strains of %arasites or %atho7ens. ?!he only solution$ fello& Councillors$ is to leave the Solar System44&ithout fanfare$ &ithout &arnin7. *et us leave and find a ne& home$ &here &e can build a ne& &orld$ &ith our o&n brand of humanity$ our o&n society$ our o&n &ay of life. !his can)t be done &ithout hy%er4assistance44&hich &e have. Other Settlements &ill eventually learn the techni>ue and &ill leave$ too. !he Solar System &ill be a dandelion 7one to seed$ its various com%onents driftin7 in s%ace. ?3ut if &e 7o first$ &e &ill find a &orld$ %erha%s$ before others follo&. -e can establish ourselves firmly$ so that &hen others do follo& and$ %erha%s$ come across us in our ne& &orld$ &e &ill be stron7 enou7h to send them else&here. !he +ala8y is lar7e and there are bound to be else&heres.@ !here had been ob6ections$ of course$ and fierce ones. !here &ere those &ho ar7ued out of fear44 fear of leavin7 the familiar. !here &ere those &ho ar7ued out of sentiment44sentiment for the %lanet of birth. !here &ere those &ho ar7ued out of idealism44the desire to s%read "no&led7e so that others mi7ht 7o$ too. Pitt had scarcely thou7ht he &ould &in out. #e had done so because u7enia Insi7na had su%%lied the &innin7 ar7ument. -hat an incredible stro"e of luc" it &as that she had come to him first. She &as >uite youn7 then$ only t&enty4si8$ married but not yet %re7nant. She &as e8cited$ flushed$ and laden do&n &ith com%uter sheets. Pitt had fro&ned$ he recalled$ at her intrusion. #e &as Secretary of the 0e%artment and she44&ell$ she &as nobody althou7h$ as it ha%%ened$ this &as the very last moment &hen she &ould be nobody. At the time$ he didn)t reali;e this$ of course$ and he &as annoyed that she had forced her &ay in. #e crin7ed at the obvious e8citement of the youn7 &oman. She &as 7oin7 to ma"e him 7o throu7h the infinite com%le8ities of &hatever it &as she &as holdin7 in her hand$ and do so &ith an enthusiasm that &ould >uic"ly e8haust him. She should 7ive a brief summary to one of his assistants. #e decided to say so. ?I see you have data there$ 0r. Insi7na$ that you &ish to brin7 to my attention. I)ll be 7lad to loo" at it in due course. -hy don)t you leave it &ith one of my %eo%le1@ And he indicated the door$ ho%in7 ardently that she &ould about4face and move in that direction. 9Sometimes$ in idle moments in later years$ he &ould &onder &hat &ould have ha%%ened if she had$ and his blood &ould run cold at the thou7ht.: 3ut she said$ ?No no$ Mr. Secretary. I must see you and no one else.@ #er voice trembled as she s%o"e$ as thou7h her inner e8citement &as unbearable. ?It)s the 7reatest discovery anyone has made since44 since44@ She 7ave u%. ?It)s the greatest. ? Pitt loo"ed dubiously at the sheets she &as holdin7. !hey &ere >uiverin7$ but he felt no ans&erin7 e8citement of his o&n. !hese s%ecialists al&ays thou7ht some micro4advance in their micro4field &as system4shatterin7. #e said$ resi7ned$ ?-ell$ 0octor$ can you e8%lain it sim%ly1@ ?Are &e shielded$ sir1@

?-hy do &e have to be shielded1@ ?I don)t &ant anyone else to hear till I)m sure44sure44 I have to chec" a7ain and rechec"$ till there)s no doubt. 3ut$ really$ I have no doubt. I)m not ma"in7 sense$ am I1@ ?No$ you)re not$@ said Pitt coldly$ %lacin7 his hand on a contact. ?-e)re shielded. No& tell me.@ ?It)s all here. I)ll sho& it to you.@ ? No. .irst tell me. In &ords. 3riefly. ? She dre& a dee% breath. ?Mr. Secretary$ I)ve discovered the nearest star.@ #er eyes &ere &ide and she &as breathin7 ra%idly. Pitt said$ ?!he nearest star is Al%ha Centauri and that)s been "no&n for four centuries.@ ?It)s the nearest star &e)ve "no&n$ but it isn)t the nearest &e can "no&. I have discovered one that is closer. !he Sun has a distant com%anion. Can you believe it1@ Pitt considered her carefully. It &as rather ty%ical. If they &ere youn7 enou7h$ enthusiastic enou7h$ ine8%erienced enou7h$ they &ould e8%lode %rematurely every time. #e said$ ? Are you sure1@ ?I am. (eally. *et me sho& you the data. It)s the most e8citin7 thin7 that has ha%%ened in astronomy since44@ I it)s ha%%ened. And don)t sho& me the data. I)ll loo" at it later. !ell me. If there)s a star much closer than Al%ha Centauri$ &hy hasn)t it been discovered before no&1 -hy &as it left to you to do so$ 0r. Insi7na.@ #e "ne& he &as soundin7 sarcastic$ but she didn)t seem to %ay attention to his tone. She &as far too e8cited. ?!here)s a reason. It)s behind a cloud$ a dar" cloud$ a %uff of dust that 6ust ha%%ens to be bet&een the com%anion star and ourselves. -ithout the absor%tion of the dust$ it &ould be an ei7hth4ma7nitude star$ and it &ould certainly have been noticed. !he dust cuts do&n the li7ht and ma"es it nineteenth4ma7nitude$ lost amon7 many millions of other faint stars. !here &as no reason to notice it. No one loo"ed at it. It)s in arth)s far southern s"y$ so that most of the telesco%es in %re4Settlement days couldn)t even %oint in that direction.@ ?And if so$ ho& is it you)ve noticed it1@ ?3ecause of the .ar Probe. 2ou see$ this Nei7hbor Star and the Sun are chan7in7 %ositions relative to each other$ of course. I assume it and the Sun are revolvin7 about a mutual center of 7ravity very slo&ly in a %eriod of millions of years. Some centuries a7o$ the %ositions may have been such that &e could have seen the Nei7hbor Star to one side of the cloud in its full bri7htness$ but &e &ould still have needed a telesco%e to see it and telesco%es are only si8 centuries old44less old than that in those %laces on arth from &hich the Nei7hbor Star &ould be visible. Some centuries from no&$ it &ill be seen clearly a7ain$ shinin7 from the other side of the dust cloud. 3ut &e don)t have to &ait for centuries. !he .ar Probe did it for us.@ Pitt could feel himself i7nitin7$ a distant core of &armth arisin7 &ithin him. #e said$ ?0o you mean that the .ar Probe too" a %icture of that section of the s"y containin7 this Nei7hbor Star and that the .ar Probe &as far enou7h out in s%ace to see around the cloud and detect the Nei7hbor Star at full bri7htness1@ ? 8actly. -e had an ei7hth4ma7nitude star &here no ei7hth4ma7nitude star ou7ht to be$ and the s%ectrum &as that of a red d&arf. 2ou can)t see red d&arf stars far a&ay$ so it had to be %retty close.@ ?2es$ but &hy closer than Al%ha Centauri1@ ?Naturally$ I studied the same area of the s"y as seen from (otor and the ei7hth4ma7nitude star &asn)t there. #o&ever$ fairly near it &as a nineteenth4ma7nitude star that &asn)t %resent in the %hoto7ra%h ta"en by the .ar Probe. I assumed that the nineteenth4ma7nitude star &as the ei7hth4ma7nitude star$ obscured$ and the fact that they &eren)t e"actly in the same %lace had to be the result of %arallactic dis%lacement.@ ?2es$ I understand about that. A nearby ob6ects a%%ears to be in different %laces a7ainst the distant bac"7round as one vie&s it from different s%ots.@ ?!hat)s ri7ht$ but the stars are so distant that even if the .ar Probe &ent out a bi7 fraction of a li7ht4year that chan7e in %osition &ouldn)t %roduce a noticeable shift in distant stars$ but it &ould in nearby stars. And for this Nei7hbor Star$ it %roduced a hu7e shiftA I mean$ com%aratively. I chec"ed the s"y for different %ositions of the .ar Probe on its 6ourney out&ard. !here &ere three %hoto7ra%hs ta"en durin7 those intervals &hen it &as in normal s%ace$ and the Nei7hbor Star &as %ro7ressively bri7hter as the Probe vie&ed it farther and farther to&ard the ed7e of the cloud. .rom the %arallactic dis%lacement$ the Nei7hbor Star turns out to be at a distance of 6ust over t&o li7ht4years. It)s at half the distance of Al%ha Centauri.@ Pitt loo"ed at her thou7htfully and$ in the lon7 silence that follo&ed$ she 7re& restless and

uncertain. ?Secretary Pitt$@ she said$ ?do you &ant to see the data no&1@ ?No$@ he said. ?I)m satisfied &ith &hat you)ve told me. No& I must as" you some >uestions. It seems to me$ if I understand you correctly$ that the chance that someone &ould concentrate on a nineteenth4 ma7nitude star$ and try to 7et its %aralla8 and determine its distance$ is ne7li7ible.@ ?=ust about ;ero.@ ?Is there any other &ay of noticin7 that an obscure star must be very near to us1@ ?It may have a lar7e %ro%er motion44for a star. I mean that if you &atch it steadily$ its o&n motion &ould chan7e its %lace in the s"y in a more or less strai7ht line.@ ?-ould that be noticed in this case1@ ?It mi7ht be$ but not all stars have a lar7e %ro%er motion$ even if they are close to us. !hey are movin7 in three dimensions and &e see the %ro%er motion only in a t&o4dimensional %ro6ection. I can e8%lain44@ ?No$ I)m continuin7 to ta"e your &ord for it. #as this star 7ot a lar7e %ro%er motion1@ ?!hat &ould ta"e some time to determine. I do have a fe& older %ictures of that %art of the s"y and I could detect an a%%reciable %ro%er motion. !hat &ould need more &or".@ ?3ut do you thin" it has the "ind of %ro%er motion that &ould force itself on astronomers$ if they 6ust ha%%ened by accident to note the star1@ ?No$ I don)t.@ ?!hen is it %ossible that &e on (otor are the only ones &ho "no& about this Nei7hbor Star$ since &e)re the only ones &ho)ve sent out a .ar Probe. !his is your field$ 0r. Insi7na. 0o you a7ree that &e)re the only ones &ho)ve sent out a .ar Probe1@ ?!he .ar Probe isn)t entirely a secret %ro6ect$ Mr. Secretary. -e)ve acce%ted e8%eriments from the other Settlements and discussed that %art of it &ith everyone$ even arth$ &hich isn)t too interested in astronomy these days.@ ?2es$ they leave it to the Settlements$ &hich is sensible. 3ut have any other Settlements sent out a .ar Probe that they have "e%t secret1@ ?I doubt that very much$ sir. !hey &ould need hy%er4assistance for that$ and &e have "e%t the techni>ue of hy%er4assistance entirely secret. If they had hy%er4assistance$ &e)d "no&. !hey)d have to %erform e8%eriments in s%ace that &ould 7ive the fact a&ay.@ ?Accordin7 to the O%en Science A7reement$ all data obtained by the .ar Probe is to be %ublished 7enerally. 0oes that mean that you have already informed44@ Insi7na interru%ted indi7nantly. ?Of course not. I &ould have to find out a 7ood deal more before I %ublish. -hat I have no& is only a %reliminary result that I)m tellin7 you in confidence.@ ?3ut you are not the only astronomer &or"in7 on the .ar Probe. I %resume you)ve sho&n the results to the others.@ Insi7na flushed and loo"ed a&ay. !hen she said defensively$ ?No$ I haven)t. I noticed this datum. I follo&ed it u%. I &or"ed out its si7nificance. I. And I &ant to ma"e sure I 7et the credit for it. !here is only one star that is nearest to the Sun and I &ant to be in the annals of science as its discoverer.@ ?!here mi7ht be a still closer one$@ and no& Pitt %ermitted himself the first smile of the intervie&. ?It &ould have been lon7 "no&n. ven my star &ould be "no&n but for the very unusual e8istence of that tiny obscurin7 cloud. !o have another44and closer44star is >uite out of the >uestion.@ ?!hen it boils do&n to this$ 0r. Insi7na. 2ou and I are the only ones to "no& of the Nei7hbor Star. Am I ri7ht1 No one else1@ ?2es$ sir. =ust you and I$ so far.@ ?Not 6ust so far. It must remain a secret to us until I am %re%ared to tell certain s%ecific others.@ ?3ut the a7reement44the O%en Science A7reement44@ ?Must be i7nored. !here are al&ays e8ce%tions to everythin7. 2our discovery involves Settlement security. If Settlement security is involved$ &e are not re>uired to ma"e the discovery an o%en one. -e don)t ma"e hy%er4assistance o%en$ do &e1@ ?3ut the e8istence of the Nei7hbor Star has nothin7 to do &ith Settlement security.@ ?On the contrary$ 0r. Insi7na$ it does. Perha%s you don)t reali;e it$ but you have come u%on somethin7 that can chan7e the destiny of the human s%ecies.@ G.

She stood there$ fro;en$ starin7 at him. ?Sit do&n. -e are cons%irators$ you and I$ and &e must be friendly. .rom no& on$ you are u7enia to me &hen &e)re alone$ and I am =anus to you.@ Insi7na demurred. ?I don)t thin" that)s %ro%er.@ ?It &ill have to be$ u7enia. -e can)t cons%ire on fri7id$ formal terms.@ ?3ut I don)t &ant to cons%ire &ith anyone about anythin7$ and that)s all there is to it. And I don)t see the %oint about "ee%in7 secret the facts concernin7 the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?I su%%ose you are afraid of losin7 the credit.@ Insi7na hesitated the merest moment$ then said$ ?2ou can bet your last com%uter chi% I am$ =anus. I &ant my credit.@ ?.or the moment$@ he said$ ?for7et that the Nei7hbor Star e8ists. 2ou "no& that I)ve been ar7uin7 for >uite a &hile that (otor ou7ht to leave the Solar System. -here do you stand on that1 -ould you li"e to leave the Solar System1@ She shru77ed. ?I)m not sure. It &ould be nice to see some astronomical ob6ect close u% for the first time44but it)s a little fri7htenin7$ too$ isn)t it1@ ?2ou mean$ leavin7 home1@ ?2es.@ ?3ut you &ouldn)t be leavin7 home. !his is home. (otor.@ #is arm fli%%ed from side to side. ?It &ould come &ith you.@ ? ven so$ Mr. Sec44=anus$ (otor isn)t all there is to home. -e have a nei7hborhood$ the other Settlements$ the %lanet arth$ the &hole Solar System.@ ?It)s a cro&ded nei7hborhood. ventually$ some of us &ill have to 7o$ &hether &e &ant to or not. On arth there &as once a time &hen some %eo%le had to cross mountain ran7es and oceans. !&o centuries a7o$ %eo%le on arth had to leave their %lanet for Settlements. !his is 6ust another ste% for&ard in a very old story.@ ?I understand$ but there are some %eo%le &ho never &ent. !here are %eo%le &ho are still on arth. !here are %eo%le &ho)ve lived in one small re7ion of arth for countless 7enerations.@ ?And you &ant to be one of these non4movers.@ ?I thin" my husband Crile does. #e)s >uite outs%o"en about your vie&s$ =anus.@ ?-ell$ &e have freedom of s%eech and thou7ht on (otor$ so he can disa7ree &ith me if he %leases. No& here)s somethin7 else I)d li"e to as" you. -hen %eo%le 7enerally$ on (otor or else&here$ thin" of movin7 a&ay from the Solar System$ &here do they thin" of 7oin71@ ?Al%ha Centauri$ of course. It)s the star everyone believes is closest. ven &ith hy%er4assistance$ &e can)t end u% 7oin7 faster than the s%eed of li7ht on the avera7e$ so it &ould ta"e us four years. Any&here else$ it &ould ta"e much lon7er$ and four years is lon7 enou7h to travel.@ ?Su%%ose it &ere %ossible to travel even faster$ and su%%ose you could reach much farther than Al%ha Centauri$ &here &ould you 7o then1@ Insi7na %aused in thou7ht a&hile$ then said$ ?I su%%ose44still Al%ha Centauri. It &ould still be in the old nei7hborhood. !he stars at ni7ht &ould still seem >uite the same. !hat &ould 7ive us a comfortable feelin7. -e &ould be closer to home$ if &e &anted to return. 3esides$ Al%ha Centauri A$ &hich is the lar7est of the three4star Al%ha Centauri system$ is %ractically a t&in of the Sun. Al%ha Centauri 3 is smaller$ but not too small. ven if you i7nore Al%ha Centauri C$ a red d&arf$ you &ould still have t&o stars for the %rice of one$ so to s%ea"$ t&o sets of %lanets.@ ?Su%%ose a Settlement has left for Al%ha Centauri and found decent habitability there and settled do&n to build a ne& &orld$ and bac" in the Solar System$ it &as "no&n that this had ha%%ened. -here &ould the ne8t Settlements 7o$ once they decided to leave the Solar System1@ ?!o Al%ha Centauri$ of course$@ said Insi7na &ithout hesitation. ?So the human s%ecies &ould tend to 7o to the obvious %lace$ and if one Settlement succeeds$ others &ould follo& >uic"ly$ until the ne& &orld &as as cro&ded as the old$ until there &ere many %eo%le &ith many cultures$ and eventually many Settlements &ith many ecolo7ies.@ ?!hen it &ill be time to move on to other stars.@ ?3ut al&ays$ u7enia$ success in one %lace &ill dra& other Settlements. A salubrious star$ a 7ood %lanet$ &ill brin7 others floc"in7.@ ?I su%%ose so.@

?3ut if &e 7o to a star that is only a little over t&o li7ht4years a&ay$ only half the distance of Al%ha Centauri$ and no one "no&s about it e8ce%t us$ &ho &ill follo& us1@ ?No one$ until they find out about the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?3ut that mi7ht ta"e a lon7 time. .or that lon7 time$ they &ould all floc" to Al%ha Centauri$ or to any of a fe& other obvious choices. !hey &ould never notice a red d&arf star at their doorste%$ or if they did notice it$ they &ould dismiss it as unfit for human life44if they didn)t "no& that human bein7s had already made it a 7oin7 concern.@ Insi7na stared at Pitt uncertainly. ?3ut &hat does all this mean1 Su%%ose &e 7o to the Nei7hbor Star and no one "no&s about it. -hat is the advanta7e1@ ?!he advanta7e is that &e can fill the &orld. If there is a habitable %lanet44@ ?!here &on)t be. Not around a red d&arf star.@ ?!hen &e can use &hatever ra& material that e8ists there to build any number of Settlements.@ ?2ou mean there &ould be more room for us.@ ?2es. Much more room than if they came floc"in7 in after us.@ ?So &e &ould have a little more time$ =anus. ventually &e &ould fill the room available for us at the Nei7hbor Star$ even if &e &ere alone. So it &ould ta"e us five hundred years instead of t&o hundred. -hat difference &ould that ma"e1@ ?All the difference you can ima7ine$ u7enia. *et the Settlements cro&d in as they &ish and &e &ill have a thousand different cultures$ brin7in7 &ith them all the hatreds and misfittin7s of arth)s dismal history. +ive us time to be here alone and &e can build a system of Settlements that &ill be uniform in culture and ecolo7y. It &ill be a far better situation4less chaotic$ less anarchic.@ ?*ess interestin7. *ess varie7ated. *ess alive.@ ?Not at all. -e)ll diversify$ I)m sure. !he different Settlements &ill have their differences$ but there &ill$ at least$ be a common base from &hich those differences &ill s%rin7. It &ill be a far better 7rou% of Settlements for that. And even if I am &ron7$ surely you see that it)s an e8%eriment that must be tried. -hy not devote one star to such a reasoned develo%ment and see if it &or"s1 -e can ta"e one star$ a red d&arf thro&a&ay that no one &ould be ordinarily interested in$ and use it to see if &e can build a ne& "ind of society and %ossibly a better one. ?*et us see &hat &e can do$@ he &ent on$ ?if &e don)t have our ener7ies &orn out and bro"en by useless cultural differences$ and our overall biolo7y constantly %erverted by alien ecolo7ical inroads.@ Insi7na felt herself moved. ven if it didn)t &or"$ humanity &ould have learned somethin744that this &ouldn)t &or". And if it did &or"1 3ut then she shoo" her head. ?It)s a useless dream. !he Nei7hbor Star &ill be inde%endently discovered$ no matter ho& &e try to "ee% it secret.@ ?3ut ho& much of your o&n discovery$ u7enia$ &as accidental1 3e truthful no&. 2ou 6ust ha%%ened to notice the star. 2ou 6ust ha%%ened to com%are it &ith &hat you could see on another ma%. Mi7ht you not have missed it alto7ether1 And mi7ht not others have missed it under similar circumstances1@ Insi7na did not ans&er$ but the e8%ression on her face &as satisfactory to Pitt. #is voice had 7ro&n softer$ almost hy%notic. ? And if there is a delay of only a hundred years. If &e are 7iven only a hundred years to ourselves to build our ne& society$ &e &ould be lar7e enou7h and stron7 enou7h to %rotect ourselves and ma"e the others %ass by and 7o on to other &orlds. -e &on)t have to hide any lon7er than that.@ A7ain Insi7na did not ans&er. Pitt said$ ?#ave I convinced you1@ She seemed to sha"e herself. ?Not entirely.@ ?!hen thin" about it$ and I)ll as" you 6ust one favor. -hile you thin" about it$ don)t say a &ord to anyone about the Nei7hbor Star and let me have all the data in connection &ith it for safe"ee%in7. I &on)t destroy it. My %romise. -e &ill need it if &e are 7oin7 to 7o to the Nei7hbor Star. -ill you 7o that far at least$ u7enia1@ ?2es$@ she said at last in a small voice. !hen she fired u%. ?One thin7$ thou7h. I must be able to name the star. If I 7ive it a name$ then it)s my star.@ Pitt smiled briefly. ?-hat do you &ant to call it1 Insi7na)s Star1 u7enia)s Star1@ ?No. I)m not that foolish. I &ant to call it Nemesis.@ ?Nemesis1 N4 4M4 4S4I4S1@ ?2es.@ ?3ut &hy1@

?!here &as a brief %eriod of s%eculation bac" in the late t&entieth century about the %ossibility of a Nei7hbor Star for the Sun. It came to nothin7 at that time. No Nei7hbor Star &as found$ but it had been referred to as BNemesis) in the %a%ers devoted to it. I &ould li"e to honor those darin7 thin"ers.@ ?Nemesis1 -asn)t there a +ree" 7oddess of that name1 An un%leasant one1@ ?!he +oddess of (etribution$ of =ustified (even7e$ of Punishment. It entered the lan7ua7e as a rather flo&ery &ord. !he com%uter called it Barchaic) &hen I chec"ed.@ ?And &hy &ould those old4timers have called it Nemesis1@ ?Somethin7 to do &ith the cometary cloud. A%%arently$ Nemesis$ in its revolution about the Sun$ %assed throu7h the cloud and induced cosmic stri"es that "illed off lar7e %ortions of arth life every t&enty4si8 million years.@ Pitt loo"ed astonished. ?(eally1@ ?No$ not really. !he su77estion didn)t survive$ but I &ant Nemesis to be the name 6ust the same. And I &ant it to 7o on record that I named it.@ ?I %romise you that$ u7enia. It)s your discovery and that &ill enter our records. ventually$ &hen the rest of humanity discovers the Nemesian re7ion44&ould that be the ri7ht &ay of %uttin7 it144they &ill then learn &ho made the discovery and ho& it came about. 2our star$ your Nemesis$ &ill be the first star$ other than the Sun itself$ to shine over a human civili;ationA and the first$ &ithout e8ce%tion$ to shine over a human civili;ation that ori7inated else&here.@ Pitt &atched her leave and felt$ on the &hole$ confident. She &ould fall in line. #is lettin7 her name the star &as the %erfect touch. Surely she &ould &ant to 7o to her o&n star. Surely she &ould feel the attraction of buildin7 a lo7ical and orderly civili;ation about her star$ one from &hich civili;ations all over the +ala8y mi7ht descend. And then$ 6ust as he mi7ht have rela8ed in the 7lo& of a 7olden future$ he &as sha"en by a faint touch of horror that &as utterly alien to him. -hy Nemesis1 -hy should it have occurred to her to name it for the +oddess of (etribution1 #e &as almost &ea" enou7h to thin" of it as an evil omen.

THREE: MOTHER
H. It &as dinnertime$ and Insi7na &as in one of those moods &hen she &as 6ust a little afraid of her o&n dau7hter. !hose moods had become more %ronounced lately$ and she didn)t "no& &hy. Perha%s it &as Marlene)s increasin7 tendency to silence$ to bein7 &ithdra&n$ to be al&ays seemin7 to commune &ith thou7hts too dee% for s%eech. And sometimes the uneasy fear in Insi7na &as mi8ed &ith 7uilt, 7uilt because of her lac" of motherly %atience &ith the 7irlA 7uilt because of her too47reat a&areness of the 7irl)s %hysical shortcomin7s. Marlene certainly didn)t have her mother)s conventional %rettiness or her father)s &ildly unconventional 7ood loo"s. Marlene &as short and##blunt. !hat &as the only &ord that Insi7na could find that e8actly fit %oor Marlene. And poor$ of course. It &as the ad6ective she almost al&ays used in her o&n mind and could 6ust barely "ee% out of her s%eech. Short. 3lunt. !hic" &ithout bein7 fat$ that &as Marlene. Nothin7 7raceful about her. #er hair &as dar" bro&n$ rather lon7$ and >uite strai7ht. #er nose &as a little bulbous$ her mouth turned do&n 6ust a bit at the ends$ her chin small$ her &hole attitude %assive and turned in u%on itself. !here &ere her eyes$ of course$ lar7e and lustrously dar"$ &ith meticulous dar" eyebro&s that curved above them$ lon7 eyelashes that loo"ed almost artificial. Still$ eyes alone could not ma"e u% for everythin7 else$ ho&ever fascinatin7 they mi7ht be at odd moments. Insi7na had "no&n since Marlene &as five that she &as unli"ely ever to attract a man on the %hysical %lane alone$ and that had become more obvious &ith each year. Aurinel had "e%t a lan7uid eye on her durin7 her %reteen years$ obviously attracted to her %recocious intelli7ence and her almost luminous understandin7. And Marlene had been shy and %leased in his %resence$ as thou7h dimly reali;in7 that there &as somethin7 about an ob6ect called a ?boy@ that &as someho& endearin7$ but not "no&in7 &hat it mi7ht be. In the last cou%le of years$ it seemed to Insi7na that Marlene had finally clarified in her mind &hat ?boy@ meant. #er omnivorous readin7 of boo"s and vie&in7 of films too old for her body$ if not her mind$ undoubtedly hel%ed her in this$ but Aurinel had 7ro&n older$ too$ and as his hormones be7an to e8ert their s&ay over him$ it &as no lon7er badina7e he &as in search of. At dinner that ni7ht$ Insi7na as"ed$ ?-hat "ind of day did you have$ dear1@ ?A >uiet one. Aurinel came loo"in7 for me and I su%%ose he re%orted to you. I)m sorry you have to ta"e the trouble to hunt me do&n.@ Insi7na si7hed. ?3ut$ Marlene$ I can)t hel% but thin" sometimes that you)re unha%%y and isn)t it natural for me to be concerned about that1 2ou)re alone too much.@ ?I li"e to be alone.@ ?2ou don)t act it. 2ou sho& no si7ns of ha%%iness at bein7 alone. !here are many %eo%le &ho &ould li"e to be friendly and you &ould be ha%%ier if you allo&ed them to be. Aurinel is your friend.@ ?-as. #e)s all busy these days &ith other %eo%le. !oday that &as obvious. It infuriated me. Ima7ine him 7ettin7 all &ra%%ed u% because he &as thin"in7 about 0olorette.@ Insi7na said$ ?2ou can)t >uite blame Aurinel$ you "no&. 0olorette is his a7e.@ ?Physically$@ said Marlene. ?-hat a bubblehead.@ ?Physically counts a 7reat deal at his a7e.@ ?#e sho&s it. It ma"es a bubble head out of him$ too. !he more he slobbers over 0olorette$ the em%tier his head 7ets. I can tell.@ ?3ut he)ll "ee% on 7ettin7 older$ Marlene$ and &hen he)s a little older$ he mi7ht find out &hat the really im%ortant thin7s are. And you)ll be 7ettin7 older$ too$ you "no&44@ Marlene stared at Insi7na >ui;;ically. !hen she said$ ?Come on$ Mother. 2ou don)t believe &hat you)re tryin7 to im%ly. 2ou don)t believe it for a minute.@ Insi7na flushed. It suddenly occurred to her that Marlene &asn)t 7uessin7. She knew##but ho& did

she "no&1 Insi7na had made her remar" as sincerely as she could$ had tried to eel it. 3ut Marlene had seen throu7h it &ithout effort. It &asn)t the first time either. Insi7na had be7un to feel that Marlene &ei7hed the inflections$ the hesitations$ the motions$ and al&ays "ne& &hat you didn)t &ant her to "no&. It must be this >uality that made Insi7na increasin7ly fri7htened of Marlene. 2ou don)t &ant to be 7lass to another)s scornful 7lance. -hat had Insi7na said$ for instance$ that had led Marlene to believe the arth &as doomed to destruction1 !hat &ould have to be ta"en u% and discussed. Insi7na suddenly felt tired. If she couldn)t ever fool Marlene$ &hy try1 She said$ ?-ell$ let)s 7et do&n to it$ dear. -hat is it you &ant1@ Marlene said$ ?I see you really &ant to "no&$ so I)II tell you. I &ant to 7et a&ay.@ ?+et a&ay1@ Insi7na found herself unable to understand the sim%le &ords her dau7hter had used. ?-here is there to 7et a&ay to1@ ?(otor isn)t all there is$ Mother.@ ?Of course not. 3ut it)s all there is &ithin more than t&o li7htyears.@ ?No$ Mother$ that)s not so. *ess than t&o thousand "ilometers a&ay is rythro.@ ?!hat scarcely counts. 2ou can)t live there.@ ?!here are %eo%le livin7 there.@ ?2es$ but under a 0ome. A 7rou% of scientists and en7ineers live there because they are doin7 necessary scientific &or". !he 0ome is much smaller than (otor. If you feel cram%ed here$ &hat &ill you feel there1@ ?!here)s a &hole &orld on rythro outside the 0ome. Someday %eo%le &ill s%read out and live allover the %lanet.@ ?Maybe. It)s by no means a certain thin7.@ ?I)m sure it is a certain thin7.@ ? ven if it is$ it &ould ta"e centuries.@ ?3ut it has to be7in. -hy can)t I be %art of the be7innin71@ ?Marlene$ you)re bein7 ridiculous. 2ou)ve 7ot a very comfortable home here. -hen did all this start1@ Marlene %ressed her li%s to7ether$ then said$ ?I)m not sure. A fe& months a7o$ but it)s 7ettin7 &orse. I 6ust can)t stand it here on (otor.@ Insi7na loo"ed at her dau7hter$ fro&nin7. She thou7ht, She feels she has lost Aurinel$ she is heartbro"en forever$ she &ill leave and %unish him by doin7 so. She &ill send herself into e8ile on a barren &orld$ and he &ill be sorry 2es$ that line of thou7ht &as entirely %ossible. She remembered &hen she herself &as fifteen. #earts are so fra7ile then that a sli7ht ta% &ill crac" them. !eena7ers heal >uic"ly$ but no fifteen4year4old &ould or could believe that at the time. .ifteen< It is later$ later that No use thin"in7 about it< She said$ ?-hat is it that attracts you about rythro$ Marlene1@ ?I)m not sure. It)s a lar7e &orld. Isn)t it natural to &ant a lar7e &orld@44she hesitated$ before addin7 the last t&o &ords$ but she 7ul%ed them out someho&44 ?li"e arth1@ ?*i"e arth<@ Insi7na s%o"e &ith vehemence. ?2ou)ve never been on arth. 2ou don)t "no& anythin7 about arth<@ ?I)ve seen a 7reat deal about it$ Mother. !he libraries are full of films about arth.@ 92es$ they &ere. Pitt had felt for some time no& that such films ou7ht to be se>uestered44or even destroyed. #e maintained that to brea" a&ay from the Solar System meant to break away% it &as &ron7 to maintain an artificial romanticism about arth. Insi7na had disa7reed stron7ly$ but no& she suddenly thou7ht that she could see Pitt)s %oint.: She said$ ?Marlene$ you can)t 7o by those films. !hey ideali;e thin7s. !hey tal" about the lon7 %ast for the most %art$ &hen thin7s on arth &ere better$ and$ even so$ it &as never as 7ood as they %icture thin7s to have been.@ ? ven so.@ ?No$ not Beven so.) 0o you "no& &hat arth is li"e1 It)s an unlivable slum. !hey)s &hy %eo%le have left it to form all the Settlements. Peo%le &ent from the lar7e dreadful &orld of arth to small civili;ed Settlements. No one &ants to 7o in the other direction.@ ?!here are billions of %eo%le &ho still live on arth.@ ?!hat)s &hat ma"es it an unlivable slum. !hose &ho are there leave as soon as they can. !hat)s

&hy so many Settlements have been built and are so cro&ded. !hat)s &hy &e left the Solar System for here$ darlin7.@ Marlene said in a lo&er voice$ ?.ather &as an arthman. #e didn)t leave arth$ even thou7h he mi7ht have.@ ?No$ he didn)t. #e stayed behind.@ She fro&ned$ tryin7 to "ee% her voice level. ?-hy$ Mother1@ ?Come$ Marlene. -e)ve tal"ed about this. Many %eo%le stayed home. !hey didn)t &ant to leave a familiar %lace. Almost every family on (otor had stay4on4 arths. 2ou "no& that very &ell. 0o you &ant to return to arth1 Is that it1@ ?No$ Mother. Not at all.@ ? ven if you &anted to 7o$ you)re over t&o li7ht4years a&ay and you can)t 7o. Surely you understand that.@ ?Of course I understand that. I &as 6ust tryin7 to %oint out that &e have another arth ri7ht here. It)s rythro. !hat&s &here I &ant to 7oA that)s &here I long to 7o.@ Insi7na couldn)t sto% herself. It &as almost &ith horror that she heard herself say$ ?So you &ant to brea" a&ay from me$ as your father did.@ Marlene flinched$ then recovered. She said$ ?Is it really true$ Mother$ that he bro"e a&ay from you1 Perha%s thin7s mi7ht have been different if you had behaved differently.@ !hen she added >uietly$ 6ust as thou7h she &ere announcin7 that she &as done &ith dinner. ?2ou drove him a&ay$ didn)t you$ Mother1@

FOUR: FATHER
I. Odd44or %erha%s stu%id44that she &as still ca%able of hurtin7 herself unbearably &ith thou7hts of that "ind after fourteen years. Crile &as 1.J meters tall &here$ on (otor$ the avera7e hei7ht for men &as a bit under 1.I meters. !hat alone 9as in the case of =anus Pitt: 7ave him a commandin7 aura of stren7th that %ersisted &ell after the time &hen she came to reco7ni;e$ &ithout ever >uite admittin7 it to herself$ that she could not rely on his stren7th. #e had a cra77y face$ tooA a %rominent nose and chee"bones$ a stron7 chin44a loo"$ someho&$ of hun7er and &ildness. verythin7 about him s%o"e of stron7 masculinity. She could almost smell it &hen she met him$ and &as struc" &ith fascination at once. Insi7na &as still a 7raduate student in astronomy at the time$ com%letin7 her stint on arth$ loo"in7 for&ard to returnin7 to (otor so that she could >ualify for &or" on the .ar Probe. She dreamed of the &ide advances the .ar Probe &ould ma"e %ossible 9and never dreamed that she herself &ould ma"e the most astonishin7 one:. And then she met Crile and found herself$ to her o&n confusion$ madly in love &ith an arthman44 an Earthman. Overni7ht she felt herself abandonin7 the .ar Probe in her mind$ becomin7 ready to remain on arth 6ust to be &ith him. She could still remember the &ay he had loo"ed at her in astonishment and said$ ?(emain here &ith me1 I)d rather come to (otor &ith you.@ She could not have ima7ined that he &ould &ant to abandon his &orld for her. #o& Crile mana7ed to obtain %ermission to come to (otor$ Insi7na did not "no& and had never found out. !he immi7ration rules &ere strict$ after all. Once any Settlement had a si;able %o%ulation$ it clam%ed do&n on immi7ration44first$ because it could not e8ceed a certain definite limit on the number of %eo%le it could su%%ort comfortably$ and$ second$ because it made a des%erate effort to "ee% its ecolo7ical balance stable. Peo%le &ho came on im%ortant business from arth44or even from other Settlementshad to under7o tedious decontamination %rocedures$ a certain de7ree of isolation$ and an enforced de%arture as soon as %ossible. 2et here &as Crile from arth. #e com%lained to her once of the &ee"s of &aitin7 that had been %art of the decontamination$ and she &as secretly %leased at the &ay he had %ersisted. Clearly$ he must have &anted her very badly to submit to it. 2et there &ere times &hen he seemed &ithdra&n and inattentive and she &ould &onder then &hat had really driven him to (otor over such obstacles. Perha%s it &as not she$ but the need to esca%e arth that had been the motivatin7 force. #ad he committed a crime1 Made a murderous enemy1 .led a &oman he had 7ro&n tired of1 She had never dared as". And he had never offered information. ven after he had been allo&ed to enter (otor$ there &as a >uestion as to ho& lon7 he mi7ht be able to remain. !he 3ureau of Immi7ration &ould have to 7rant a s%ecial %ermit to ma"e him a full citi;en of (otor and that &as not ordinarily li"ely. Insi7na had found all the thin7s that made Crile .isher unacce%table to (otorians additional inducements for fascination. She found that his bein7 arth4born lent him a difference and a 7lamour. !rue (otorians &ould be bound to des%ise him as an alien44citi;en or not44but she found even that a source of erotic e8citement. She &ould fi7ht for him$ and trium%h$ a7ainst a hostile &orld. -hen he tried to find some sort of &or" that &ould enable him to earn money and occu%y a niche in the ne& society$ it &as she &ho %ointed out to him that if he married a (otorian &oman44(otorian for three 7enerations44that &ould be a %o&erful inducement for the 3ureau of Immi7ration to 7rant him full citi;enshi%. Crile seemed sur%rised at that$ as thou7h it hadn)t occurred to him$ and then %leased. Insi7na had found it a little disa%%ointin7. It &ould be much more flatterin7 to be married for the sa"e of love than for the sa"e of citi;enshi%$ but then she thou7ht to herself, -ell$ if that)s &hat it ta"es So$ after a ty%ical lon7 (otorian en7a7ement$ they &ere married. *ife &ent on &ithout much

chan7e. #e &as not a %assionate lover$ but he had not been that before the marria7e either. #e had offered her an absent affection$ an occasional &armth that "e%t her constantly near ha%%iness if not alto7ether immersed in it. #e &as never actively cruel and un"ind$ and he had 7iven u% his &orld for her and 7one throu7h considerable inconvenience to be &ith her. Surely that mi7ht be counted in his favor$ and Insi7na counted it so. ven as a full citi;en$ &hich he had been 7ranted after their marria7e$ there remained a "ernel of dissatisfaction &ithin him. Insi7na &as a&are of this and could not entirely blame him. #e mi7ht be a full citi;en$ yet he &as still not a native4born (otorian and many of the most interestin7 activities on (otor &ere closed to him. She did not "no& &hat his trainin7 had been$ for he never mentioned ho& much of an education he had had. #e didn)t sound uneducated$ and there &as no dis7race in bein7 self4educated$ but Insi7na "ne& that on arth the %o%ulation did not ta"e hi7her education as a 7iven$ the &ay that Settlement %o%ulations did. !he thou7ht bothered her. She didn)t mind Crile .isher bein7 an arthman and facin7 do&n her friends and collea7ues &here that &as concerned. She didn)t "no&$ thou7h$ if she could >uite handle his bein7 an uneducated arthman. 3ut no one ever su77ested he &as$ and he listened to the tales of her &or" on the .ar Probe &ith %atience. She never tested his education by discussin7 the technical details$ of course. 2et sometimes he as"ed >uestions or made comments that reflected on such thin7s and she valued them$ &hen they came$ for she al&ays mana7ed to convince herself that they &ere intelli7ent >uestions and comments. .isher had a 6ob on one of the farms$ a %erfectly res%ectable 6ob$ even an essential one$ but a 6ob that &as not hi7h on the social scale. #e did not com%lain or ma"e a fuss about that44she)d 7ive him that44 but he never tal"ed about it$ or sho&ed any %leasure in it. And there &as al&ays that air of discontent about him. Insi7na learned$ therefore$ to attem%t no cheery ? And &hat ha%%ened to you at &or" today$ Crile1@ !he fe& times she had as"ed$ 6ust at first$ the ans&er had been a flat ?Nothin7 much.@ And that &ould be all$ e8ce%t for a short annoyed loo". ventually$ she 7re& nervous about tal"in7 to him even of %etty office %olitics and annoyin7 errors. !hat$ too$ mi7ht serve as an un&elcome com%arison of her &or" &ith his. Insi7na had to admit that her fears &ent a7ainst the evidence there$ an e8am%le of her o&n insecurity rather than his. .isher didn)t sho& si7ns of im%atience &hen she did find herself forced to discuss the day)s &or". Sometimes he even as"ed$ &ith a %allid interest$ about hy%er4assistance$ but Insi7na "ne& little or nothin7 about that. #e &as interested in (otorian %olitics and sho&ed an arthman)s im%atience &ith the smallness of its concerns. She fou7ht &ith herself not to sho& dis%leasure at that. ventually$ there fell a silence bet&een them$ bro"en only by indifferent discussions concernin7 the films they had vie&ed$ the social en7a7ements they undertoo"$ the small chan7e of life. It didn)t lead to active unha%%iness. Ca"e had >uic"ly chan7ed to &hite bread$ but there &ere &orse thin7s than &hite bread. It even had a small advanta7e. -or"in7 under ti7ht security meant tal"in7 to no one about one)s &or"$ but ho& many mana7ed to &his%er %artial confidences to &ife or husband1 Insi7na had not done so$ for she had little in the &ay of tem%tation$ since her o&n &or" re>uired little in the &ay of security. 3ut &hen her discovery of the Nei7hbor Star &as suddenly %laced under ti7ht &ra%s$ &ithout &arnin7$ could she have mana7ed1 Surely it &ould have been the natural thin7 to do44to tell her husband of the 7reat discovery that &as bound to %ut her name into the astronomy te8ts for as lon7 as humanity e8isted. She mi7ht have told him even before she told Pitt. She mi7ht have come bouncin7 in, ?+uess &hat< +uess &hat< 2ou)ll never 7uess44@ 3ut she hadn)t. It didn)t occur to her that .isher &ould be interested. #e mi7ht tal" to others about their &or"$ even to farmers or sheet4metal &or"ers$ but not to her. So it &as no effort to mention nothin7 to him of Nemesis. !he matter &as dead bet&een them$ &as not missed$ did not e8ist$ until that dreadful day &hen their marria7e came to an end. J. -hen did she move over &holeheartedly to Pitt)s side1

At the start$ Insi7na had been horrified at the thou7ht of "ee%in7 the Nei7hbor Star a secret$ %rofoundly uneasy at the %ros%ect of movin7 a&ay out of the Solar System to a destination concernin7 &hich they "ne& nothin7 but the location. She found it ethically &ron7 and indecently dishonorable to set about buildin7 a ne& civili;ation by stealth$ one &hich e8cluded all the rest of humanity. She had 7iven in on the 7rounds of Settlement security$ but she had intended to fi7ht Pitt %rivately$ to brin7 u% %oints of ar7ument. She had rehearsed them in her o&n mind till they &ere fool%roof and irrefutable and then$ someho&$ she never %resented them. Al&ays44al&ays44he too" the initiative. Pitt said to her$ early on$ ?No& remember$ u7enia$ you discovered the com%anion star more or less by accident$ and one of your collea7ues may do so as &ell.@ ?It)s not li"ely44@ she be7an. ?No$ u7enia$ &e)re not 7oin7 to de%end on unli"elihood. -e)re 7oin7 to ma"e certain. 2ou)re 7oin7 to see to it that no one loo"s in that direction$ that no one &ants to study the %articular com%uter sheets that &ould 7ive a&ay the location of Nemesis.@ ?#o& can I %ossibly do that1@ ?Very easily. I have s%o"en to the Commissioner and$ as of no&$ you are in com%lete char7e of the .ar Probe research.@ ?3ut that &ould mean I)ve been moved over the head44@ ?2es. It means an advance in res%onsibility$ in %ay$ in social stature. !o &hich of these do you ob6ect1@ ?I don)t ob6ect to any of this$@ said Insi7na$ her heart be7innin7 to %ound. ?I)m sure you can fulfill the 6ob of Chief Astronomer more than ade>uately$ but your chief aim &ill be to see to it that the &or" done can be of the hi7hest %ossible >uality and si7nificance$ %rovided that &hat is done has nothin7 to do &ith Nemesis.@ ?3ut$ =anus$ you can)t "ee% it com%letely secret forever.@ ?I don)t intend to. Once &e move out of the Solar System$ &e &ill all "no& &here &e)re 7oin7. !ill then$ as fe& as %ossible &ill "no&$ and those fe& &ill learn as late as %ossible.@ #er %romotion$ Insi7na noted &ith a little shame$ cooled her ob6ections. On another occasion$ Pitt said to her$ ?-hat about your husband1@ ?-hat about my husband1@ Insi7na &as immediately on the defensive. ?#e is an arthman$ I understand.@ Insi7na)s li%s %ressed to7ether. ?#e is of arth ori7in$ but he is a (otorian citi;en.@ ?I understand. I assume you have told him nothin7 of Nemesis.@ ?Absolutely nothin7.@ ?#as this husband of yours ever told you &hy he left arth and &or"ed so hard to become a (otorian citi;en1@ ?No$ he hasn)t. And I haven)t as"ed him.@ ?3ut don)t you ever &onder1@ Insi7na hesitated and then told the truth. ?2es$ I have$ sometimes.@ Pitt smiled. ?I should tell you$ %erha%s.@ And he did$ little by little. Never in any overly obtrusive manner. It &as never a blud7eon$ it &as rather the dri%%in7 of &ater at every conversation. It brou7ht her out of her intellectual shell. !o live on (otor$ after all$ made it entirely too easy to consider only thin7s (otorian. 3ut than"s to Pitt$ to &hat he told her$ to the films he su77ested she vie&$ she became a&are of arth and its billions$ of its endemic starvation and violence$ its dru7s and alienation. She be7an to understand it as an abysmal %it of misery$ somethin7 to flee from. She did not &onder any lon7er &hy Crile .isher had left. She &ondered &hy so fe& arthmen follo&ed his e8am%le. Nor &ere the Settlements so much better off. She became a&are of ho& they closed in on themselves$ ho& %eo%le &ere %revented from movin7 freely from one to another. No Settlement &anted the microsco%ic flora and fauna of any other. !rade d&indled slo&ly$ and &as increasin7ly carried on by automated vessels &ith carefully sterili;ed loads. !he Settlements >uarreled and found each other hateful. !he circum4Martian Settlements &ere almost as bad. Only in the asteroid ;one &ere the Settlements multi%lyin7 freely$ and even those &ere 7ro&in7 sus%icious of all the inner Settlements. Insi7na could feel herself be7in to a7ree &ith Pitt$ even to 7ro& enthusiastic over a fli7ht from intolerable misery and the be7innin7 of a system of &orlds &here the seeds of sufferin7 had been

eradicated. A ne& start$ a ne& chance. And then she found that a baby &as on the &ay and her enthusiasm be7an to &ither. !o ris" herself and Crile on the lon7 6ourney seemed &orth&hile. !o ris" an infant$ a child Pitt &as un%erturbed. #e con7ratulated her. ?It &ill be born here and you &ill have a little time to accustom yourself to the situation. It &ill be at least a year and a half before &e)re ready to 7o. And by then you &ill reali;e ho& fortunate you &ill be not to have to &ait any lon7er. !he child &ill have no memory of the misery of a ruined %lanet and a des%erately divided humanity. It &ill "no& only a ne& &orld &ith a cultural understandin7 amon7 its members. *uc"y child. .ortunate child. My son and dau7hter are already 7ro&n$ already mar"ed.@ And a7ain Insi7na be7an to thin" in that fashion$ and by the time Marlene &as born$ she had indeed be7un to dread delay$ to fear that before they left$ the child &ould be im%rinted &ith the cro&ded failure that &as the Solar System. She &as entirely on Pitt)s side by this time. .isher seemed fascinated by Marlene$ to Insi7na)s 7reat relief. She had not thou7ht that he &ould ma"e much of a father. 2et he hovered over Marlene and too" on his share of the duties involved in brin7in7 her u%. #e seemed actually to 7ro& cheerful as a result. 0urin7 the time Marlene &as a%%roachin7 her first birthday$ rumors 7re& throu7hout the Solar System that (otor intended to leave. It %roduced &hat &as almost a system4&ide crisis$ and Pitt$ &ho &as no& clearly in line for Commissionerhood$ &as 7rimly amused. ?-ell$ &hat can they do1@ he said. ?!here)s no &ay they can sto% us$ and all the outcries of disloyalty$ to7ether &ith their o&n dis%lay of Solar System chauvinism$ &ill only serve to inhibit their investi7ations into hy%er4assistance$ &hich &ill serve us &ell.@ Insi7na said$ ?3ut ho& did it 7et out$ I &onder$ =anus1@ ?I sa& to it that it did.@ #e smiled. ? At this %oint$ I don)t any lon7er ob6ect to their learnin7 the act of our leavin7$ as lon7 as they don)t "no& our destination. It &ould$ after all$ be im%ossible to hide our leavin7 for much lon7er. -e must ta"e a vote on the matter$ you "no&$ and once all (otorians "no& of our leavin7$ all the rest of the system &ill "no&$ in any case.@ ?A vote1@ ?-hy$ of course. !hin" it throu7h. -e can)t ta"e off &ith a Settlement4load of %eo%le &ho are too fearful or too homesic" for their o&n Sun. -e)d never ma"e it. -e &ant only those &ith us &ho are &illin7$ even ea7er.@ #e &as com%letely ri7ht. !he cam%ai7n to &in a%%roval for leavin7 the Solar System be7an almost at once and the fact that the ne&s had already lea"ed out served as a cushion to ease the reaction outside (otor44and &ithin it as &ell. Some (otorians &ere e8cited at the %ros%ectA some &ere afraid. .isher reacted &ith thunderous bro&$ and one day he said$ ?!his is cra;y.@ ?It)s inevitable$@ said Insi7na &ith careful neutrality. ?-hy1 !here)s no reason to start &anderin7 amon7 the stars. -here &ould &e 7o1 !here)s nothin7 out there.@ ?!here are billions of stars out there.@ ?#o& many %lanets1 -e don)t "no& of any habitable %lanets any&here$ and very fe& of any other "ind. Our Solar System is the only home &e "no&.@ ? 8%loration is in the blood of humanity.@ It &as one of Pitt)s %hrases. ?!hat)s romantic nonsense. 0oes anyone thin" that %eo%le are actually 7oin7 to vote to se%arate themselves from humanity and vanish into s%ace1@ Insi7na said$ ?My understandin7$ Crile$ is that sentiment on (otor is rather in favor of it.@ ?!hat)s 6ust Council %ro%a7anda. 2ou thin" %eo%le &ill vote to leave the arth1 *eave the Sun1 Never. If it comes to that$ &e)ll be 7oin7 to arth.@ She felt somethin7 clutch at her heart. She said$ ?Oh no. 0o you &ant one of those simoons$ or bli;;ards$ or mistrals$ or &hatever you call them1 0o you &ant lum%s of ice and fallin7 &ater and blo&in7$ &histlin7 air1@ #e lifted his eyebro&s at her. ?It)s not that bad. !here are storms occasionally$ but they can be %redicted. Actually$ they)re interestin7 44&hen they)re not too bad. It)s fascinatin744a little cold$ a little heat$ a little %reci%itation. It ma"es for variation. It "ee%s you alive. And then$ thin" of the variety of cuisines.@ ?Cuisines1 #o& can you say that1 Most %eo%le on arth are starvin7. -e)re al&ays collectin7 food shi%ments to send to arth.@ 'ome %eo%le 7o hun7ry. It)s not universal.@

?-ell$ you certainly can)t e8%ect Marlene to live under such conditions.@ ?3illions of children do.@ ?And mine &on)t be one of them$@ said Insi7na fiercely. All her ho%es lay in Marlene no&. She &as 7oin7 on ten months of a7e$ had t&o small teeth in the u%%er 7um$ t&o in the lo&er$ could shamble about holdin7 onto the rods of her %lay%en$ and loo"ed at the &orld &ith those &onderin7 intelli7ent eyes. .isher &as still clearly fond of his un%retty dau7hterA more fond than ever$ in fact. -hen he &asn)t dandlin7 her$ he &as starin7 at her and remar"in7 fondly on her beautiful eyes. #e stressed her one lovely feature and it seemed to ma"e u% to him for everythin7 else that &as lac"in7. Surely .isher &ould not 7o bac" to arth if it meant leavin7 Marlene forever. Insi7na$ someho&$ lac"ed any confidence that he &ould choose her$ the &oman he had loved and married$ over arth$ but surely Marlene &ould be the stic"in7 %oint. Surely1 K. !he day after the vote$ u7enia Insi7na found .isher &hite &ith ra7e. #e said$ or cho"ed out$ ?It &as a fi8ed vote.@ She said$ ?Sh< 2ou)ll &a"e the baby.@ And for a moment$ he 7rimaced and visibly held his breath. Insi7na rela8ed 6ust a bit and said in a small voice$ ?!here)s no >uestion that the %eo%le &ant to 7o.@ ?0id you vote to 7o1@ She considered. !here &as no use tryin7 to %lacate him by lyin7. She had made her feelin7s obvious enou7h. She said$ ?I did.@ #e said$ ?Pitt ordered you to$ I su%%ose.@ !hat cau7ht her by sur%rise. ?No< I)m ca%able of ma"in7 my o&n decisions.@ ?3ut you and he44@ #e let it trail off. She felt her blood %ressure rise suddenly. ?-hat do you mean1@ she said$ an7ry no& in her turn. -as he 7oin7 to accuse her of infidelity1 ?!hat44that %olitician. #e)s headin7 for Commissioner at any %rice. veryone "no&s that. And you)re %lannin7 to rise &ith him. Political loyalty &ill 7et you some%lace$ too$ &on)t it1@ ?-here &ill it 7et me1 !here)s no %lace I &ant to 7et. I)m an astronomer$ not a %olitician.@ ?2ou)ve been %romoted$ haven)t you1 2ou)ve been %ushed over the head of older$ more e8%erienced %eo%le.@ ?!hrou7h hard &or"$ I li"e to thin".@ 9#o& &as she 7oin7 to defend herself no&$ &ithout bein7 able to tell him the truth1: ?I)m sure you do li"e to thin" that. 3ut it &as throu7h Pitt.@ Insi7na dre& a dee% breath. ?-here is this leadin7 us1@ ?*isten<@ #is voice &as lo&$ as it had been since she had reminded him that Marlene &as slee%in7. ?I cannot believe that a &hole Settlement of %eo%le are 7oin7 to ris" travelin7 &ith hy%er4 assistance. #o& do you "no& &hat &ill ha%%en1 #o& do you "no& it &ill &or"1 It could "ill us all.@ ?!he .ar Probe &or"ed &ell.@ ?-ere there livin7 thin7s on this .ar Probe1 If not$ ho& do you "no& ho& livin7 thin7s &ill react to hy%er4assistance1 -hat do you "no& about hy%er4assistance1@ ?Not a thin7.@ ?-hy not1 2ou)re &or"in7 ri7ht there in the laboratory. 2ou)re not &or"in7 on the farms$ as I am.@ 9#e is 6ealous$ thou7ht Insi7na.: Aloud$ she said$ ?-hen you say the laboratory$ you seem to im%ly &e)re all %iled to7ether in one room. I told you. I)m an astronomer and I "no& nothin7 about hy%er4 assistance. ? ?2ou mean that Pitt never tells you anythin7 about it1@ ?About hy%er4assistance1 #e doesn)t "no& himself.@ ?Are you tellin7 me no one "no&s1@ ?Of course I)m not tellin7 you that. !he hy%ers%atialists "no&. Come on$ Crile. !hose &ho are su%%osed to "no&$ "no&. Others don)t.@

?!o all e8ce%t the s%ecialist fe&$ it)s a secret$ then.@ ? 8actly.@ ?!hen you don)t really "no& that hy%er4assistance is safe. Only the hy%ers%atialists "no&. #o& do you su%%ose they "no&1@ ?I assume they)ve e8%erimented.@ ?2ou assume. ? ?It)s a reasonable assum%tion. !hey assure us it)s safe.@ ?And they never lie$ I su%%ose.@ ?!hey)ll be 7oin7$ too. 3esides$ I)m sure they e8%erimented.@ #e loo"ed at her out of narro&ed eyes$ ?No& you)re sure. !he .ar Probe &as your baby. 0id they have life4forms aboard1@ ?I &as not involved &ith the actual %rocedures. I only dealt &ith the astronomical data that &as 7ained.@ ?2ou)re not ans&erin7 my >uestion about the life4forms.@ Insi7na lost her %atience. ?*oo"$ I don)t feel li"e bein7 7rilled endlessly$ and the baby is be7innin7 to be restless. I have a >uestion or t&o myself. -hat do you %lan to do1 Are you comin7 alon71@ ?I don)t have to. !he terms of the vote are that anyone &ho doesn)t &ant to come alon7 doesn)t have to.@ ?I "no& you don)t have to$ but will you1 Surely you don)t &ant to brea" u% the family.@ She tried to smile as she said this$ but it didn)t feel convincin7. .isher said$ slo&ly and a little 7rimly$ ?I also don)t &ant to leave the Solar System.@ ?2ou &ould rather leave me1 And Marlene1@ ?-hy &ould I have to leave Marlene1 ven if you &ant to ris" yourself on this &ild scheme$ must you ris" the child1@ She said ti7htly$ ?If I 7o$ Marlene 7oes. +et that throu7h your head$ Crile. -here &ould you ta"e her1 !o some half4finished asteroidal Settlement1@ ?Of course not. I)m from arth and I can return there if I &ish.@ ?(eturn to a dyin7 %lanet1 +reat.@ ?It)s 7ot some years of life left to it$ I assure you.@ ?!hen &hy did you leave it1@ ?I thou7ht I)d be im%rovin7 myself. I didn)t "no& that comin7 to (otor &ould mean a one4&ay tic"et to no&here.@ ?Not to no&here$@ Insi7na burst out$ tormented %ast endurance. ?If you "ne& &here &e &ere 7oin7$ you &ouldn)t be so ready to turn bac".@ ?-hy1 -here is (otor 7oin71@ ?!o the stars.@ ?!o oblivion.@ !hey stared at each other$ and Marlene$ o%enin7 her eyes$ emitted a soft me& of &a"efulness. .isher loo"ed do&n at the baby and$ &ith a softenin7 of his tone$ said$ ? u7enia$ &e don)t have to s%lit u%. I certainly don)t &ant to leave Marlene. Or you either. Come &ith me.@ ?!o arth1@ ?2es. -hy not1 I have friends there. ven no&. As my &ife and child$ you)ll have no trouble 7ettin7 in. arth doesn)t &orry much about ecolo7ical balance. -e)ll be on a &hole 7iant %lanet out thereA not on a little stin"in7 bubble in s%ace.@ ?=ust on a &hole 7iant bubble$ enormously stin"in7. No no$ never.@ ?*et me ta"e Marlene$ then. If you find the voya7e &orth the ris" because you are an astronomer and &ant to study the 'niverse$ that)s your business$ but the baby should stay here in the Solar System$ and be safe.@ ?Safe on arth1 0on)t be ridiculous. Is that &hat this &hole thin7 has been for1 A device to ta"e my baby1@ (ur baby.@ ?)y baby. 2ou leave. I want you to leave$ but you can)t touch my baby. 2ou tell me I "no& Pitt$ and$ yes$ I do. !hat means I can arran7e to have you sent to the asteroids &hether you &ant to 7o or not$ and then you can find your o&n &ay bac" to your decom%osin7 arth. No& 7et out of my >uarters and find your o&n %lace to slee% till you are sent a&ay. -hen you let me "no& &here you)ll be$ I)ll send alon7 your %ersonal %ossessions. And don)t thin" you can come bac". !his %lace &ill be under 7uard.@

At the moment that Insi7na said this$ &ith the bitterness in her heart overflo&in7$ she meant it. She mi7ht have %led &ith him$ ca6oled him$ be77ed$ ar7ued. 3ut she hadn)t. She had turned a harsh$ unfor7ivin7 eye u%on him and had sent him a&ay. And .isher did leave. And she did send alon7 his thin7s. And he did refuse to come &ith (otor. And he was sent a&ay. And she su%%osed he had 7one to arth. #e &as 7one forever from her and from Marlene. She had sent him a&ay and he &as 7one forever.

FIVE: GIFT
10. Insi7na sat there$ dee%ly sur%rised at herself. She had never told the story to anyone$ thou7h she had lived &ith it almost every day for fourteen years. She had never dreamed of tellin7 it to anyone. She had assumed that she &ould ta"e it to the 7rave &ith her. Not that it &as dis7raceful in any &ay44merely %rivate. And here she had told it44at len7th and &ithout reserve44to her adolescent dau7hter$ to someone &ho$ until the moment she had be7un tal"in7$ she had considered a child44a %eculiarly ho%eless child. And that child no& loo"ed at her solemnly$ out of her dar" eyes44unblin"in7$ o&lishly adult$ someho&44and finally said$ ?!hen you did drive him a&ay$ didn)t you1@ ?In a &ay$ yes. 3ut I &as furious. #e &anted to ta"e you. !o Earth. ? She %aused$ then said tentatively$ ?2ou understand1@ Marlene as"ed$ ?0id you &ant me so much1@ Insi7na said indi7nantly$ ?Certainly<@ And then$ under the calm 7a;e of those eyes$ she sto%%ed to thin" the unthin"able. #ad she really &anted Marlene1 3ut then she calmly said$ ?Of course. -hy &ouldn)t I1@ Marlene shoo" her head and$ for a moment$ there &as that sullen loo" on her face. ?I thin" I %robably &asn)t a charmin7 baby. Perha%s he &anted me. -ere you unha%%y because he &anted me more than he &anted you1 0id you "ee% me 6ust because he &anted me1@ ?-hat horrible thin7s you)re sayin7. !hat)s not it at all$@ said Insi7na$ not at all sure &hether she believed that or not. !here &as 7ettin7 to be no comfort in discussin7 these thin7s &ith Marlene. More and more$ Marlene &as develo%in7 this dreadful &ay of cuttin7 under the s"in. Insi7na had noticed this before and had %ut it do&n to the occasional luc"y blo&s of an unha%%y child. 3ut it &as ha%%enin7 more and more often$ and Marlene no& seemed to be &ieldin7 the scal%el deliberately. Insi7na said$ ?Marlene. -hat made you thin" I had driven your father a&ay1 I had never said so$ surely$ or 7iven you any reason to thin" so$ have I1@ ?I don)t really "no& ho& I "no& thin7s$ Mother. Sometimes you mention .ather to me$ or to someone else$ and you al&ays sound as thou7h there)s somethin7 you re7ret$ somethin7 you &ish you could do over.@ ?!here is1 I never feel that.@ ?And little by little$ as I 7et these im%ressions$ they 7et clearer. It)s the &ay you tal"$ the &ay you loo"44@ Insi7na 7a;ed at her dau7hter intently$ then said very suddenly$ ?-hat am I thin"in71@ Marlene 6um%ed sli7htly and then 7ave a short 7i77le. She &as not a lau7her$ and that 7i77le &as as far as ever she &ent44usually. She said$ ?!hat)s easy. 2ou)re thin"in7 that I "no& &hat you)re thin"in7$ but you)re &ron7. I don)t read minds. I 6ust tell from &ords and sounds and e8%ressions and movements. Peo%le 6ust can)t "ee% &hat they thin" hidden. And I)ve &atched them so lon7.@ ?-hy1 I mean$ &hy have you felt it necessary to &atch them1@ ?3ecause &hen I &as a "id$ everyone lied to me. !hey told me ho& s&eet I &as. Or they told you that &hen I &as listenin7. !hey al&ays had a loo" %lastered allover them that said$ BI don)t really thin" that at all.) And they didn)t even "no& it &as there. I couldn)t believe at first they didn)t "no&. 3ut then I said to myself$ BI 7uess it)s more comfortable for them to ma"e believe they)re tellin7 the truth.) @ Marlene %aused and then abru%tly as"ed her mother$ ?-hy didn)t you tell .ather &here &e &ere 7oin71@ ?I couldn)t. It &as not my secret.@ ?Perha%s if you had$ he &ould have come &ith us.@ Insi7na shoo" her head vi7orously. ?No$ he &ouldn)t. #e had made u% his mind to return to arth.@ ?3ut if you had told him$ Mother$ Commissioner Pitt &ouldn)t have let him leave$ &ould he1 .ather &ould have "no&n too much.@ ?Pitt &asn)t Commissioner then$@ said Insi7na &ith absent irrelevance. !hen$ &ith sudden vi7or$ ?I &ouldn)t have &anted him on those terms. -ould you1@ ?I don)t "no&. I can)t tell ho& he &ould have been if he had stayed.@

?3ut I can tell.@ Insi7na felt as thou7h she &ere burnin7 a7ain. #er mind &ent bac" to that last conversation and her last &ild shout tellin7 .isher to 7o$ that he must 7o. No$ it had been no mista"e. She &ouldn)t have &anted him as a %risoner$ an enforced member of (otor. She hadn)t loved him that much. .or that matter$ she hadn)t hated him that much either. And then she chan7ed the sub6ect >uic"ly$ allo&in7 no time for her e8%ression to 7ive her a&ay. ?2ou u%set Aurinel this afternoon. -hy did you tell him arth &ould be destroyed1 #e came to me about that and &as very concerned.@ ?All you had to do &as to tell him that I &as 6ust a "id and no one listens to &hat a "id says. #e &ould have believed that ri7ht a&ay.@ Insi7na i7nored that. Maybe it &as a 7ood idea to say nothin7 in order to avoid the truth. ?0o you really thin" arth &ill be destroyed1@ ?I do. 2ou tal" about arth sometimes. 2ou say$ BPoor arth.) 2ou almost al&ays say$ BPoor arth.) ? Insi7na felt herself flush. 0id she really s%ea" of arth in those terms1 She said$ ?-ell$ &hy not1 It)s overcro&ded$ &orn4out$ full of hatred and famines and miseries. I)m sorry for the &orld. Poor arth.@ ?No$ Mother. 2ou don)t say it that &ay. -hen you say it44@ Marlene held u% her hand in a 7ro%in7 7esture$ feelin7 for somethin7$ her fin7erti%s 6ust missin7 it. ?-ell$ Marlene1@ ?It)s clear in my mind$ but I don)t "no& ho& to %ut it in &ords.@ ?5ee% on tryin7. I must "no&.@ ?!he &ay you say it$ I can)t hel% but thin" you feel 7uilty44as thou7h it &ere your fault.@ ?-hy1 -hat do you thin" I)ve done1@ B?I heard you say it once &hen you &ere in the vie& room. 2ou loo"ed at Nemesis$ and it seemed to me$ then$ that Nemesis &as mi8ed u% in it. So I as"ed the com%uter &hat Nemesis meant and it told me. It)s somethin7 that relentlessly destroys$ somethin7 that infiicts retribution.@ ?!hat &asn)t the reason for the name$@ cried Insi7na. ?2ou named it$@ said Marlene >uietly$ ine8orably. !hat &as no secret$ of course$ any lon7er$ once they had left the Solar System behind them. Insi7na had then ta"en the credit for the discovery and for the name. ?It)s because I named it that I "no& that that &asn)t the reason for the name.@ ?!hen &hy do you feel 7uilty$ Mother1@ 9Silence44if you don)t &ant to tell the truth.: Insi7na said at last$ ?#o& do you thin" arth &ill be destroyed1@ ?I don)t "no&$ but I thin" you "no&$ Mother.@ ?-e)re s%ea"in7 at cross4%ur%oses$ Marlene$ and let)s let it 7o for no&. -hat I &ant$ thou7h$ is to ma"e sure you understand that you are not to tal" about any of this to anyone44not about your father$ and not about this nonsense of arth)s destruction.@ ?If you don)t &ant me to$ of course I &on)t$ but the destruction bit is not nonsense.@ ?I say it is. -e)ll define it as nonsense.@ Marlene nodded. ?I thin" I)ll 7o vie& for a &hile$@ she said &ith seemin7 indifference. ?!hen I)ll 7o to bed.@ B?+ood<@ Insi7na &atched her dau7hter leave. +uilty$ thou7ht Insi7na. I feel 7uilty. I &ear it on my face li"e a bri7ht banner. Anyone &ho loo"s can see it. No$ not anyone. =ust Marlene. She has the 7ift of doin7 so. Marlene had to have somethin7 to com%ensate for all she didn)t 7et. Intelli7ence &asn)t enou7h. It didn)t ma"e u% sufficiently$ so she had this 7ift of readin7 e8%ression$ intonation$ and other&ise invisible bodily t&itches$ so that no secret &as safe from her. #o& lon7 had she "e%t this dan7erous attribute to herself1 #o& lon7 had she "no&n about it1 -as it somethin7 that 7re& stron7er &ith a7e1 -hy did she allo& it to emer7e no&$ to %ee% out from behind the curtain she seemed to have dra&n over it$ and to use it as somethin7 &ith &hich to beat her mother1 -as it because Aurinel had re6ected her$ finally and definitely$ accordin7 to &hat she had seen in him1 -as she stri"in7 out blindly in conse>uence1 +uilty$ thou7ht Insi7na. -hy shouldn)t I feel 7uilty1 It is all my fault. I should have "no&n from the start$ from the instant of discovery44but I didn)t &ant to "no&.

SIX: APPROACH
11. #o& early had she "no&n1 .rom the moment she had named the star Nemesis1 #ad she felt &hat it &as and &hat it meant$ and had she named it a%%ro%riately &ithout conscious thou7ht1 -hen she had first s%otted the star$ it had been only the act of findin7 it that counted. !here had been no room in her mind for anythin7 but immortality. It &as her o&n star$ Insi7na)s Star. She had been tem%ted to call it that. #o& 7lorious that had sounded$ even as she had reluctantly avoided it &ith a hollo& internal 7rimace of moc" modesty. #o& unbearable it &ould have been no& if she had fallen into that tra%. After the discovery$ there had come the shoc" of Pitt)s demand for secrecy$ and then the furious %re%aration for the *eavin7. 9-ould that be &hat it &ould be called in the history boo"s someday1 !he *eavin71 Ca%itali;ed1: !hen$ after the *eavin7$ there &ere t&o years in &hich the shi% s"i%%ed steadily and barely into and out of hy%ers%ace44and the endless calculations that &ere involved in that hy%er4assistance$ for &hich astronomical data &as constantly re>uired$ &ith herself su%ervisin7 the su%%ly. !he density and com%osition of interstellar matter alone44 At no time in those four years had she been able to thin" of Nemesis in detailA not once could she ;ero in on the obvious. -as that %ossible1 Or did she sim%ly turn a&ay from &hat she did not &ant to see1 #ad she deliberately sou7ht refu7e in all the secrecy and scurry and e8citement that %resented itself to her1 3ut there came a time &hen the last hy%ers%atial %eriod &as behind themA &hen$ for a month$ they &ould be deceleratin7 throu7h an initial hail of hydro7en atoms$ &hich they struc" &ith such s%eed that those atoms &ere converted into cosmic ray %articles. No ordinary s%ace vehicle could have endured that$ but (otor had a layer of soil around it that had been thic"ened for the tri%$ and the %articles &ere absorbed. !here &ould come a time$ she had been assured by one of the hy%ers%atialists &hen one &ould enter and leave hy%ers%ace at ordinary s%eeds. ?+iven hy%ers%ace in the first %lace$@ he had said$ ?no ne& conce%tual brea"throu7h is re>uired. It)s 6ust en7ineerin7.@ Maybe< !he remainin7 hy%ers%atialists$ ho&ever$ considered the notion so much star e8haust. Insi7nia hurried in to see Pitt &hen the a%%allin7 truth descended u%on her. #e had had little time for her in the last year$ and she had understood. !here &as a certain tension that became more and more evident as the e8citement of the tri% &ound do&n$ as %eo%le reali;ed that in a matter of months they &ould be in the nei7hborhood of anther star. !hey &ould then have the constant %roblem of havin7 to survive over a lon7 %eriod in the vicinity of a stran7e red d&arf star &ithout any 7uarantee of reasonable %lanetary material to serve as a su%%ly source$ let alone a livin7 %lace. =anus Pitt no lon7er loo"ed li"e a youn7 man$ althou7h his hair &as still dar"$ his face unlined. Only four years had %assed since she had come to him &ith the ne&s of Nemesis) e8istence. !here &as$ ho&ever$ a harried loo" in his eyes$ a sense of havin7 had his 6oy rubbed a&ay and his cares left na"ed to the &orld. #e &as Commissioner4elect no&. Perha%s that mi7ht account for a 7reat deal of &hat mi7ht be troublin7 him$ but &ho could tell1 Insi7nia had never "no&n true %o&er44or the res%onsibility that accom%anied it44but somethin7 told her it mi7ht have the ca%acity for sourin7 one &ho did. Pitt smiled at her absently. !hey had been forced to be close &hen they had shared a secret that at first no one44and then almost no one 44had shared &ith them. !hey could then tal" un7uardedly &ith each other$ &hen they could not do so &ith anyone else. After the *eavin7$ ho&ever$ &hen the secret &as revealed$ they had 7ro&n a%art a7ain. ?=anus$@ she said$ ?there is somethin7 eatin7 a&ay at me and I had to come to you &ith it. It)s Nemesis.@ ?Is there anythin7 ne&1 2ou can)t say you)ve found out it isn)t &here you thou7ht it &as. It)s ri7ht out there$ less than si8teen billion "ilometers a&ay. -e can see it.@ ?2es$ I "no&. 3ut &hen I first found it$ at a distance of t&o4%lus li7ht4years$ I too" it for 7ranted that it &as a com%anion star$ that Nemesis and the Sun &ere circlin7 a common center of 7ravity.

Somethin7 that close &ould almost have to be. It &ould be so dramatic.@ ?All ri7ht. -hy shouldn)t thin7s be dramatic no& and then1@ ?3ecause as close as it is$ it is clearly too far a&ay to be a com%anion star. !he 7ravitational attraction bet&een Nemesis and the Sun is terribly &ea"$ so &ea" that the 7ravitational %erturbations of nearby stars &ould ma"e the orbit unstable.@ ?3ut Nemesis is there.@ ?2es$ and more or less bet&een ourselves and Al%ha Centauri.@ ?-hat has Al%ha Centauri 7ot to do &ith it1@ ?!he fact is that Nemesis is not much farther from Al%ha Centauri than it is from the Sun. It)s 6ust as li"ely to be a com%anion star of Al%ha Centauri. Or$ more li"ely$ &hichever system it belon7s to$ the %resence of the other star is no& disru%tin7 it$ or has already disru%ted it.@ Pitt loo"ed at Insi7na thou7htfully and ta%%ed his fin7ers li7htly on the arm of his chair. ?#o& lon7 does it ta"e Nemesis to 7o around the Sun44assumin7 it)s the Sun)s com%anion1@ ?I don)t "no&. I)d have to &or" out its orbit. !hat)s somethin7 I should have done before the *eavin7$ but there &ere so many other thin7s occu%yin7 me then$ and no&$ too44but that)s no e8cuse.@ ?-ell$ ma"e a 7uess.@ Insi7na said$ ?If it)s a circular orbit$ it &ould ta"e Nemesis 6ust over fifty million years to ma"e a circuit about the Sun$ or$ more %ro%erly$ about the center of 7ravity of the system$ &ith the Sun ma"in7 a similar circuit. !he line bet&een the t&o$ as they moved$ &ould al&ays %ass throu7h that center. On the other hand$ if Nemesis is follo&in7 a hi7hly elli%tical orbit and is no& at its farthest44as it must be$ for if it ventured farther still$ it &ould certainly not be a com%anion star44then %erha%s as little as t&enty4five million years.@ ?*ast time$ then$ that Nemesis &as in this %osition$ more or less bet&een Al%ha Centauri and the Sun$ Al%ha Centauri must have been in a much different %osition than it is no&. !&enty4five to fifty million years &ould move Al%ha Centauri$ &ouldn)t it1 #o& much1@ ?A 7ood fraction of a li7ht4year.@ ?-ould that mean that this is the first time Nemesis is bein7 fou7ht over by the t&o stars1 !ill no&$ &ould it have been circlin7 %eacefully1@ ?Not a chance$ =anus. ven if you count out Al%ha Centauri$ there are other stars. One star may have arrived no&$ but there had to be another star in interferin7 distance at some other %art of its orbit in the %ast. !he orbit 6ust isn)t stable.@ ?-hat)s it doin7 here in our nei7hborhood$ then$ if it isn)t orbitin7 the Sun1@ ? 8actly$@ said Insi7na. ?-hat do you mean$ Be8actly)1@ ?If it &ere orbitin7 the Sun$ it &ould be movin7 at a s%eed$ relative to the Sun$ of some&here bet&een ei7hty and one hundred meters a second$ de%endin7 on Nemesis) mass. !hat)s very slo& motion for a star$ so it &ould seem to stay in the same %lace for a lon7 time. It &ould therefore remain behind the cloud for a lon7 time$ es%ecially if the cloud is movin7 in the same direction relative to the Sun. -ith such a slo& motion and its li7ht dimmed$ it)s no &onder it)s never been noticed till no&. #o&ever44@ She %aused. Pitt$ &ho made no effort to seem devourin7ly interested$ si7hed and said$ ?-ell1 Can you 7et to the %oint1@ ?-ell$ if it)s not in orbit about the Sun$ then it is in inde%endent motion and it should be movin7 relative to the Sun at a hundred "ilometers a second or so$ a thousand times as fast as if it &ere in orbit. It 6ust ha%%ens to be in our nei7hborhood no&$ but it is movin7 on$ &ill %ass the Sun$ and &ill never return. 3ut$ 6ust the same$ it stays behind the cloud$ scarcely bud7in7 from its %osition.@ ?-hy should that be1@ ?!here)s one &ay it can be movin7 at a 7ood cli%$ and yet not seem to be movin7 from its %osition in the s"y.@ ?0on)t tell me it)s vibratin7 bac" and forth.@ Insi7na)s li% curled. ?Please don)t try to ma"e 6o"es$ =anus. !his isn)t funny. Nemesis mi7ht be movin7 more or less strai7ht to&ard the Sun. It &ouldn)t be shiftin7 either to the ri7ht or left$ so that it &ould not seem to be chan7in7 %osition$ but it &ould be comin7 ri7ht to&ard usA that is$ ri7ht to&ard the Solar System.@ Pitt stared at her in sur%rise..)Is there evidence for that1@ ?Not yet. !here &as no reason to ta"e the s%ectrum of Nemesis &hen it &as first s%otted. It &as only after I had noticed the %aralla8 that a s%ectral analysis &ould have made sense$ and then I never 7ot around to it. If you remember$ you %ut me at the head of the .ar Probe %ro6ect$ and told me to direct

everyone)s attention away from Nemesis. I couldn)t have arran7ed a close s%ectral analysis at that time$ and since the *eavin744&ell$ I haven)t. 3ut I &ill investi7ate the matter no&$ you can be sure.@ ?*et me as" you a >uestion. -ouldn)t it %roduce the same effect of motionlessness$ if Nemesis &ere movin7 directly away from the Sun1 It)s a fifty4fifty chance &hether it)s movin7 to&ard the Sun or a&ay from it$ isn)t it1@ ?S%ectral analysis &ill tell us. A red shift of the s%ectral lines &ill mean there)s a recessionA a violet shift$ an a%%roach.@ ?3ut it)s too late no&. If you ta"e its s%ectrum$ it &ill tell you it)s a%%roachin7 us$ because &e)re a%%roachin7 it. ?(i7ht no&$ I &ouldn)t ta"e the s%ectrum of Nemesis. I)d ta"e it of the Sun. If Nemesis is a%%roachin7 the Sun$ then the Sun &ill be a%%roachin7 Nemesis$ and &e can allo& for our o&n motion. 3esides$ &e)re slo&in7 and$ in a month or so$ &e &ill be movin7 so slo&ly that our motion &on)t be affectin7 the s%ectrosco%ic results a%%reciably.@ .or the s%ace of half a minute$ Pitt seemed lost in thou7ht$ starin7 at his uncluttered des"$ his hand slo&ly stro"in7 the com%uter terminal. !hen he said$ &ithout botherin7 to loo" u%$ ?No. !hese are observations that need not be made. I don)t &ant you &orryin7 yourself about it any more$ u7enia. It)s a non4%roblem$ so 6ust for7et it.@ !he &ave of his hand made it clear that she &as to leave. 1D. Insi7na)s breath made a &histlin7 sound as it &as forced out of an7rily ti7htened nostrils. She said in a lo& hus"y voice$ ?#o& dare you$ =anus1 #o& dare you1@ ?#o& dare I &hat1@ Pitt fro&ned. ?#o& dare you order me out of here as thou7h I &ere a com%uter4%uncher1 If I hadn)t found Nemesis$ &e &ouldn)t be here. 2ou &ouldn)t be Commissioner4elect. Nemesis is mine. I have a say in it.@ ?Nemesis isn)t yours. It)s (otor)s. So %lease leave no& and let me 7et on &ith the business of the day.@ ?=anus$@ she said$ raisin7 her voice. ?I tell you a7ain that$ in all li"elihood$ Nemesis is movin7 to&ard our Solar System.@ ?And I tell you a7ain that it is only a fifty4fifty chance that it is. And even if it &ere headin7 to&ard the Solar System44not our Solar System any lon7er$ by the &ay$ but their Solar System44don)t tell me it)s 7oin7 to hit the Sun. I &on)t believe you if you do. In its &hole nearly five4billion4year history$ the Sun has never been struc" by a star$ or even come close. !he odds a7ainst stellar collisions even in relatively cro&ded %arts of the +ala8y are enormous. I may not be an astronomer$ but I "no& that much.@ ?Odds are 6ust odds$ =anus$ not certainties. It)s conceivable$ ho&ever unli"ely$ that N emesis and the Sun mi7ht collide$ but I reco7ni;e that it)s very unli"ely they &ill. !he trouble is that a close a%%roach$ even &ithout collision$ mi7ht be fatal to arth.@ ?#o& close is a close a%%roach1@ ?I don)t "no&. It &ill ta"e a 7reat deal of com%utation.@ ?All ri7ht$ then. 2ou su77est that &e ta"e the trouble to ma"e the necessary observations and com%utations and$ if &e find out that the situation is indeed frau7ht &ith dan7er to the Solar System$ then &hat1 0o &e &arn the Solar System1@ ?-ell yes. -hat choice &ould &e have1@ ?And ho& &ould &e &arn them1 -e have no means of hy%ercommunication and$ even if &e had$ they have no system for receivin7 hy%ermessa7es. If &e sent out a luminal messa7e of some sort44li7ht$ micro4&aves$ modulated neutrinos44it &ould ta"e over t&o years to reach arth$ assumin7 &e have a beam %o&erful enou7h$ or sufficiently coherent. And even then$ ho& &ould &e "no& if they had received it1 If they had and bothered to ans&er$ that ans&er &ould ta"e another t&o years to return. And &hat &ill be the final result of the &arnin71 -e &ill have to tell them &here Nemesis is and they &ill see that the information is comin7 from that direction. !he &hole %oint of our secrecy$ the &hole %lan for establishin7 a homo7eneous civili;ation around Nemesis$ free of interference$ &ould be lost.@ ?-hatever the cost$ =anus$ ho& could you consider not &arnin7 them1@ ?-here)s your concern1 ven if Nemesis is movin7 to&ard the Sun$ ho& lon7 &ould it ta"e for it to reach the Solar System1@

?It could reach the nei7hborhood of the Sun in five thousand years.@ Pitt sat bac" in his chair and re7arded Insi7na &ith a "ind of &ry amusement. ?.ive thousand years. Only five thousand years1 *oo"$ u7enia$ t&o hundred and fifty years a7o$ the first arthman stood on the Moon. !&o and a half centuries have %assed and here &e are at the nearest star. -here &ill &e be in another t&o and a half centuries$ at this rate1 At any star &e &ish. And in five thousand years$ i ty centuries$ &e &ill be allover the +ala8y$ barrin7 the %resence of other intelli7ent forms of life. -e &ill be reachin7 out to other 7ala8ies. -ithin five thousand years$ technolo7y &ill have advanced to the %oint &here$ if the Solar System &ere really in trouble$ all its Settlements and its entire %lanetary %o%ulation could ta"e off for dee% s%ace and other stars.@ Insi7na shoo" her head. ?0on)t thin" that technolo7ical advance means that you can em%ty the Solar System by a mere &ave of the hand$ =anus. !o remove billions of %eo%le &ithout chaos and &ithout tremendous loss of life &ould re>uire lon7 %re%aration. If they are in mortal dan7er five thousand years from no&$ they must "no& now. It is not too soon to be7in to %lan.@ Pitt said$ ?2ou have a 7ood heart$ u7enia$ so I)ll offer a com%romise. Su%%ose &e ta"e a hundred years in &hich to establish ourselves here$ to multi%ly$ to build a cluster of Settlements that &ill be stron7 enou7h and stable enou7h to be secure. !hen &e can investi7ate Nemesis) destination and44if necessary44 &arn the Solar System. !hey &ill still have nearly five thousand years in &hich to %re%are. Surely a small delay of a century &ill not be fatal.@ Insi7na si7hed. ?Is that your vision of the future1 #umanity s>uabblin7 endlessly over the stars1 ach little 7rou% tryin7 to establish itself as su%reme over this star or that1 ndless hatred$ sus%icion$ and conflict$ of the "ind &e had on arth for thousands of years$ e8%anded into the +ala8y for thousands more1@ ? u7enia$ I have no vision. #umanity &ill do as it %leases. It &ill s>uabble as you say$ or it &ill %erha%s set u% a +alactic m%ire$ or do somethin7 else. I can)t dictate &hat humanity &ill do$ and I don)t intend to try to sha%e it. .or myself$ I have only this one Settlement to care for$ and this one century in &hich to establish it at Nemesis. 3y then$ you and I &ill be safely dead$ and our successors &ill handle the %roblem of &arnin7 the Solar System44if that should be necessary. I)m tryin7 to be reasonable$ not emotional$ u7enia. 2ou are a reasonable %erson$ too. !hin" about it.@ Insi7na did. She sat there$ loo"in7 somberly at Pitt$ &hile he &aited &ith almost e8a77erated %atience. .inally she said$ ?Very &ell. I see your %oint. I &ill 7et on &ith analy;in7 Nemesis) motion relative to the Sun. Perha%s &e can for7et the &hole thin7.@ ?No.@ Pitt raised an admonishin7 fin7er. ?(emember &hat I said earlier. !hese observations &ill not be made. If it turns out that the Solar System is not in dan7er$ &e &ill have 7ained nothin7. -e &ill then merely do &hat I insist &e do in any case44s%end a century stren7thenin7 the civili;ation of (otor. If$ ho&ever$ you find that there is dan7er$ then your conscience &ill hurt and you &ill be consumed &ith a%%rehensions and fears and 7uilt. !he ne&s &ill someho& 7et out and it &ill &ea"en the resolve of (otorians$ many of &hom may be as sentimental as you are. -e &ould then lose a 7reat deal. 0o you understand me1@ She &as silent$ and he said$ ?+ood. I see you do.@ A7ain$ the &ave of his hand made it clear that she &as to leave. !his time she left$ and Pitt$ loo"in7 after her$ thou7ht, She is really becomin7 insu%%ortable.

SEVEN: DESTRUCTION?
1E. Marlene &atched her mother o&lishly. She &as careful to "ee% her e8%ression flat and meanin7less$ but &ithin herself she &as both %leased and sur%rised. #er mother &as finally tellin7 her of the events involvin7 her father and Commissioner Pitt. She &as bein7 treated as a 7ro&n4u%. Marlene said$ ?I &ould have chec"ed Nemesis) motions re7ardless of &hat Commissioner Pitt said$ Mother$ but I see you didn)t. 2our 7uilt ma"es it %lain.@ Insi7na said$ ?I can)t 7et used to the notion that I &ear my 7uilt li"e a label on my forehead.@ ?No one hides their feelin7s$@ said Marlene. ?If you really &atch$ you can al&ays tell.@ 9Others couldn)t. Marlene had learned that only slo&ly$ and &ith difficulty. Peo%le 6ust didn)t loo"$ they didn)t sense$ they didn)t care. !hey didn)t &atch faces$ and bodies$ and sounds$ and attitudes$ and little nervous habits.: ?2ou shouldn)t really watch li"e that$ Marlene$@ said Insi7na$ as thou7h their thou7hts had ta"en %arallel %aths. She %ut her arm around the 7irl)s shoulder to %revent her &ords from soundin7 li"e a scoldin7. ?Peo%le 7et nervous &hen those lar7e dar" eyes of yours fi8 on them soulfully. (es%ect %eo%le)s %rivacy.@ ?2es$ Mother$@ said Marlene$ notin7 &ithout effort that her mother &as tryin7 to %rotect herself. She &as nervous about herself$ &onderin7 ho& much she 7ave a&ay at each moment. !hen Marlene said$ ?#o& is it that des%ite all your 7uilty feelin7s about the Solar System$ you did nothin71@ ?A number of reasons$ Molly.@ 9Not ?Molly$@ thou7ht Marlene &ith an7uish. Marlene< Marlene< Marlene< !hree syllables. Accent on the second. +ro&n u%<: ?*i"e &hat reasons1@ as"ed Marlene sul"ily. 9Couldn)t her mother detect the &ave of hostility that s&e%t over Marlene each time a "id name &as used1 Surely it t&isted her face$ smoldered her eyes$ convulsed her li%s. -hy didn)t %eo%le notice1 -hy didn)t %eo%le loo"1: ?.or one thin7$ =anus Pitt &as very convincin7. #o&ever odd the %oints he ma"es$ ho&ever hostile you feel to&ard them at the time$ he al&ays ma"es you see that he has 7ood reasons for his vie&%oints.@ ?If that)s true$ Mother$ he)s a&fully dan7erous.@ Insi7na seemed to brea" a&ay from her thou7hts to 7lance curiously at her dau7hter. ?-hy do you say that1@ ? very %oint of vie& can have 7ood reasons behind it. If someone can sei;e those reasons >uic"ly$ and %resent them convincin7ly$ he can ar7ue anyone into anythin7$ and that)s dan7erous.@ ?=anus Pitt has those abilities$ I)ll admit. I)m sur%rised you understand these thin7s.@ 9Marlene thou7ht, 3ecause I)m only fifteen$ and you)re used to thin"in7 I)m a child.: Aloud$ she said$ ?2ou learn a lot &atchin7 %eo%le.@ ?2es$ but remember &hat I told you. Control the &atchin7.@ 9Never.: ?So Mr. Pitt %ersuaded you.@ ?#e made me see there)d be no harm in &aitin7 a&hile.@ ?And you &eren)t even curious to study Nemesis and see e8actly &here it &as 7oin71 2ou &ould have to be.@ ?I &as$ but it)s not as easy as you thin". !he Observatory is in constant use. 2ou have to &ait your turn to use the instruments. ven if I)m the head$ I can)t use them freely. !hen$ too$ &hen someone does use them$ there)s no secret about it. -e "no& &hat it)s bein7 used for and &hy. !here &as very little chance I &ould be able to develo% a really detailed s%ectrum of Nemesis and of the Sun$ or to use the Observatory com%uter on the necessary calculations$ &ithout %eo%le "no&in7 at once &hat I &as doin7. I sus%ect that Pitt had a fe& %eo%le in the Observatory &atchin7 me$ too. If I had ste%%ed out of line$ he &ould have "no&n at once.@ ?#e couldn)t do anythin7 to you about it$ could he1@ ?#e couldn)t have me shot for treason if that)s &hat you mean44not that he)d dream of doin7 such a thin744but he could relieve me of my Observatory duties and %ut me to &or" in the farms. I &ouldn)t &ant

that. It &asn)t lon7 after I)d had that little tal" &ith Pitt that &e discovered that Nemesis had a %lanet44or a com%anion star. !o this day$ &e)re not sure &hat to call it. !hey &ere only se%arated by a distance of four million "ilometers and the com%anion ob6ect didn)t radiate in visible li7ht at all.@ ?2ou)re tal"in7 about Me7as$ aren)t you$ Mother1@ ?2es$ I am. It)s an old &ord meanin7 Bbi7) and$ for a %lanet$ it)s very bi7$ considerably bi77er than the Solar System)s lar7est %lanet$ =u%iter. 3ut it)s very small for a star. Some thin" of Me7as as a bro&n d&arf.@ She bro"e off and eyed her dau7hter narro&ly$ as thou7h suddenly uncertain as to her ca%acity to absorb matters. ?0o you "no& &hat a bro&n d&arf is$ Molly1@ ?Marlene is my name$ Mother.@ Insi7na flushed sli7htly. ?2es. I)m sorry if I for7et no& and then. I can)t hel% it$ you "no&. I had a very dear little 7irl once &hose name &as Molly.@ ?I "no&. And ne8t time I)m si8$ you can call me Molly all you &ant.@ Insi7na lau7hed. ?0o you "no& &hat a bro&n d&arf is$ Marlene1@ ?2es$ I do$ Mother. A bro&n d&arf is a small star4li"e body$ &ith too little mass to develo% the tem%eratures and %ressures to brin7 about hydro7en fusion in its interior$ but enou7h mass to brin7 about secondary reactions that "ee% it &arm.@ ?!hat)s ri7ht. Not bad. Me7as is on the borderline. It)s either a very &arm %lanet or a very dim bro&n d&arf. It 7ives off no visible li7ht$ but emits richly in the infrared. It)s not >uite li"e anythin7 &e)ve ever studied. It &as the first e8trasolar %lanetary body44that is$ the first %lanet outside the Solar System44 that &e have been able to study in detail$ and the Observatory &as totally immersed in it. I &ouldn)t have had a chance to &or" on Nemesis) motion even if I had &anted to$ and$ to tell you the truth$ I for7ot about it for a time. I &as as interested in Me7as as everyone else &as$ you see1@ ?'m$@ said Marlene. ?It turned out it &as the only si;able %lanetary body circlin7 Nemesis$ but it &as enou7h. It &as five times the mass44@ ?I "no&$ Mother. It)s five times the mass of =u%iter$ and one thirtieth the mass of Nemesis. !he com%uter tau7ht me that lon7 a7o.@ ?Of course$ dear. And it)s no more habitable than =u%iter isA less$ if anythin7. !hat &as disa%%ointin7 at first$ even thou7h &e didn)t really e8%ect to find a habitable %lanet circlin7 a red d&arf star. If a %lanet &ere close enou7h to a star li"e Nemesis to "ee% &ater li>uid$ tidal influences &ould force it to face one side to Nemesis at all times.@ ?Isn)t that &hat Me7as does$ Mother1 I mean$ one side al&ays faces Nemesis1@ ?2es$ it does. !hat means it has a &arm side and cold side$ &ith the &arm side >uite &arm. It &ould be at red heat$ if it &eren)t that the circulation of its dense atmos%here tends to e>uali;e tem%eratures some&hat. 3ecause of this and because of Me7as) o&n inner &armth$ even the cold side is >uite &arm. !here are many thin7s about Me7as that &ere uni>ue in astronomical e8%erience. And then &e discovered that Me7as had a satellite or$ if you &ant to consider Me7as a very small star$ it had a %lanet44 rythro.@ ?-hich (otor orbits$ I "no&. 3ut$ Mother$ it)s been over eleven years since there &as all that fuss about Me7as and rythro. In all that time$ haven)t you mana7ed to snea" a loo" at the s%ectra of Nemesis and the Sun1 #aven)t you done a little fi7urin71@ ?-ell44@ Marlene said hastily$ ?I "no& you have.@ ?3y my e8%ression1@ ?3y everythin7 about you.@ ?2ou can be a very uncomfortable %erson to have around$ Marlene. 2es$ I have.@ ?And1@ ?2es$ it)s headin7 for the Solar System.@ !here &as a %ause. !hen Marlene said in a lo& voice$ ?Is it 7oin7 to hit1@ ?No$ as far as my fi7ures are concerned. I)m >uite sure it)s not 7oin7 to hit the Sun$ or the arth$ or any si7nificant %art of the Solar System$ for that matter. 3ut it doesn)t have to$ you see. ven if it misses$ it &ill %robably destroy the arth.@ 1F. It &as >uite clear to Marlene that her mother did not li"e to tal" about arth)s destruction$ that there &as internal friction inhibitin7 her discourse$ that if she &ere left to herself$ she &ould sto% tal"in7.

#er e8%ression44the &ay she %ulled a&ay a little from Marlene$ as thou7h an8ious to leaveA the &ay she lic"ed her li%s very delicately$ as thou7h she &ere tryin7 to remove the taste of her &ords44&as clarity itself to Marlene. 3ut she did not &ant her mother to sto%. She had to "no& more. She said 7ently$ ?If Nemesis misses$ ho& &ill it destroy the arth1@ ?*et me try to e8%lain. !he arth 7oes around the Sun$ 6ust as (otor 7oes around rythro. If all there &ere in the Solar System &ere the arth and the Sun$ then the arth &ould 7o around in the same %ath almost eternally. I say Balmost) because$ as it turns$ it radiates 7ravitational &aves that bleed the arth)s momentum$ and that causes it very$ very slo&ly to s%in into the Sun. -e can i7nore that. ?!here are other com%licatin7 factors because arth isn)t alone. !he Moon$ Mars$ Venus$ =u%iter$ every ob6ect in the nei7hborhood %ulls at it. !he %ulls are very minor com%ared to that of the Sun$ so arth remains in its orbit more or less. #o&ever$ the minor %ulls$ &hich are shiftin7 in direction and intensity in a com%licated &ay$ as the various ob6ects themselves move$ introduce minor chan7es in arth)s orbit. arth moves in and out sli7htly$ its a8ial tilt veers and chan7es its slant a bit$ the eccentricity alters some&hat$ and so on. ?It can be sho&n44it has been sho&n44that all these minor chan7es are cyclic. !hey don)t %ro7ress in one direction$ but move bac" and forth. -hat it amounts to is that the arth$ in its orbit about the Sun$ >uivers sli7htly in a do;en different &ays. All the bodies in the Solar System >uiver in this &ay. arth)s >uiver doesn)t %revent it from su%%ortin7 life. At the &orst$ it may 7et an ice a7e or an ice disa%%earance and a rise and fall in sea level$ but life has survived everythin7 for &ell over three billion years. ?3ut no& let us su%%ose Nemesis dashes by and misses$ that it doesn)t a%%roach closer than a li7ht4month or so. !hat &ould be less than a trillion "ilometers. As it %asses44and it &ould ta"e a number of years to %ass44it &ould 7ive a 7ravitational %ush to the system. It &ould ma"e the >uiverin7 &orse$ but then$ &hen it &as 7one$ the >uivers &ould settle do&n a7ain.@ Marlene said$ ?2ou loo" as thou7h you thin" it &ould be a lot &orse than you ma"e it sound. -hat)s so bad about Nemesis 7ivin7 the Solar System a little e8tra >uiver44if it all settles do&n a7ain after&ard1@ ?-ell$ &ill it settle do&n a7ain in >uite the same %lace1 !hat)s the %roblem. If arth)s e>uilibrium %osition is a little different44a little farther from the Sun$ a little nearer$ if its orbit is a little more eccentric or its a8is a little more tilted$ or less44ho& &ill that affect arth)s climate1 ven a small chan7e mi7ht ma"e it an uninhabitable &orld.@ ?Can)t you calculate it out in advance1@ ?No. (otor isn)t a 7ood %lace to calculate from. It >uivers$ too$ and a 7reat deal. It &ould ta"e considerable time and considerable calculation to deduce from my observations here e"actly &hat %ath Nemesis is ta"in744and &e 6ust &on)t be sure till it 7ets considerably closer to the Solar System$ lon7 after I am dead.@ ?So you can)t tell e8actly 6ust ho& closely Nemesis &ill %ass the Solar System.@ ?It is almost im%ossible to calculate. !he 7ravitational field of every nearby star &ithin a do;en li7ht4years has to be ta"en into account. After all$ the tiniest uncalculated effect may build u% to such a deviation in over t&o li7ht4years as to ma"e a %assa7e that is calculated as a near4hit come out$ actually$ to be a total miss. Or vice versa.@ ?Commissioner Pitt said everyone in the Solar System &ill be able to leave if they &ant to by the time Nemesis arrives. Is he ri7ht1@ ?#e mi7ht be. 3ut ho& can one tell &hat &ill ha%%en in five thousand years1 -hat historical t&ists &ill ta"e %lace and ho& that &ill affect matters1 -e can hope everyone &ill 7et off safely.@ ? ven if they)re not &arned$@ said Marlene$ feelin7 rather diffident at %ointin7 out an astronomical truism to her mother$ ?they)ll find out for themselves. !hey)ve 7ot to. Nemesis &ill come closer and closer and it &ill be unmista"able after a &hile and they can calculate its %ath much more accurately as it comes closer.@ ?3ut they &ill have that much less time to ma"e their esca%e44if one is necessary.@ Marlene stared at her toes. She said$ ?Mother$ don)t be an7ry &ith me. It seems to me as thou7h you)d be unha%%y even if everyone 7ot a&ay from the Solar System safely. Somethin7 else is &ron7. Please tell me.@ Insi7na said$ ?I don)t li"e the thou7ht of everyone leavin7 arth. ven if it is done in orderly fashion$ &ith %lenty of time and &ith no casualties to s%ea" of$ I still don)t li"e the thou7ht. I don)t &ant arth to be abandoned.@

?Su%%ose it must be.@ ?!hen it &ill be. I can bo& to the inevitable$ but I don)t have to li"e it.@ ?Are you sentimental about arth1 2ou studied there$ didn)t you1@ ?I did my 7raduate &or" in astronomy there. I didn)t li"e arth$ but that doesn)t matter. It)s the %lace &here human bein7s ori7inated. 0o you "no& &hat I mean$ Marlene1 ven if I didn)t thin" much of it &hen I &as there$ it)s still the &orld &here life develo%ed over the eons. !o me it)s not only a &orld but an idea$ an abstraction. I &ant it to e8ist for the sa"e of the %ast. I don)t "no& if I can ma"e that clear.@ Marlene said$ ?.ather &as an arthman.@ Insi7na)s li%s ti7htened a bit. ?2es$ he &as.@ ?And he &ent bac" to arth.@ ?!he records say he did. I su%%ose he did.@ ?I)m half an arth%erson$ then. Isn)t that so1@ Insi7na fro&ned. ?-e)re all arth%eo%le$ Marlene. My 7reat47reat47rand%arents lived on arth all their lives. My 7reat47randmother &as born on arth. veryone$ &ithout e8ce%tion$ is descended from arth%eo%le. And not 6ust human bein7s. very s%ec" of life on every Settlement$ from a virus to a tree$ is descended from arth life.@ Marlene said$ ?3ut only human bein7s "no& it. And some are closer than others. 0o you thin" about .ather$ sometimes$ even no&1@ Marlene loo"ed u% briefly at her mother)s face and &inced. ?It)s none of my business. !hat)s &hat you)re 7oin7 to tell me.@ ?!hat)s the feelin7 I 6ust had$ but I don)t have to be 7uided by my feelin7s. After all$ you)re his dau7hter. 2es$ I thin" about him no& and then.@ She shru77ed her shoulders sli7htly. Insi7na said$ ?0o you thin" about him$ Marlene1@ ?I have nothin7 to thin" of. I don)t remember him. I)ve never seen any holo7rams$ or anythin7.@ ?No$ there &as no %oint in44@ #er voice trailed off. ?3ut &hen I &as littler$ I used to &onder &hy some fathers stayed &ith their children &hen the *eavin7 ha%%ened$ and some fathers didn)t. I thou7ht that maybe the ones &ho left didn)t li"e their children$ and that .ather didn)t li"e me.@ Insi7na stared at her dau7hter. ?2ou never told me that.@ ?It &as a %rivate thou7ht &hen I &as little. -hen I 7ot older$ I "ne& that it &as more com%licated than that.@ ?2ou should never have had to thin" so. It)s not true. I &ould have assured you of that$ if I had had the sli7htest idea44@ ?2ou don)t li"e to tal" about those times$ Mother. I understand.@ ?I &ould have any&ay$ if I had "no&n about that thou7ht of yoursA if I could read your face as you read mine. #e did love you. #e &ould have ta"en you &ith him if I had allo&ed it. It)s my fault$ really$ that you t&o are se%arated.@ ?#is$ too. #e mi7ht have stayed &ith us.@ ?-ell$ he mi7ht have$ but no& that the years have %assed$ I can see and understand his %roblems a little better than I could then. After all$ I &asn)t leavin7 homeA my &orld &as comin7 &ith me. I may be over t&o li7ht4years from arth$ but I)m still at home on (otor &here I &as born. 2our father &as different. #e &as born on arth and not on (otor$ and I su%%ose he couldn)t bear the thou7ht of leavin7 arth alto7ether$ and forever. I thin" about that no& and then$ also. I hate the thou7ht of arth bein7 deserted. !here must be several billion %eo%le there &hose hearts &ould brea" to leave it.@ !here &as silence bet&een them for a moment$ then Marlene said$ ?I &onder &hat .ather is doin7 bac" on arth ri7ht no&.@ ?#o& can &e %ossibly tell$ Marlene1 !&enty trillion "ilometers is a lon7$ lon7 &ay$ and fourteen years is a lon7$ lon7 time.@ ?0o you su%%ose he)s still alive1@ ?-e can)t even "no& that$@ said Insi7na. ?*ife can be very short on arth.@ !hen$ as thou7h suddenly a&are she &asn)t tal"in7 to herself$ she said$ ?I)m sure he)s alive$ Marlene. #e &as in e8cellent health &hen he left$ and he)s only 6ust a%%roachin7 fifty no&.@ !hen softly$ ?0o you miss him$ Marlene1@ Marlene shoo" her head. ?2ou can)t miss &hat you)ve never had.@ 93ut you had him$ Mother$ she thou7ht. And you miss him.:

EIGHT: AGENT
1G. Oddly enou7h$ Crile .isher found it necessary to become accustomed to arth44or reaccustomed to it. #e had not thou7ht that (otor had become so much a %art of him in a matter of not >uite four years. It had been the lon7est %eriod durin7 &hich he had been a&ay from arth$ but surely it had not been lon7 enou7h to ma"e arth seem stran7e to him. !here &as no& the sheer si;e of arth$ the distant hori;on endin7 shar% a7ainst the s"y instead of turnin7 u% mistily. !here &ere the cro&ds$ the unchan7in7 7ravity$ the sense of &ild and &illful atmos%here$ of tem%erature soarin7 and divin7$ of nature out of all control. It &as not that he had to e8%erience any of this to feel it. ven &hen he &as in his o&n >uarters$ he "ne& it &as all out there and the ferality of it all %ervaded his s%irit$ someho& invaded it. Or it mi7ht be that the room &as too small$ too full$ that the drift of sound &as too unmista"able$ as thou7h he &ere bein7 %ressed in on by a cro&ded and decayin7 &orld. Stran7e that he had missed arth so intensely in those years on (otorA and that$ no& that he &as bac" on arth$ he missed (otor so intensely. -as he to s%end his life &antin7 to be &here he &as not1 !he si7nal li7ht flashed and he heard the bu;;. It flic"ered44thin7s on arth tended to flic"er$ &hile on (otor everythin7 &as constant &ith an almost a77ressive efficiency. ? nter$@ he said in a lo& voice$ but it &as loud enou7h to activate the de4loc"in7 mechanism. +arand -yler entered 9.isher "ne& it &ould be he: and loo"ed at the other &ith an amused e8%ression. ?#ave you bud7ed since I left$ Crile1@ ?#ere and there. I)ve eaten. S%ent some time in the bathroom.@ ?+ood. 2ou)re alive$ then$ even if you don)t loo" it.@ #e &as 7rinnin7 broadly$ his s"in smooth and bro&n$ his eyes dar"$ his teeth &hite$ his hair thic" and cris%. ?3roodin7 about (otor1@ ?I thin" of it no& and then.@ ?I "e%t meanin7 to as"$ but never 7ot around to it. It &as Sno& -hite &ithout the Seven 0&arfs$ &asn)t it1@ ?Sno& -hite$@ said .isher. ?I never sa& one blac" %erson there.@ ?In that case$ 7ood riddance to them. 0id you "no& that they)re 7one1@ .isher)s muscles ti7htened and he nearly 7ot to his feet$ but he resisted the im%ulse. #e said$ noddin7$ ?!hey said they &ould be.@ ?!hey meant it. !hey drifted a&ay. -e &atched as far as &e couldA eavesdro%%ed their radiation. !hey %um%ed u% s%eed &ith this hy%er4assistance of theirs and$ in a s%lit second$ &hile &e could still ma"e them out loud and clear$ they &ere 7one. verythin7 cut off.@ ?0id you %ic" them u% &hen they 7ot bac" into s%ace1@ ?Several times. ach time &ea"er. !hey &ere travelin7 at the s%eed of li7ht after they had really fle8ed their muscles$ and after three bli%s$ into hy%ers%ace and bac" into s%ace$ they &ere too far to be %ic"ed u%.@ .isher said bitterly$ ?!heir choice. !hey "ic"ed out the nays44li"e me.@ ?I)m sorry you &eren)t there. 2ou should have been. It &as interestin7 to &atch. 2ou "no& there &ere some hard4liners &ho insisted to the very end that hy%er4assistance &as a fraud$ that it &as all fa"ed u%$ for some reason.@ ?(otor had the .ar Probe. !hey couldn)t have it sent as far a&ay as they did &ithout hy%er4 assistance.@ ?.a"ed< !hat)s &hat the hard4liners said.@ ?It &as 7enuine.@ ?2es$ no& they "no& it &as. All of them. -hen (otor 6ust vanished off the instruments$ there &as no other e8%lanation. very settlement &as &atchin7. No mista"e. It vanished on every set of instruments at the same second. !he irritatin7 thin7 is$ &e can)t tell &here it)s 7oin7.@ ?Al%ha Centauri$ I su%%ose. -here else1@ ?!he Office "ee%s thin"in7 that it mi7ht not be Al%ha Centauri and that you mi7ht "no& that.@ .isher loo"ed annoyed. ?I)ve been debriefed all the &ay to the Moon and bac". I haven)t held bac" anythin7.@

?Sure. -e "no& that. It)s nothin7 you "no& about. !hey &ant me to tal" to you$ friend to friend$ and see &hat you may "no& that you don&t "no& about. Somethin7 may turn u% that you haven)t thou7ht of. 2ou &ere there four years$ married$ had a "id. 2ou couldn)t have missed everythin7.@ ?#o& could I1 If there &ere the sli7htest notion that I &as after anythin7$ I)d have been "ic"ed off. =ust bein7 from arth made me com%letely sus%ect. If I hadn)t married447iven that "ind of %roof that I %lanned to stay (otorian44I &ould have been "ic"ed off any&ay. And as it &as$ they "e%t me far a&ay from anythin7 critical or sensitive.@ .isher loo"ed a&ay. ? And it &or"ed. My &ife &as 6ust an astronomer. I didn)t have my %ic"$ you "no&. I couldn)t %ut an ad on holovision announcin7 that I &as in the mar"et for a youn7 lady &ho &as a hy%ers%atialist. If I had met one$ I &ould have done my best to hoo" on to her even if she loo"ed li"e a hyena$ but I never met one in all my time there. !he technolo7y &as so sensitive$ I thin" they "e%t the "ey %eo%le in com%lete isolation. I thin" they must all have &orn mas"s in the laboratories and used code names. .our years44and I never 7ot a hint$ never found out a thin7. And I "ne& it &ould mean I &as throu7h &ith the Office.@ #e turned to +arand and said &ith sudden %assion$ ?!hin7s 7ot so bad that I turned into some "ind of lout. !he sense of failure &as 6ust over%o&erin7.@ -yler &as sittin7 across the table from .isher in the cluttered room$ teeterin7 bac" on the rear le7s of his chair$ but carefully holdin7 the table lest he teeter too far. #e said$ ?Crile$ the Office can)t afford to be delicate$ but it isn)t totally unfeelin7. !hey re7ret havin7 to a%%roach you li"e this$ but they must. And I re7ret bein7 7iven the 6ob$ but I must. -e are concerned that you)ve failed and brou7ht us nothin7. If (otor hadn)t left$ &e mi7ht have felt there &as nothin7 to brin7. 3ut they did leave. !hey did have hy%er4assistance$ and yet you)ve brou7ht us nothin7.@ ?I "no& that.@ ?3ut that doesn)t mean &e &ant to thro& you out or447et rid of you. -e ho%e &e can still use you. So I have to ma"e sure that your failure &as an honest one.@ ?-hat does that mean1@ ?I have to be able to tell them that you didn)t fail because of any %ersonal &ea"ness. After all$ you married a (otorian &oman. -as she %retty1 -ere you fond of her1@ .isher snarled$ ?-hat you)re really as"in7 is &hether$ out of love for a (otorian &oman$ I deliberately %rotected (otor and hel%ed them "ee% their secret.@ ?-ell$@ said -yler$ unmoved. ?0id you1@ ?#o& can you as" that1 If I had decided to be a (otorian$ I &ould have left &ith them. 3y no& I &ould be lost in s%ace and you mi7ht never find me. 3ut I didn)t do that. I 7ot off (otor and returned to arth$ even thou7h I "ne& my failure &ould %robably destroy my career.@ ?-e a%%reciate your loyalty.@ ?!here)s more loyalty in this than you thin".@ ?-e reco7ni;e that you %robably loved your &ife and that$ as a matter of duty$ you had to leave her. !hat &ould count in your favor$ if &e could be sure44@ ?Not so much my &ife. It &as my dau7hter.@ -yler vie&ed .isher thou7htfully. ?-e "no& you have a one4year4old dau7hter$ Crile. 'nder the circumstances$ %erha%s you shouldn)t have 7iven that %articular hosta7e to fortune.@ ?I a7ree. 3ut I can)t treat myself as thou7h I &ere a &ell4oiled robot. !hin7s ha%%en a7ainst one)s &ill sometimes. And once the child &as born and I had had her for a year44@ ?!hat is understandable$ but it &as only a year. Scarcely time$ really$ to build a relationshi%44@ .isher 7rimaced. ?2ou may thin" it understandable$ but you don&t understand. ? ? 8%lain$ then. I)ll try.@ ?It &as my sister$ you see. My youn7er sister.@ -yler nodded. ?!here)s mention of that in your com%ufile. (ose$ I thin".@ ?(oseanne. She died in the San .rancisco riots ei7ht years a7o. She &as only seventeen.@ ?I)m sorry.@ ?She &asn)t a %artici%ant on either side. She &as one of those innocent bystanders &ho is so more a%t to 7et hurt than the rin7leaders or the officers. At least &e found her body and I had somethin7 to cremate.@ -yler maintained a half4embarrassed silence. .isher said finally$ ?She &as only seventeen. Our %arents died@ 44he brushed his hand to one side$

as thou7h indicatin7 it &as not somethin7 he &ished to discuss44?&hen she &as four and I &as fourteen. I &or"ed after school and I sa& to it that she &as fed$ and clothed$ and comfortable$ even &hen I &as not. I tau7ht myself %ro7rammin744not that I ever made a decent livin7 out of that either44and then$ &hen she &as seventeen$ &hen she had never hurt a soul$ &hen she didn)t even "no& &hat all the fi7htin7 and shoutin7 &as about$ she &as sim%ly tra%%ed44@ -yler said$ ?I can see &hy you volunteered for (otor.@ ?Oh yes. .or a cou%le of years I &as 6ust numb. I 6oined the Office %artly to "ee% my mind occu%ied and %artly because I thou7ht there &ould be dan7er in it. I rather loo"ed for&ard to death for a &hile44if I could mana7e to do somethin7 useful en route. -hen the %roblem of %lacin7 an a7ent on (otor &as discussed$ I volunteered for it. I &anted to 7et off arth. ? ?And no& you)re bac". 0o you re7ret that1@ ?A little bit$ yes$ but (otor cho"ed me. -ith all its faults$ arth has room. If only you could have seen (oseanne$ +arand. 2ou have no idea. She &asn)t %retty$ but she had such eyes.@ .isher)s o&n eyes &ere focused on the %ast$ a sli7ht %uc"er bet&een his bro&s as thou7h he &ere %eerin7 hard to clearly focus. ?3eautiful eyes$ but fri7htenin7 ones. It seemed to me that I could never meet them &ithout feelin7 nervous. She could loo" ri7ht into you44if you "no& &hat I mean.@ ?Actually$ I don)t$@ said -yler. .isher %aid no attention. ?She al&ays "ne& &hen you &ere lyin7 or hidin7 the truth. 2ou couldn)t be silent &ithout her 7uessin7 &hat the trouble &as.@ ?2ou)re not 7oin7 to tell me she &as a tele%ath1@ ?-hat1 Oh no. She used to say she read e8%ressions and listened to intonations. She said no one could hide &hat they &ere thin"in7. No matter ho& you lau7hed$ you could not hide the tra7ic undercurrentA no smile sufficed to hide bitterness. She tried to e8%lain$ but I could never 7ras% &hat it &as she did. She &as somethin7 s%ecial$ +arand. I &as in awe of her. And then my child &as born. Marlene.@ ?2es1@ ?She had the same eyes.@ ?!he baby had your sister)s eyes1@ ?Not immediately$ but I &atched them develo%. -hen she &as si8 months old$ those eyes made me flinch.@ ?2our &ife flinched$ too1@ ?I never noticed her bein7 affected$ but then$ she never had a sister (oseanne. Marlene hardly cried at allA she &as peace ul. I remember (oseanne &as li"e that as a baby. And Marlene didn)t sho& any si7ns that she &as 7oin7 to be %articularly %retty either. It &as as thou7h (oseanne had come bac" to me. So you see ho& hard it turned out to be.@ ?Comin7 bac" to arth$ you mean.@ ?0oin7 that and leavin7 them behind. It &as li"e losin7 (oseanne a second time. I)ll never see her no&. Never<@ ?3ut you came bac" any&ay.@ ?*oyalty< 0uty< 3ut if you &ant the truth$ I almost didn)t. I &as standin7 there$ torn. !orn apart. I &as desperately &antin7 not to leave (oseanne4Marlene. 2ou see$ I confuse the names. And u7enia44my &ife44said to me in a heartbro"en &ay$ BIf you "ne& &here &e &ere 7oin7$ you &ouldn)t be so ready to turn bac".) And at that moment I didn)t &ant to leave. I as"ed her to come to arth &ith me. She refused. I as"ed her to let me ta"e (o44Marlene$ at least. She refused. And then$ &hen I mi7ht have 7iven in and stayed$ she &ent &ild and ordered me out. And I &ent.@ -yler stared at .isher reflectively. ? BIf you "ne& &here &e &ere 7oin7$ you &ouldn)t be so ready to turn bac".) Is that &hat she said1@ ?2es$ that)s &hat she said. And &hen I said$ B-hy1 -here is (otor 7oin71)$ she said$ B!o the stars.) ? ?!hat can)t be ri7ht$ Crile. 2ou knew they &ere %lannin7 to 7o to the stars$ but she said$ *I you "ne& &here &e &ere 7oin744) !here &as somethin7 you didn)t "no&. -hat &as it you didn)t "no&1@ ?-hat are you tal"in7 about1 #o& can anyone "no& &hat he doesn)t "no&1@ -yler shru77ed it off. ?0id you tell this to the Office durin7 the debriefin71@ .isher considered. ?I 7uess not. I didn)t even thin" of it till I started tellin7 you the story about ho& I nearly stayed.@ #e closed his eyes$ then said slo&ly$ ?No$ this is the first time I)ve tal"ed about that. It)s the first time I)ve let myself thin" about it.@ ?Very &ell$ then. No& that you thin" about it44&here &as (otor 7oin71 0id you hear any

s%eculations on (otor about that1 Any rumors1 Any 7uesses1@ ?!he assum%tion &as that it &ould be to Al%ha Centauri. -here else1 It)s the nearest star.@ ?2our &ife &as an astronomer. -hat did she say about it1@ ?Nothin7. She never discussed it.@ ?(otor sent out the .ar Probe.@ ?I "no&.@ ?And your &ife &as involved44as an astronomer.@ ?She &as$ but she never discussed it either$ and I &as careful not to do so. My mission &ould have been aborted$ and %erha%s I mi7ht have been im%risoned44or e8ecuted$ for all I "no&44if I dis%layed an unhealthy curiosity too o%enly.@ ?3ut as an astronomer$ she &ould "no& the destination. She as much as said so. BIf you "ne&44) 2ou see1 She "ne& and if you "ne&$ too44@ .isher didn)t seem interested. ?Since she didn)t tell me &hat she "ne&$ I can)t tell you.@ ?Are you sure1 No casual remar"s &hose si7nificance you didn)t note at the time1 After all$ you)re not an astronomer and she mi7ht have said somethin7 you didn)t >uite 7et. 0o you remember anythin7 at all she said that set you to %u;;lin71@ ?I can)t thin" of anythin7.@ ?!hin"< Is it %ossible that the .ar Probe located a %lanetary system around one or both of the Sun4 li"e stars of Al%ha Centauri1@ ?I can)t say.@ ?Or %lanets about any star1@ .isher shru77ed. ?!hin"<@ said -yler ur7ently. ?Is there any reason for you to thin" that she meant$ B2ou thin" &e)re 7oin7 to Al%ha Centauri$ but there are %lanets circlin7 it and &e)re headin7 for those.) Or could she have meant$ B2ou thin" &e)re 7oin7 to Al%ha Centauri$ but &e)re 7oin7 to another star &here &e)re sure there &ill be a useful %lanet.) Somethin7 li"e that1@ ?I couldn)t %ossibly 7uess.@ +arand -yler)s 7enerous li%s com%ressed themselves ti7htly for a moment. !hen he said$ ?I)ll tell you &hat$ Crile$ my old friend. !here are three thin7s that are 7oin7 to ha%%en no&. .irst$ you)re 7oin7 to have to under7o another debriefin7. Second$ I sus%ect &e)re 7oin7 to have to %ersuade the Ceres Settlement to allo& us the use of their asteroid telesco%e$ and use it to ins%ect$ very closely$ every star &ithin a hundred li7ht4years of the Solar System. And$ third$ &e)ll have to &hi% our hy%ers%atialists into 6um%in7 a little hi7her and farther. 2ou &atch and see if that)s not &hat ha%%ens.@

NINE: ERYTHRO
1H. !here &ere times$ once in a &hile$ once in an ever lon7er &hile as the years %assed 9or so it seemed to him:$ &hen =anus Pitt found time to sit bac" in his chair$ alone and silent$ and 6ust allo& his mind to rela8. !hose &ere moments &hen there &ere no orders to 7ive$ no information to absorb$ no immediate decisions to ma"e$ no farms to visit$ no factories to ins%ect$ no re7ions in s%ace to %enetrate$ no one to see$ no one to listen to$ no one to foil$ no one to encoura7e And al&ays &hen such times came$ Pitt allo&ed himself the final and least e8haustible lu8ury44 that of self4%ity. It &as not that he &ould have anythin7 different than &hat it &as. #e had %lanned for all his adult life to be Commissioner because he thou7ht that no one could run (otor as he couldA and no& that he &as Commissioner$ he still thou7ht so. 3ut &hy$ amon7 all the fools of (otor$ could he find no one &ho could see lon74ran7e as he could1 It &as fourteen years since the *eavin7$ and still no one could really see the inevitableA not even after he had e8%lained it carefully. Someday$ bac" in the Solar System$ sooner rather than later$ someone &ould develo% hy%er4 assistance as the hy%ers%atialists on (otor had44%erha%s even in a better form. Someday humanity &ould set out in its hundreds and thousands of Settlements$ in its millions and billions of %eo%le$ to coloni;e the +ala8y$ and that &ould be a brutal time. 2es$ the +ala8y &as enormous. #o& often had he heard that1 And beyond it &ere other 7ala8ies. 3ut humanity &ould not s%read out evenly. Al&ays$ al&ays$ there &ould be some star systems that$ for one reason or another$ &ere better than other star systems$ and they &ould be the ones snarled and fou7ht over. If there &ere ten star systems and ten coloni;in7 7rou%s$ all ten &ould ;ero in on one of the star systems$ and one only. And sooner or later$ they &ould discover N emesis and the coloni;ers &ould a%%ear. #o& &ould (otor survive then1 Only if (otor 7ained as much time as %ossible$ built u% a stron7 civili;ation$ and e8%anded reasonably. If they had enou7h time$ they mi7ht e8%and their hold over a 7rou% of stars. If not$ Nemesis alone &ould be enou7h44but it must be made im%re7nable. Pitt did not dream of universal con>uest$ of con>uest of any "ind. -hat he &anted &as an island of tran>uility and security a7ainst the days &hen the +ala8y &ould be aflame and in chaos as a result of conflictin7 ambitions. 3ut he alone could see this. #e alone bore the &ei7ht of it. #e mi7ht live another >uarter century and mi7ht remain in %o&er throu7h all that time$ either as actual Commissioner or as an elder statesman &hose &ord &ould be decisive. 2et$ eventually$ he &ould die44and to &hom could he then be>ueath his far4 si7htedness1 !hen Pitt felt a t&in7e of self4%ity. #e had labored for so many years$ &ould labor for so many more$ yet &as a%%reciated44truly a%%reciated44by none. And it &ould all come to an end any&ay$ because the Idea &ould be dro&ned in the ocean of mediocrity that constantly la%%ed at the an"les of those fe& &ho could see beyond the years. It &as fourteen years since the *eavin7 and &hen$ at any time$ had he been able to be >uietly confident1 #e &ent to slee% each ni7ht &ith the fear that he &ould be a&a"ened before mornin7 &ith the ne&s that another Settlement had arrived44that Nemesis had been ound. #e %assed throu7h every day &ith some hidden %art of him %ayin7 no attention to &hat &as immediately on the a7enda$ but listenin744listenin7 for the fatal &ords. .ourteen years and they &ere still not safe. One additional settlement had been built44Ne& (otor. !here &ere %eo%le livin7 on it$ but it &as a ne& &orld$ of course. It still smelled of %aint$ as the old sayin7 had it. !hree more Settlements &ere in various sta7es of construction. Soon44&ithin the decade$ at any rate44the number of Settlements under construction &ould increase$ and they &ould be 7iven that oldest of all commands, 3e fruitful and multi%ly< -ith the e8am%le of arth before them$ &ith the "no&led7e that each Settlement had a narro& and

une8%andable ca%acity$ %rocreation had al&ays been under strict control in s%ace. !here the immovable needs of arithmetic met the %ossibly irresistible force of instinct and immovability &on. 3ut as the number of Settlements 7re&$ there &ould come a time &hen more %eo%le &ould be needed44many more44and the ur7e to %roduce them could be unleashed. It &ould be tem%orary$ of course. No matter ho& many Settlements there &ere$ they could be filled &ithout effort by any %o%ulation that could easily double its numbers every thirty4five years$ or less. And &hen the day came &hen the rate of Settlement formation %assed throu7h its inflection %oint and be7an to diminish$ it mi7ht be far harder to stuff the d6inn bac" into its bottle than it had been to release it. -ho &ould see this &ell in advance$ and %re%are for it once Pitt himself &as 7one1 And there &as rythro$ the %lanet that (otor orbited in such a &ay that hu7e Me7as and ruddy Nemesis rose and set in an intricate %attern. rythro< !hat had been a >uestion from the be7innin7. Pitt remembered &ell the early days of their entry into the Nemesian System. !he limited intricacy of the %lanetary family of Nemesis had e8%osed itself little by little$ as (otor raced to&ard the red d&arf star. Me7as had been discovered at a distance of four million "ilometers from Nemesis$ only one fifteenth the distance of Mercury from the Sun of the Solar System. Me7as obtained about the same amount of ener7y as arth 7ot from its Sun$ but &ith a lesser intensity of visible li7ht and a hi7her intensity of infrared. Me7as$ ho&ever$ &as clearly not habitable$ even at first 7lance. It &as a 7as 7iant$ &ith one side al&ays facin7 Nemesis. 3oth its rotation and revolution &ere t&enty days lon7. !he %er%etual ni7ht on half of Me7as cooled it only moderately$ since its o&n interior heat rose to the surface. !he %er%etual day on the other half &as unendurably hot. !hat Me7as "e%t its atmos%here under this heat &as entirely because$ &ith its mass hi7her and its radius smaller than that of =u%iter$ its surface 7ravity &as fifteen times that of =u%iter$ and forty times that of arth. Nor did Nemesis have any other si;able %lanet. 3ut then$ as (otor dre& closer$ and Me7as could be seen more clearly$ the situation &as altered a7ain. It &as u7enia Insi7na &ho brou7ht Pitt the ne&s. It &as not that she had made the discovery herself. It had merely sho&ed u% on the com%uter4enhanced %hoto7ra%hs$ and had been brou7ht to Insi7na)s attention since she &as Chief Astronomer. -ith considerable e8citement$ she had brou7ht it to Pitt in his Commissioner)s chambers. She had be7un sim%ly enou7h$ "ee%in7 her voice level$ thou7h it &as sha"in7 &ith emotion. ?Me7as has a satellite$@ she said. Pitt had lifted his eyebro&s ever so sli7htly$ but then he said$ ?Isn)t that to be e8%ected1 !he 7as 7iants of the Solar System have any&here u% to a score of satellites.@ ?Of course$ =anus$ but this is not an ordinary satellite. It)s lar7e.@ Pitt "e%t his cool. ?=u%iter has four lar7e satellites.@ ?I mean$ really lar7e$ &ith almost arth)s si;e and mass.@ ?I see. Interestin7.@ ?More than that. Much more than that$ =anus. If this satellite revolved about Nemesis directly$ tidal influences &ould cause only one side to face Nemesis$ and it &ould be uninhabitable. Instead$ only one side faces Me7as$ &hich is much cooler than Nemesis. .urthermore$ the satellite)s orbit is tilted substantially to Me7as) e>uator. !his means that in the satellite)s s"y$ Me7as is seen from only one hemis%here and it moves north and south &ith a cycle of about one day$ &hile Nemesis moves across the s"y$ risin7 and settin7$ a7ain &ith a cycle of one day. One hemis%here has t&elve hours of dar"ness and t&elve hours of li7ht. !he other hemis%here has the same but durin7 its daytime$ Nemesis is fre>uently in ecli%se for u% to half an hour at a time$ &ith the coolin7 made u% for by Me7as) mild &armth. 0urin7 the dar" hours$ in that hemis%here$ the dar"ness is ameliorated by Me7as) reflected li7ht.@ ?!he satellite has an interestin7 s"y$ then. #o& fascinatin7 for astronomers.@ ?It)s not 6ust an astronomical lolli%o%$ =anus. It)s %ossible that the satellite has an e>uable tem%erature at the ri7ht ran7e for human bein7s. It may be a habitable &orld.@ Pitt smiled. ? ven more interestin7$ but it &ouldn)t have our "ind of li7ht$ thou7h$ &ould it1@ Insi7na nodded. ?!hat)s true enou7h. It &ould have a ruddy sun and a dar" s"y because there &ould be no short4&ave li7ht to be scattered. And there &ould be a reddish landsca%e$ I su%%ose.@ ?In that case$ since you named Nemesis$ and one of your %eo%le named Me7as$ I)ll ta"e the %rivile7e of namin7 the satellite. Call it rythro$ &hich if I recall correctly$ is related to the +ree" &ord for Bred.) ? !he ne&s remained 7ood for >uite some time thereafter. An asteroid belt of res%ectable si;e &as

located beyond the orbit of the Me7as4 rythro system$ and those asteroids &ould clearly be an ideal source of material for buildin7 more Settlements. And as they a%%roached rythro$ the nature of its habitability seem to 7ro& ever more favorable. rythro &as a %lanet of sea and land$ thou7h its seas$ from %reliminary estimates of its cloud cover as made out in visible li7ht and the infrared$ seemed shallo&er than arth)s oceans$ and really im%ressive mountains on the land &ere very fe&. Insi7na$ on the basis of further calculations$ insisted that the climate on the %lanet as a &hole &ould be entirely suitable for human life. And then &hen the infli7ht had brou7ht them to a distance from &hich rythro)s atmos%here could be studied s%ectrosco%ically &ith %recision$ Insi7na said to him$ ? rythro)s atmos%here is a little denser than arth)s and it contains free o8y7en441H %ercent of it$ %lus G %ercent ar7on and the rest nitro7en. !here must be small >uantities of carbon dio8ide$ but &e haven)t detected it yet. !he %oint is$ it)s a breathable atmos%here.@ ?Sounds better and better$@ said Pitt. ?-ho could have ima7ined this &hen you first s%otted Nemesis1@ ?3etter and better for the biolo7ist. Maybe not very 7ood for (otor on the &hole$ thou7h. A si;able content of free o8y7en in the atmos%here is a sure indication of the %resence of life.@ ?*ife1@ said Pitt$ momentarily stu%efied at the thou7ht. ?*ife$@ said Insi7na$ borin7 in$ ta"in7 an a%%arent %erverse %leasure in stressin7 the %ossibilities. ? And if life$ then %ossibly intelli7ent life$ %erha%s even a hi7h civili;ation.@ 1I. -hat follo&ed &as a ni7htmare for Pitt. #e had not only to live &ith the terrible a%%rehension of his o&n arth%eo%le %ursuin7 and overta"in7 him$ su%erior in number certainly$ and in technolo7y %ossibly 44but there &as an accom%anyin7 fear no& that &as$ if anythin7$ 7reater. !hey mi7ht be a%%roachin7 and infrin7in7 on an old and advanced civili;ation ca%able of eradicatin7 them in a moment of absent4minded annoyance as a human bein7 mi7ht$ &ithout thin"in7$ crush a mos>uito that bu;;ed too near his ear. As they continued to a%%roach Nemesis$ Pitt said to Insi7na &ith a dee%ly troubled air$ ?Need o8y7en truly im%ly the e8istence of life1@ ?It)s a thermodynamic inevitability$ =anus. In an arth4li"e %lanet 44and$ as nearly as &e can tell$ rythro is arth4li"e44free o8y7en cannot e8ist$ any more than in any arth4li"e 7ravitational field$ a roc" can be sus%ended in o%en air of its o&n accord. O8y7en$ if %resent in the atmos%here to be7in &ith$ &ould s%ontaneously combine &ith other elements in the soil$ 7ivin7 off ener7y. It &ould only continue to e8ist in the atmos%here if some %rocess &ere to su%%ly ener7y and continually re7enerate free o8y7en.@ ?I understand that$ u7enia$ but &hy need the ener7y4su%%ly %rocess necessarily involve life1@ ?3ecause nothin7 has ever been encountered in nature that &ould do the 6ob$ e8ce%t the %hotosynthetic action of 7reen %lants that ma"e use of solar ener7y to release o8y7en.@ ?-hen you say Bnothin7 has ever been encountered in nature$) you mean in the Solar System. !his is another system &ith a different sun and a different %lanet under different conditions. !he la&s of thermodynamics may still hold$ but &hat if there is some chemical %rocess that &e haven)t encountered in the Solar System and that is formin7 the o8y7en here1@ ?If you)re a bettin7 man$@ said Insi7na$ ?don)t bet on it.@ -hat &as needed &as evidence$ and Pitt had to &ait for the evidence to a%%ear. !o be7in &ith$ Nemesis and Me7as turned out to have e8tremely &ea" ma7netic fields. !his created no %articular stir for it had been e8%ected$ since both star and %lanet rotated very slo&ly. rythro$ &ith a rotational %eriod of t&enty4three hours and si8teen minutes 9e>ual to the %eriod of its revolution about Me7as:$ had a ma7netic field that &as similar$ in intensity$ to arth)s. Insi7na e8%ressed her satisfaction. ?At least &e don)t have to &orry about dan7erous radiation effects from intense ma7netic fields$ es%ecially since Nemesis) stellar &ind is bound to be much less intense than that of the Sun. !hat)s 7ood$ because it means &e mi7ht be able to detect the %resence or absence of life on rythro at a distance. !echnolo7ical life$ any&ay.@ ?-hy)s that1@ as"ed Pitt. ?It)s not at all li"ely that a hi7h level of technolo7y can be reached &ithout co%ious use of radio4&ave radiation$ &hich &ould be s%eedin7 a&ay from rythro in all directions. -e ou7ht to be able to differentiate bet&een it and any random radio4&ave radiation from the %lanet itself$ &hen such natural radiation is minor$ considerin7 that its ma7netic field is &ea".@

Pitt said$ ?I)ve been thin"in7 that this may not be necessaryA that &e can reason out rythro)s lifelessness$ even thou7h it does have an o8y7en atmos%here.@ ?Oh1 I)d li"e to hear ho& that mi7ht be done.@ ?I)ve thou7ht this out. *isten< 0idn)t you say that tidal influences slo& the rotations of Nemesis$ Me7as$ and rythro1 And didn)t you say that$ as a result$ Me7as has moved farther from Nemesis$ and rythro has moved farther from Me7as1@ ?2es.@ ?!herefore$ if &e loo" into the %ast$ Me7as &as once closer to Nemesis and rythro &as closer to Me7as and to Nemesis$ too. !hat means that rythro &as far too &arm for life to be7in &ith$ and may only have become hos%itable to life recently. !here mi7ht not have been enou7h time for a technolo7ical civili;ation to develo%.@ Insi7na lau7hed 7ently. ?+ood %oint. I mustn)t underestimate your astronomical in7enuity44but not 7ood enou7h. (ed d&arf stars have a lon7 life and Nemesis mi7ht easily have been formed in the very youth of the 'niverse44say$ fifteen billion years a7o. !he tidal influence &ould have been very stron7 at first$ &hen the bodies &ere closer to7ether$ and most of the drivin7 a%art may have ta"en %lace in the first three or four billion years. !he tidal influence decreases as the cube of the distance and$ in the last ten billion years or so$ there &ould not have been much chan7e and that &ould be plenty of time for several technolo7ical civili;ations to be built u%$ one after the other. No$ =anus$ let)s not s%eculate. *et)s &ait and see if &e can detect radio4&ave radiation$ or not.@ 44Closer still to Nemesis. It &as a tiny red orb no& to the unaided eye$ but its dimness could be loo"ed at &ithout trouble. !o one side$ Me7as &as visible as a ruddy dot. In the telesco%e$ it sho&ed at somethin7 less than half4%hase as a result of the an7le it made &ith (otor and &ith Nemesis. rythro could be made out in the telesco%e$ too$ as a dimmer crimson dot. It 7re& bri7hter &ith time$ and Insi7na said$ ?It)s 7ood ne&s for you$ =anus. No sus%icious radio4 &ave radiation of %ossibly technolo7ical ori7in has yet been detected.@ ?-onderful.@ Pitt felt the &ave of relief as thou7h it &ere a %hysical &armth &ashin7 over him. ?0on)t lea%$ thou7h$@ said Insi7na. ?!hey mi7ht use less radio4&ave radiation that &e mi7ht e8%ect. !hey mi7ht shield it very &ell. !hey mi7ht even use somethin7 else in %lace of radio &aves.@ Pitt)s mouth >uir"ed into a small half4smile. ? Are you su77estin7 that seriously1@ Insi7na shru77ed uncertainly. Pitt said$ ?3ecause if you)re a bettin7 &oman$ don)t bet on it.@ 44Closer still to Nemesis$ and rythro &as no& a lar7e orb to the unaided eye$ &ith bloated Me7as near it$ and Nemesis on the other side of the Settlement. (otor had ad6usted its velocity to "ee% %ace &ith rythro$ &hich$ throu7h the telesco%e$ sho&ed driftin7 bro"en clouds in the familiar s%iral sha%es of a %lanet of arth4ty%e tem%erature and atmos%here$ and$ therefore$ it should be counted on as %ossessin7 an at least va7uely arth4li"e climate. Insi7na said$ ?!here are no si7ns of li7ht on the ni7ht4side of rythro. !hat should %lease you$ =anus.@ ?!he absence of li7ht is not consistent &ith a technolo7ical civili;ation$ I su%%ose.@ ?It certainly isn)t.@ ?*et me %lay devil)s advocate$ then$@ said Pitt. ?-ith a red sun and dim li7ht$ &ouldn)t a civili;ation %roduce a dim artificial li7ht as &ell1@ ?It mi7ht be dim in the visible re7ion$ but Nemesis is rich in the infrared and &e &ould e8%ect artificial li7ht to be similarly rich. -hat infrared &e detect$ ho&ever$ is %lanetary. It a%%ears$ more or less e>ually$ over the entire land surface$ &hereas artificial li7ht &ould have %atterns$ comin7 off richly in %o%ulation concentrations$ s%arsely else&here.@ ?!hen for7et it$ u7enia$@ said Pitt buoyantly. ?!here is no technolo7ical civili;ation. It mi7ht ma"e rythro less interestin7 in some &ays$ but you can)t &ant us to face our e>uals$ or$ %erha%s$ our su%eriors. -e &ould have to leave and 7o else&here$ and &e have no&here else to 7o$ and %erha%s an insufficient ener7y su%%ly to 7et there if &e did. As it is$ &e can stay.@ ?!here)s still co%ious o8y7en in the atmos%here$ so there)s still certain to be life on rythro. It)s only a technolo7ical civili;ation that)s lac"in7. It means &e)ll have to 7o do&n and study its life4forms.@ ?-hy1@ ?#o& can you as"$ =anus1 If &e have another sam%le of life here$ one that is alto7ether inde%endent of the life develo%ed on arth$ &hat a bonan;a it &ould be for our biolo7ists<@

?I see. 2ou)re tal"in7 about scientific curiosity. -ell$ the life4forms &on)t 7o a&ay$ I su%%ose. !here &ill be time enou7h for that later. .irst thin7s first.@ ?-hat can come ahead of a study of a totally ne& form of life1@ ? u7enia$ be reasonable. -e must establish ourselves here. -e must build other Settlements. -e must create a lar7e and &ell4ordered society$ one far more homo7eneous$ self4understandin7$ and %eaceful than ever e8isted in the Solar System.@ ?.or that &e)ll need material su%%lies$ &hich ta"es us do&n to rythro a7ain$ &here &e)ll have to study the life4forms44@ ?No$ u7enia. !o land on rythro and to ta"e off a7ain in the face of its 7ravitational field &ould be too costly at the %resent moment. !he intensity of the 7ravitational fields of rythro and of Me7as44don)t for7et Me7as44is 7reat enou7h$ even out here in s%ace. One of our %eo%le calculated it for me. -e)ll have a %roblem 7ettin7 our su%%lies even from the asteroid belt$ but it &ill be less of a %roblem than 7ettin7 them from rythro. In fact$ if &e station ourselves in the asteroid belt$ matters &ould be even more %rice4 effective. !he asteroid belt &ill be &here &e build our Settlements.@ ?Are you %ro%osin7 to i7nore rythro1@ ?.or a &hile$ u7enia. -hen &e are stron7$ &hen our ener7y su%%ly is much 7reater$ &hen our society is stable and 7ro&in7$ time enou7h then to investi7ate rythro)s life4forms or$ %erha%s$ its unusual chemistry.@ Pitt smiled soothin7ly$ understandably$ at Insi7na. !he side issue of rythro$ he "ne&$ had to be delayed as lon7 as %ossible. If it bore no technolo7ical society$ then &hatever other life4forms and resources it had could &ait. !he %ursuin7 hordes from the Solar System &ere the true enemy. -hy couldn)t others see &hat had to be done1 -hy &ere others so easily diverted into useless side %aths1 #o& &ould he ever dare to die and leave the fools un%rotected1

TEN: PERSUASION
1J. So no&$ t&elve years after the discovery that no technolo7ical civili;ation e8isted on rythro$ and t&elve years durin7 &hich no Settlements from arth had suddenly a%%eared to ruin the ne& &orld that &as 7radually bein7 constructed$ Pitt could a%%reciate these rare moments of rest. And yet$ even in these rare moments$ doubts cre%t in. #e &ondered &hether (otor &ould not have been better off$ if he had clun7 to that ori7inal resolve of his44if they had not remained in orbit about rythro$ and if the 0ome on rythro had never been built. #e &as leanin7 bac" in his soft chair$ the restrainin7 fields cushionin7 him$ the aura of %eace lullin7 him almost into slee%$ &hen he heard the soft bu;; that dre& him bac"$ reluctantly$ into reality. #e o%ened his eyes 9he had not reali;ed they &ere closed: to loo" at the small vie&4%atch on the o%%osite &all. A touch of a contact ma7nified it into holovision. It &as Semyon A"orat$ of course. !here he &as &ith his bald bullet4head. 9A"orat shaved off the dar" frin7e that &ould other&ise sho&$ feelin7$ >uite ri7htly$ that a fe& fu7itive hairs &ould but ma"e the desert in the center loo" the more %athetic$ &hereas a sha%ely s"ull$ unmarred by interru%tion$ could loo" almost stately.: !here he &as$ also$ &ith his &orried eyes$ &hich al&ays loo"ed &orried even &hen there &as no cause for &orry. Pitt found him un%leasant$ not because of any failure in loyalty or efficiency 9he could not be im%roved on$ either &ay: but sim%ly because of conditioned res%onse. A"orat al&ays announced an invasion of Pitt)s %rivacy$ an interru%tion of his thou7hts$ a necessity for doin7 &hat he &ould rather not do. In short$ A"orat &as in char7e of Pitt)s a%%ointments and said &ho could see him and &ho could not. Pitt fro&ned sli7htly. #e could not recall that he had an a%%ointment$ but he often for7ot and relied on A"orat not to. ?-ho is it1@ he said resi7nedly. ?No one im%ortant$ I ho%e.@ ?No one at all of any real si7nificance$@ said A"orat$ ?but %erha%s you had better see her.@ ?Is she &ithin earshot1@ ?Commissioner$@ said A"orat re%roachfully$ as thou7h he &ere bein7 accused of dereliction of duty. ?Of course not. She is on the other side of the screen.@ #e had an enormous %recision of s%eech$ &hich Pitt found soothin7. !here &as never any >uestion of mista"in7 his &ords. Pitt said$ ?She1 I %resume it 0r. Insi7na$ then. -ell$ stic" to my instructions. Not &ithout an a%%ointment. I)ve had enou7h of her for a &hile$ A"orat. nou7h of her for the last t&elve years$ in fact. Ma"e u% an e8cuse. Say I)m in meditation44no$ she &on)t believe that44say44@ ?Commissioner$ it)s not 0r. Insi7na. I &ould not have disturbed you if it &ere. It)s44it)s her dau7hter.@ ?#er dau7hter1@ .or a moment$ he fumbled over her name. ?2ou mean Marlene .isher1@ ?2es. Naturally$ I told her you &ere busy$ and she said that I ou7ht to be ashamed of myself for tellin7 a lie$ for my e8%ression sho&ed it &as a lie$ u% and do&n$ and that my voice &as too tense to be tellin7 the truth.@ #e recited this &ith baritone indi7nation. ?In any case$ she &on)t leave. She insists you &ill see her if you "no& she is &aitin7. -ould you see her$ Commissioner1 !hose eyes of hers rattle me$ fran"ly.@ ?It seems to me I)ve heard of her eyes$ too. -ell$ send her in$ send her in$ and I)ll try to survive her eyes. Come to thin" of it$ she has some e8%lainin7 to do.@ She entered. 9(emar"ably self4%ossessed$ Pitt thou7ht$ thou7h %ro%erly demure and &ith no si7n of defiance.: She sat do&n$ her hands loosely in her la%$ and clearly &aited for Pitt to s%ea" first. #e let her &ait a little$ &hile he considered her in a rather absent fashion. #e had seen her occasionally &hen she &as youn7er$ but not for a &hile$ no&. She had not been a %retty child and she &asn)t any %rettier no&. She had broad chee"bones$ and a certain 7racelessness about her$ but she did have remar"able eyes$ and sha%ely eyebro&s and lon7 eyelashes$ too. Pitt said$ ?-ell$ Miss .isher$ I)m told you &anted to see me. May I as" &hy1@ Marlene loo"ed u% at him$ her eyes cool$ and seemed entirely at ease. She said$ ?Commissioner

Pitt$ I thin" my mother must have told you that I told a friend of mine that the arth &as 7oin7 to be destroyed.@ Pitt)s eyebro&s hunched do&n over his o&n rather ordinary eyes. #e said$ ?2es$ she did. And I ho%e she told you that you must not s%ea" of such matters in so foolish a &ay a7ain.@ ?2es$ she did$ Commissioner$ but not s%ea"in7 about it doesn)t mean it isn)t soA and callin7 it foolish doesn)t ma"e it so.@ ?I am Commissioner of (otor$ Miss .isher$ and it is my function to concern myself &ith such matters$ and therefore you must leave it entirely to me$ &hether it is so or not so$ &hether it is foolish or not foolish. #o& did you 7et the idea that the arth &as 7oin7 to be destroyed1 Is this somethin7 your mother told you1@ ?Not directly$ Commissioner.@ ?3ut indirectly. Is that it1@ ?She couldn)t hel% that$ Commissioner. veryone s%ea"s in all sorts of &ays. !here)s the choice of &ords. !here)s intonation$ e8%ression$ the flic"er of eyes and eyelids$ little tric"s of clearin7 the throat. A hundred thin7s. 0o you "no& &hat I mean1@ ?I "no& e8actly &hat you mean. I &atch for those thin7s myself.@ ?And you feel very %roud of that$ Commissioner. 2ou feel you)re very 7ood at it and that that)s one of the reasons you)re Commissioner.@ Pitt loo"ed startled. ?I didn)t say that$ youn7 &oman.@ ?Not in &ords$ Commissioner. 2ou didn)t have to.@ #er eyes &ere fi8ed on his. !here &as no trace of a smile on her face$ but her eyes seemed amused. ?-ell then$ Miss .isher$ is that &hat you came to tell me1@ ?No$ Commissioner. I came because my mother has found it difficult to see you recently. No$ she didn)t tell me so. I 6ust 7athered it. I thou7ht you mi7ht see me$ instead.@ ?All ri7ht$ you)re here. No& &hat is it you came to tell me1@ ?My mother is unha%%y about the chance that arth may be destroyed. My father)s there$ you "no&.@ Pitt felt a small s%asm of an7er. #o& could a %urely %ersonal matter be allo&ed to interfere &ith the &elfare of (otor and all that it mi7ht become in the future1 !his Insi7na$ for all her usefulness in havin7 found Nemesis in the first %lace$ had lon7 been an albatross about his nec" &ith her unfailin7 &ay of headin7 do&n every &ron7 %ath. And no&$ &hen he &ould see her no more$ she sent her mad dau7hter. #e said$ ? Are you under the im%ression that this destruction you s%ea" of &ill ha%%en tomorro&$ or ne8t year1@ ?No$ Commissioner$ I "no& that it &ill ha%%en in 6ust a little bit less than five thousand years.@ ?If that is the case$ your father &ill be lon7 7one by then$ as &ill your mother$ and I$ and you. And &hen &e)re all 7one$ it &ill still be nearly five thousand years before destruction for arth and %ossibly other %lanets of the Solar System44if that destruction ha%%ens at all$ &hich it &on)t.@ ?It)s the idea of it$ Commissioner$ &henever it ha%%ens.@ ?2our mother must have told you that lon7 before the time comes$ the %eo%le of the Solar System &ill be a&are of44of &hatever you thin" &ill ha%%en$ and &ill deal &ith it. 3esides$ ho& can &e com%lain of %lanetary destruction1 very &orld faces it eventually. ven if there are no cosmic collisions$ every star must %ass throu7h a red 7iant sta7e and destroy its %lanets. =ust as all human bein7s &ill die someday$ so &ill all %lanets. Planetary lifetimes are a little lon7er$ but that)s all. 0o you understand all that$ youn7 lady1@ ?2es$ I do$@ said Marlene seriously. ?I have a 7ood relationshi% &ith my com%uter.@ 9I)ll bet she does$ thou7ht Pitt$ and then44too late44tried to &i%e out the small sardonic smile that had t&itched into e8istence on his face. She had %robably used it to understand his attitude.: #e said &ith a note of finality$ ?!hen &e come to the end of our conversation. !he tal" of destruction is foolish$ and even if it &eren)t$ it has nothin7 to do &ith you$ and you must never s%ea" of it a7ain$ or not only you$ but your mother as &ell$ &ill be in trouble.@ ?-e)re not at the end of our conversation yet$ Commissioner.@ Pitt felt himself losin7 %atience$ but he said$ >uite calmly$ ?My dear Miss .isher$ &hen your Commissioner says it)s the end$ it is44re7ardless of &hat you thin".@ #e half4rose$ but Marlene sat &here she &as. ?3ecause I &ant to offer you somethin7 you &ould dearly li"e to have.@ ?-hat1@

?!he 7ood riddance of my mother.@ Pitt san" bac" into his chair$ truly %u;;led. ?-hat do you mean by that1@ ?If you &ill listen to me$ Commissioner$ I &ill tell you. My mother can)t live li"e this. She)s concerned about arth and the Solar System and44and she thin"s about my father sometimes. She thin"s that Nemesis may be the nemesis of the Solar System and since she 7ave it the name$ she feels res%onsible. She)s an emotional %erson$ commissioner.@ ?2es1 2ou)ve noticed that$ have you1@ ?And she bothers you. She reminds you every once in a &hile about matters that she feels stron7ly about$ and you don)t &ant to hear about$ and so you refuse to see her$ and you &ish she)d 7o a&ay. 2ou can send her a&ay$ Commissioner.@ ?Indeed1 -e)ve 7ot one other Settlement. Shall I send her to Ne& (otor1@ ?No$ Commissioner. Send her to rythro.@ ? rythro1 3ut &hy should I send her there1 =ust because I &ant to 7et rid of her1@ ?!hat &ould be your reason. 2es$ Commissioner. It &ould not be my reason$ thou7h. I &ant her on rythro because she can)t really &or" at the Observatory. !he instruments al&ays seem to be in use and she feels she)s bein7 &atched all the time. She feels your annoyance. And besides$ (otor isn)t a 7ood base for delicate measurements. It turns too ra%idly and too unevenly for 7ood measurements.@ ?2ou have it all at your fin7erti%s. 0id your mother e8%lain this to you1 No$ you don)t have to tell me. She didn)t tell you directly$ did she1 Only indirectly.@ ?2es$ Commissioner. And there)s my com%uter.@ ?!he one you have friendly relations &ith1@ ?2es$ Commissioner.@ ?And so you thin" she &ill be able to &or" better on rythro.@ ?2es$ Commissioner. It &ill be a stabler base$ and she mi7ht ma"e the "ind of measurements that &ill convince her that the Solar System &ill survive. ven if she finds out other&ise$ it &ill ta"e a lon7 time for her to be sure of that and for that time$ at least$ you)ll be rid of her.@ ?I see that you &ant to be rid of her$ too$ is that it1@ ?Not at all$ Commissioner$@ said Marlene &ith com%osure. ?I &ould 7o &ith her. 2ou)d be rid of me$ too$ &hich &ould %lease you even more than bein7 rid of her.@ ?-hat ma"es you thin" I &ant to 7et rid of you$ too1@ Marlene fi8ed her 7a;e on him$ somber$ unblin"in7. ?No& you do$ Commissioner$ since you no& "no& that I have no trouble in inter%retin7 your inner feelin7s.@ Suddenly$ Pitt found himself des%erately &antin7 to 7et rid of this monster. #e said$ ?*et me thin" about this$@ and turned his head. #e felt that he &as bein7 childish in loo"in7 a&ay$ but he did not &ant this horrible youn7ster to read his face li"e the o%en boo" it &as. It &as$ after all$ the truth. #e did no& &ant to 7et rid of mother and dau7hter ali"e. -here the mother &as concerned$ he had indeed thou7ht$ on several occasions$ of e8ilin7 her to rythro. 3ut since she &ould scarcely have &anted to 7o$ there &ould have been a most una%%eti;in7 fuss and he had no stomach for that. No&$ thou7h$ her dau7hter had 7iven him a reason &hy she mi7ht indeed &ant to 7o to rythro$ and that$ of course$ chan7ed thin7s. #e said slo&ly$ ?If your mother really &ants this44@ ?She really does$ Commissioner. She hasn)t mentioned it to me$ and it may be she hasn)t even thou7ht of it yet$ but she &ill &ant to 7o. I "no& that. !rust me.@ ?0o I have a choice1 And do you &ant to 7o1@ ?Very much$ Commissioner.@ ?!hen I &ill arran7e for it at once. 0oes that satisfy you1@ ?2es$ it does$ Commissioner.@ ?!hen shall &e now consider the intervie& at an end1@ Marlene rose and duc"ed her head in a 7raceless bo&$ %resumably one that &as intended to be res%ectful. ?!han" you$ Commissioner.@ She turned and left$ and it &asn)t till she had been 7one for several minutes that Pitt dared unclench the 7ri% that had "e%t his face in %lace till it &as achin7. #e dared not have allo&ed her to deduce from anythin7 he said or did or seemed$ the final item that he$ and only one other %erson$ "ne& about rythro.

ELEVEN: ORBIT
1K. Pitt)s >uiet time &as over$ but he did not &ish it to be over. Cuite arbitrarily$ he canceled his afternoon a%%ointments. #e &anted more thin"in7 time. S%ecifically$ he &anted to thin" about Marlene. #er mother$ u7enia Insi7na .isher$ &as a %roblem$ and had$ in fact$ 7ro&n to be more of one over the last do;en years. She &as emotional and 6um%ed far ahead of anythin7 reason &ould allo&. 2et she &as a human bein7A she could be led and controlledA she could be %ent4u% &ithin the comfortable &alls of lo7icA and thou7h she mi7ht be restless at times$ she could be made to remain there. Not so &ith this Marlene. Pitt had no doubt that she &as a monster$ and he could only be 7rateful that she had foolishly revealed herself in order to hel% her mother on so trivial an occasion. 3ut then she &as ine8%erienced and lac"ed the &isdom to have "e%t her abilities hidden until she could use them in a truly devastatin7 fashion. 3ut she &ould only 7ro& more dan7erous as she 7re& older$ so she &ould have to be sto%%ed no&. And she would be sto%%ed by that other monster$ rythro. Pitt 7ave himself credit. #e had reco7ni;ed rythro as a monster from the start. It had its o&n e8%ression to read44the reflection of the bloody li7ht of its star$ an e8%ression that &as ominous and menacin7. -hen they had reached the asteroid belt$ a hundred million miles outside the orbit in &hich Me7as and rythro circled Nemesis$ Pitt had said$ &ith full confidence$ ?!his is the %lace.@ #e had e8%ected no difficulty. !he rational vie& admitted nothin7 else. Amon7 the asteroids$ Nemesis cast little heat and li7ht. !he loss of natural heat and li7ht &as nothin7$ since (otor had fully functional micro4fusion. In fact$ it &as actually a benefit. -ith its red li7ht dimmed to almost nothin7$ it did not &ei7h do&n the heart$ dar"en the mind$ and shiver the soul. !hen$ too$ a base in the asteroidal belt &ould %lace them in an area &here the 7ravitational effects of Nemesis and Me7as &ould be &ea"$ and &here maneuverability &ould$ in conse>uence$ be less ener7y4 e8%ensive. !he asteroids &ould be more easily mined$ and considerin7 the feeble li7ht of Nemesis$ there should be %lenty of volatiles on those little bodies. Ideal< And yet the %eo%le of (otor made it clear that$ by an over&helmin7 ma6ority$ they &anted to move the Settlement into orbit around rythro. Pitt labored to %oint out that they &ould be bathed in an7rily de%ressin7 red li7ht$ that they &ould be held firmly in the 7ri% of Me7as as &ell as rythro$ and that they mi7ht still have to 7o to the asteroids for ra& materials. Pitt discussed it an7rily &ith !ambor 3rossen$ the e84Commissioner$ to &hose %ost he had succeeded. !he rather &eary 3rossen o%enly en6oyed his ne& role as elder statesman far more than he had ever en6oyed bein7 Commissioner. 9#e had been "no&n to say that he lac"ed Pitt)s %leasure in ma"in7 decisions.: 3rossen had lau7hed at Pitt)s concern over the matter of Settlement location44not outri7ht$ to be sure$ but 7ently$ &ith his eyes. #e said$ ?!here)s no need$ =anus$ to feel that you must educate (otor into absolute a7reement &ith you. *et the Settlement have its o&n &ay once in a &hileA they &ill be all the readier to let you have your &ay at other times. If they &ant to orbit rythro$ let them orbit rythro.@ ?3ut it ma"es no sense$ !ambor. 0on)t you understand that1@ ?Of course I understand that. I also understand that (otor has been in orbit around a si;able &orld all its e8istence. !hat)s &hat seems ri7ht to (otorians and that)s &hat they &ant to have a7ain.@ ?-e &ere in orbit about arth. rythro is not arthA it is nothin7 li"e arth.@ ?It is a &orld and is about the same si;e as arth. It has land and sea. It has an atmos%here &ith o8y7en in it. -e could travel thousands of li7ht4years before findin7 a &orld this much li"e arth. I tell you a7ain. *et the %eo%le have it.@ Pitt had follo&ed 3rossen)s advice$ thou7h somethin7 &ithin him muttered dissension every ste% of the &ay. Ne& (otor &as also in orbit around rythro and so &ere the t&o others in %rocess of construction. Of course$ Settlements in the asteroid belt &ere on the dra&in7 boards$ but the %ublic clearly lac"ed ea7erness to %ut them throu7h.

Of all that had ha%%ened since the discovery of Nemesis$ it &as this orbitin7 of rythro that Pitt considered (otor)s 7reatest mista"e. It should not have ha%%ened. And yet44and yet44could even he have forced it on (otor1 Mi7ht he have tried harder1 And &ould that merely have led to a ne& election and his dis%lacement1 It &as nostal7ia that &as the 7reat %roblem. Peo%le tended to loo" bac" and Pitt could not al&ays ma"e them turn their head and loo" for&ard. Consider 3rossen #e had died seven years a7o and Pitt had been at his deathbed. Pitt alone had ha%%ened to catch the old man)s dyin7 &ords. 3rossen had bec"oned to Pitt$ &ho had leaned close to him. 3rossen had reached out a feeble hand$ the s"in dry as %a%er. Clutchin7 feebly at Pitt$ he had &his%ered$ ?#o& bri7ht the Sun of arth &as$@ and had died. So because (otorians could not for7et ho& bri7ht the Sun had once been$ and ho& 7reen the arth had once been$ they cried out in e8as%eration a7ainst Pitt)s lo7ic and demanded that (otor orbit a &orld that &as not 7reen$ and that circled a sun that &as not bri7ht. It meant the loss of ten years in the rate of %ro7ress. !hey &ould have been ten years farther ahead had they been located in the asteroid belt from the start. Pitt &as convinced of that. !hat alone &as enou7h to %oison Pitt)s feelin7s to&ard rythro$ but there &as$ in connection &ith it$ matters that &ere &orse44much &orse.

TWELVE: ANGER
D0. As it ha%%ened$ Crile .isher$ havin7 7iven arth its first hint that there &as somethin7 %eculiar about (otor)s destination$ 7ave it its second hint as &ell. #e had been bac" on arth t&o years no&$ &ith (otor 7ro&in7 dimmer in his mind. u7enia Insi7na &as a rather %er%le8in7 memory 9&hat had he felt for her1:$ but Marlene remained a bitterness. #e found he could not se%arate her from (oseanne in his mind. !he one4year4old dau7hter he remembered and the seventeen4year4old sister he also remembered fused into one %ersonality. *ife &as not hard. #e dre& a 7enerous %ension. !hey had even found &or" for him to do$ an easy administrative %osition in &hich he &as re>uired to ma"e decisions on occasion that &ere 7uaranteed to affect nothin7 of im%ortance. !hey had for7iven him$ at least in %art$ he thou7ht$ because he had remembered that one remar" of u7enia)s$ ?If you "ne& &here &e &ere 7oin744@ 2et he had the im%ression that he &as "e%t under &atch$ any&ay$ and he had 7ro&n to resent it. +arand -yler a%%eared no& and then$ al&ays friendly$ al&ays in>uisitive$ al&ays returnin7 the sub6ect to (otor in one &ay or another. #e had$ in fact$ made his a%%earance no&$ and the sub6ect of (otor came u%$ as .isher e8%ected it &ould. .isher sco&led$ and said$ ?It)s been nearly t&o years. -hat do you %eo%le &ant of me1@ -yler shoo" his head. ?I can)t say I "no&$ Crile. All &e have is that remar" of your &ife)s. It)s obviously not enou7h. She must have said somethin7 else in the years you s%ent &ith her. Consider the conversations you have hadA the tal" that bounced bac" and forth bet&een the t&o of you. Is there nothin7 there1@ ?!his is the fifth time you)ve as"ed that$ +arand. I have been >uestioned. I have been hy%noti;ed. I have been mind4%robed. I have been s>uee;ed dry$ and there is nothin7 in me. *et me 7o and find somethin7 else to tac"le. Or %ut me bac" to &or". !here are a hundred Settlements out there$ &ith friends confidin7 in each other and enemies s%yin7 on each other. -ho "no&s &hat one of them may "no& 44and may not even "no& that he "no&s.@ -yler said$ ?!o be truthful$ old man$ &e)ve been movin7 in that direction$ and &e)ve also been concentratin7 on the .ar Probe. It stands to reason that (otor must have found somethin7 the rest of us don)t "no&. -e)ve never sent out a .ar Probe. Neither has any other Settlement. Only (otor had the ca%acity for it. -hatever (otor found must be in the .ar Probe data.@ ?+ood. *oo" throu7h that data. !here must be enou7h there to "ee% you busy for years. As for me$ leave me alone. All of you.@ -yler said$ ? As a matter of fact$ there is enou7h there to "ee% us busy for years. (otor su%%lied a 7reat deal of data in line &ith the O%en Science A7reement. In %articular$ &e have their stellar %hoto7ra%hy at every ran7e of &avelen7th. !he .ar Probe cameras &ere able to reach almost every %art of the s"y$ and &e)ve been studyin7 it in detail and have found nothin7 in it of interest.@ ?Nothin71@ ?So far$ nothin7$ but$ as you say$ &e can continue to study it for years. Of course$ &e already have any number of items the astronomy %eo%le are deli7hted &ith. It "ee%s them ha%%y and busy$ but not a sin7le item$ not the sniff of one seems to hel% us decide &here they &ent. Not so far. I 7ather that there is absolutely nothin7$ for instance$ to lead us to thin" that there are %lanets orbitin7 either lar7e star of the Al%ha Centauri system. Nor are there are any une8%ected Sun4li"e stars &e don)t "no& about in our nei7hborhood. Personally$ I &ouldn)t e8%ect to find much any&ay. -hat could the .ar Probe see that &e couldn)t see from the Solar System1 It &as only a cou%le of li7ht4months a&ay. It should ma"e no difference. 2et some of us feel that (otor must have seen something and rather >uic"ly$ too. -hich brin7s us bac" to you.@ ?-hy me1@ ?3ecause your e84&ife &as the head of the .ar Probe %ro6ect.@ ?Not really. She became Chief Astronomer after the data had been collected.@ ?She &as the head after&ard and certainly an im%ortant %art durin7. 0id she never say anythin7 to you about &hat they had found in the .ar Probe1@

?Not a &ord. -ait$ did you say that the .ar Probe cameras &ere able to reach almost every %art of the s"y1@ ?2es.@ ?#o& much is Balmost every %art1) ? ?I)m not in their confidence to the %oint &here I can 7ive you e8act fi7ures. I 7ather it)s at least K0 %ercent.@ ?Or more1@ ?Maybe more.@ ?I &onder44@ ?-hat do you &onder1@ ?On (otor$ &e had a fello& named Pitt runnin7 thin7s.@ ?-e "no& that.@ ?3ut I thin" I "no& ho& he &ould do thin7s. #e &ould hand out the .ar Probe data a little at a time$ livin7 u% to the O%en Science A7reement$ but 6ust barely. And someho&$ by the time (otor left$ there &ould have been some of the data4410 %ercent or less44that he &ould not have had time to 7et to you. And that &ould be the im%ortant 10 %ercent or less.@ ?2ou mean the %art that tells us &here (otor &ent.@ ?Maybe.@ ?Only &e haven)t 7ot it.@ ?Sure$ you have it.@ ?#o& do you ma"e that out1@ ?=ust a little &hile a7o you &ondered &hy you should e8%ect to see anythin7 in the .ar Probe %hoto7ra%hs that you couldn)t see in the Solar System records. So &hy are you &astin7 your time on &hat they 7ave you1 Ma% out the %art of the s"y they didn&t 7ive you and study that %art on your own ma%s. As" yourself if there)s anythin7 there that mi7ht loo" different on a .ar Probe ma%44and &hy. !hat)s &hat I &ould do.@ #is voice suddenly rose to a formidable shout. ?2ou 7o bac" there. !ell them to loo" at the %art of the s"y they don)t have.@ -yler said thou7htfully$ ?!o%sy4turvy.@ ?No$ it isn)t. Perfectly strai7htfor&ard. =ust find someone in the Office &ho does more &ith his brain than sit on it$ and you may 7et some&here.@ -yler said$ ?-e)ll see.@ #e held out his hand to .isher. .isher sco&led and &ouldn)t ta"e it. It &as months before -yler made an a%%earance a7ain$ and .isher didn)t &elcome him. #e had been in a >uiet mood on this off4day from &or"$ and had even been readin7 a boo". .isher &as not one of those %eo%le &ho felt that a boo" &as a t&entieth4century abomination$ that only vie&in7 &as civili;ed. !here &as somethin7$ he thou7ht$ about holdin7 a boo"$ about the %hysical turnin7 of %a7es$ about the ability to lose one)s self in thou7ht over &hat one has read$ or even to dro&se off$ &ithout comin7 to$ and findin7 the film a hundred %a7es beyond$ or flic"erin7 at its close. .isher &as rather of the o%inion that the boo" &as the more civili;ed of the t&o modes. #e &as all the more annoyed at bein7 roused out of his %leasant lethar7y. ?No&$ &hat$ +arand1@ he said un7raciously. -yler did not lose his urbane smile. #e said$ bet&een his teeth$ ?-e)ve found it$ 6ust e8actly as you said &e &ould.@ ?.ound &hat1@ said .isher$ not rememberin7. !hen$ reali;in7 &hat this must refer to$ he said hastily$ ?0on)t tell me anythin7 I)m not su%%osed to "no&. I &on)t be tan7led &ith the Office anymore.@ ?!oo late$ Crile. 2ou)re &anted. !anayama himself &ants you in front of him.@ ?-hen1@ ?As soon as I can 7et you there.@ ?In that case$ tell me &hat)s 7oin7 on. I don)t &ant to face him cold.@ ?!hat)s &hat I intend to do. -e studied every %ortion of the s"y that the .ar Probe did not re%ort on. A%%arently those &ho did so as"ed themselves$ as you advised$ &hat it &as that a .ar Probe camera could see that a Solar System camera could not. !he obvious ans&er &as a dis%lacement of the nearer stars$ and once that &as in their heads$ the astronomers found an astonishin7 thin7$ somethin7 they couldn)t have %redicted.@ ?-ell1@ ?!hey found a very dim star &ith a %aralla8 of &ell over one second of arc.@ ?I)m not an astronomer. Is that unusual1@

?It means that the star is at only half the distance of Al%ha Centauri.@ ?2ou said Bvery dim.) ? ?It)s behind a small dust cloud$ they tell me. *isten$ if you)re not an astronomer$ your &ife on (otor &as. Perha%s she discovered it. 0id she ever say anythin7 to you about it.@ .isher shoo" his head. ?Not a &ord. Of course44@ ?2es1@ ?In the last fe& months$ there &as an e8citement about her. A "ind of brimmin7 over.@ ?2ou didn)t as" &hy1@ ?I assumed it &as the imminent de%arture of (otor. She &as e8cited about 7oin7 and that drove me mad.@ ?On account of your dau7hter1@ .isher nodded. ?!he e8citement may have been over the ne& star$ too. It all fits. Naturally$ they)d 7o to this ne& star. And if your &ife had discovered it$ they &ould be 7oin7 to her star. !hat &ould account for some of her ea7erness to 7o. 0oesn)t it ma"e sense1@ ?Maybe. I can)t say it doesn)t.@ ?All ri7ht$ then. !hat)s &hat !anayama &ants to see you about. And he)s an7ry. Not at you$ a%%arently$ but he)s an7ry.@ D1. It &as later that same day$ for there &as no delay on this occasion$ that Crile .isher found himself in the office of the !errestrial 3oard of In>uiry$ or$ as it &as far better "no&n to its em%loyees$ sim%ly the Office. 5attimoro !anayama$ &ho had directed the Office for over thirty years$ &as 7ettin7 >uite elderly. !he holo7ra%hs sho&n of him 9there &eren)t many: had been recorded years before$ &hen his hair &as still smooth and blac"$ his body strai7ht$ his e8%ression vi7orous. No& his hair &as 7ray$ his body 9never tall: &as sli7htly bent$ and %ossessed an air of frailty. #e mi7ht$ thou7ht .isher$ be reachin7 the %oint &here he &as considerin7 retirin7$ if it &ere conceivable that he intended to do anythin7 but die in harness. #is eyes$ .isher noted$ &ere$ bet&een their narro&ed lids$ as "een and as shar% as ever. .isher had a little trouble understandin7 him. n7lish &as as nearly universal a lan7ua7e on arth as it &as %ossible for a lan7ua7e to be$ but it had its varieties$ and !anayama)s &as not the North American variety .isher &as accustomed to. !anayama said coldly$ ?-ell$ .isher$ you failed us on (otor.@ .isher sa& no %oint in ar7uin7 the matterA and no %oint in ar7uin7 &ith !anayama$ in any case. ?2es$ 0irector$@ he said tonelessly. B?2et you may still have information for us.@ .isher si7hed silently$ then said$ ?I have been debriefed over and over.@ ?So I have been told$ and so I "no&. 2ou have not been as"ed everythin7$ ho&ever$ and I have a >uestion to &hich I44I44&ant an ans&er.@ ?2es$ 0irector1@ B?In your stay on (otor$ have you been a&are of anythin7 that &ould lead you to believe that the (otorian leadershi% hated arth1@ .isher)s eyebro&s climbed. ?#ate1 It &as clear to me that the %eo%le on (otor$ as on all Settlements$ I thin"$ loo"ed do&n on arth$ des%ised it as decadent$ brutal$ and violent. 3ut hatred1 I don)t thin" they thou7ht enou7h of us$ fran"ly$ to feel hatred.@ B?I tal" of the leadershi%$ not of the multitude.@ ?So do I$ 0irector. No hatred.@ ?!here)s no other &ay of accountin7 for it.@ ?B Accountin7 for &hat$ 0irector1 If that is a >uestion I may as"1@ !anayama loo"ed u% at him shar%ly 9the force of his %ersonality made one rarely a&are of 6ust ho& short he &as:. ?0o you "no& that this ne& star is movin7 in our direction1 Cuite in our direction1@ .isher$ startled$ loo"ed >uic"ly to&ard -yler$ but -yler sat in com%arative shado&$ &ell out of ran7e of the sunli7ht from the &indo&$ and &as not$ in a%%earance$ loo"in7 at anythin7. !anayama$ &ho &as standin7$ said$ ?-ell$ sit do&n$ .isher$ if it &ill hel% you thin". I &ill sit

do&n$ too.@ #e sat do&n on the ed7e of his des"$ his short le7s dan7lin7. ?0id you "no& about the motion of the star1@ ?No$ 0irector. I didn)t "no& of the e8istence of the star at all till A7ent -yler told me.@ ?2ou didn)t1 Surely it &as "no&n on (otor.@ ?If so$ no one told me.@ ?2our &ife &as e8cited and ha%%y in the last %eriod before (otor left. So you told A7ent -yler. -hat &as the reason1@ ?A7ent -yler had thou7ht it mi7ht be because she had discovered the star.@ ?And %erha%s she "ne& of the star)s motion and &as %leased at the thou7ht of &hat &ould ha%%en to us.@ ?I can)t see &hy that thou7ht should ma"e her ha%%y$ 0irector. I must tell you that I do not actually "no& that she "ne& of the star)s motion or even that it e8isted. I do not$ of my o&n "no&led7e$ "no& that anyone on (otor "ne& that the star e8isted.@ !anayama loo"ed at him thou7htfully$ rubbin7 one side of his chin li7htly$ as thou7h relievin7 a sli7ht itch. #e said$ ?!he %eo%le on (otor &ere all uros$ I believe$ &eren)t they1@ .isher)s eyes &idened. #e hadn)t heard that vul7arism in a lon7 time44never from a 7overnment functionary. #e remembered -yler)s comment soon after he had returned to arth about (otor bein7 ?Sno& -hite.@ #e had dismissed it as a %iece of li7hthearted sarcasm$ and had 7iven no heed to it. #e said resentfully$ ?I don)t "no&$ 0irector. I didn)t study them all. I don)t "no& &hat their ancestries may be.@ ?Come$ .isher. 2ou don)t have to study them. =ud7e by their a%%earances. In all your stay on (otor$ did you encounter one face that &as Afro$ or Mon7o$ or #indo1 0id you encounter a dar" com%le8ion1 An e%icanthic fold1@ .isher e8%loded. ?0irector$ you)re bein7 t&entieth4century.@ 9If he had "no&n a stron7er &ay of %uttin7 it$ he &ould have.: ?I don)t 7ive these thin7s thou7ht$ and no one on arth should. I)m sur%rised you do$ and I don)t thin" it &ould hel% your %osition if it &ere "no&n that you do.@ ?0on)t indul7e in fairy tales$ A7ent .isher$@ said the 0irector$ movin7 one 7narled fin7er from side to side in admonition. ?I am tal"in7 about &hat is. I "no& that on arth &e i7nore all variation amon7 ourselves$ at least out&ardly.@ ?=ust out&ardly1@ said .isher in indi7nation. ?=ust out&ardly$@ said !anayama coldly. ?-hen arth)s %eo%le 7o out to the Settlements$ they sort themselves out by variation. -hy should they do that$ if they i7nored all variation1 On any Settlement$ all are ali"e$ or$ if there is some admi8ture to be7in &ith$ those &ho are &ell outnumbered feel ill4at4ease$ or are made to feel ill4at4ease$ and shift to another Settlement &here they are not outnumbered. Isn)t that so1@ .isher found he could not deny this. It &as so$ and he had someho& ta"en it for 7ranted &ithout >uestionin7 it. #e said$ ?#uman nature. *i"e clin7s to li"e. It set u% a44nei7hborhood.@ ?#uman nature$ of course. *i"e clin7s to li"e$ because li"e hates and des%ises unli"e.@ ?!here are M4Mon7o Settlements$ too.@ .isher stumbled over the &ord$ and reali;ed full &ell that he mi7ht be mortally offendin7 the 0irector44an easy and dan7erous man to offend. !anayama did not blin". ?I "no& that &ell$ but it)s the uros &ho most recently dominated the %lanet$ and they cannot for7et it$ can they1@ ?!he others$ %erha%s$ cannot for7et that either$ and they have more cause to hate.@ ?3ut it)s (otor that &ent flyin7 off to esca%e from the Solar System.@ ?It ha%%ened to be they &ho had discovered hy%er4assistance.@ ?And they &ent to a nearby star that only they "ne& of$ one &hich is headin7 to&ard our Solar System and may %ass closely enou7h to disru%t it.@ ?-e don)t "no& they "no& that$ or that they even "no& the star.@ ?Of course they "no& it$@ said !anayama &ith &hat &as almost a snarl. ?And they left &ithout &arnin7 us.@ ?0irector44&ith res%ect44this is illo7ical. If they are 7oin7 to establish themselves on a star that &ill$ on its a%%roach$ disru%t our Solar System$ the star)s o&n system &ill also be disru%ted.@ ?!hey can easily esca%e$ even if they build more Settlements. -e have an entire &orld of ei7ht billion %eo%le to evacuate44a much more difficult tas".@ ?#o& much time do &e have1@ !anayama shru77ed... Several thousand years$ they tell me.@

?!hat)s a 7reat deal of time. It mi7ht not have occurred to them$ 6ust conceivably$ that it &as necessary to &arn us. As the star a%%roaches$ it &ill surely be discovered &ithout &arnin7.@ ?And by that time$ &e &ill have less time to evacuate. !heir discovery of the star &as accidental. -e &ould not have discovered it for a lon7 time$ but for your &ife)s indiscreet remar" to you$ and but for your su77estion44a 7ood one44that &e loo" closely at the %art of the s"y that had been omitted. (otor &as countin7 on our discovery bein7 as belated as %ossible.@ ?3ut$ 0irector$ &hy should they &ant such a thin71 Sheer motiveless hate1@ ?Not motiveless. So that the Solar System$ &ith its heavy load of non4 uros$ mi7ht be destroyed. So that humanity can ma"e a ne& start on a homo7enous basis of uros only. h1 -hat do you thin" of that1@ .isher shoo" his head hel%lessly. ?Im%ossible. 'nthin"able.@ ?-hy else should they have failed to &arn us1@ ?Mi7ht it not be that they did not themselves "no& of the star)s motion1@ ?Im%ossible$@ said !anayama ironically. ?'nthin"able. !here is no other reason for &hat they have done but their &illin7ness to see us destroyed. 3ut &e &ill discover hy%ers%atial travel for ourselves$ and &e &ill move out to this ne& star and find them. And &e &ill even the score.@

THIRTEEN: DOME
DD. u7enia Insi7na 7reeted her dau7hter)s statement &ith a half4lau7h of disbelief. #o& does one 7o about doubtin7 a youn7 dau7hter)s sanity as an alternative to doubtin7 one)s o&n hearin7 ca%acity1 ?-hat did you say$ Marlene1 -hat do you mean I)m 7oin7 to rythro1@ ?I as"ed Commissioner Pitt$ and he said he &ould arran7e it.@ Insi7na loo"ed blan". ?3ut &hy1@ 3etrayin7 a bit of irritation$ Marlene ans&ered$ ?3ecause you say you &ant to ma"e delicate astronomical measurements and you can)t do it delicately enou7h from (otor. 2ou can do it from rythro. 3ut I see I)m not ans&erin7 your real >uestion.@ ?2ou)re ri7ht. -hat I meant &as &hy should Commissioner Pitt have said he &ould arran7e it1 I)ve as"ed several times before this$ and he has al&ays refused. #e)s un&illin7 to let anyone 7o to rythro 44e8ce%t for some s%ecialists.@ ?I 6ust %ut it to him in a different &ay$ Mother.@ Marlene hesitated a moment. ?I told him that I "ne& he &as an8ious to 7et rid of you and this &as his chance.@ Insi7na dre& in her breath so shar%ly that she cho"ed sli7htly and had to cou7h. !hen$ eyes &aterin7$ she said$ ?#o& could you say that1@ ?3ecause it)s true$ Mother. I &ouldn)t have said it if it &eren)t true. I)ve heard him s%ea" to you$ and I)ve heard you s%ea" about him$ and it)s 6ust so clear that I "no& you see it$ too. #e)s annoyed &ith you$ and &ishes you)d sto% botherin7 him about44about &hatever you bother him about. 2ou "no& that.@ Insi7na %ressed her li%s to7ether and said$ ?2ou "no&$ darlin7$ I)m 7oin7 to have to ta"e you into my confidence from no& on. It really embarrasses me to have you &orm these thin7s out.@ ?I "no&$ Mother.@ Marlene)s eyes dro%%ed. ?I)m sorry.@ ?3ut I still don)t understand. 2ou didn)t have to e8%lain to him that he)s annoyed &ith me. #e must "no& he is. -hy$ then$ didn)t he send me to rythro &hen I as"ed him to do so in the %ast1@ ?3ecause he hates havin7 anythin7 to do &ith rythro$ and 6ust 7ettin7 rid of you &asn)t enou7h to overcome his disli"e of the &orld. Only this time it)s not 6ust you 7oin7. It)s you and I. 3oth of us.@ Insi7na leaned for&ard$ %lacin7 her hands flat on the table bet&een them. ?No$ Molly4Marlene. rythro is not the %lace for you. I &on)t be there forever. I)II ta"e my measurements and come bac" and you)ll stay ri7ht here and &ait for me.@ ?I)m afraid not$ Mother. It)s clear that he)s only &illin7 to let you 7o because that)s the only &ay &e can 7et rid of me. !hat)s &hy he a7reed to send you &hen I as"ed that &e both 7o$ and &ouldn)t a7ree &hen you as"ed that 6ust you 7o. 0o you see1@ Insi7na fro&ned. ?No$ I don)t. I really don)t. -hat do you have to do &ith it1@ ?-hen &e &ere tal"in7$ and I e8%lained that I "ne& he &ould li"e to 7et rid of both of us$ his face fro;e44you "no&$ so he could &i%e out all e8%ression. #e "ne& I could understand e8%ressions and little thin7s li"e that$ and he didn)t &ant me to 7uess &hat he &as feelin7$ I su%%ose. 3ut that)s also a 7ivea&ay$ you see$ and tells me a lot. 3esides$ you can)t su%%ress everythin7. 2our eyes flic"er$ and I 7uess you don)t even "no& it.@ ?So you "ne& he &anted to 7et rid of you$ too.@ ?-orse than that. #e)s scared of me.@ ?-hy should he be scared of you1@ ?I su%%ose because he hates havin7 me "no& &hat he doesn)t &ant me to "no&.@ She added &ith a dour si7h$ ?*ots of %eo%le 7et u%set &ith me for that.@ Insi7na nodded. ?I can understand that. 2ou ma"e %eo%le feel na"ed44mentally na"ed$ I mean$ li"e a cold &ind is blo&in7 across their minds.@ #er eyes focused on her dau7hter. ?Sometimes I feel that &ay myself. *oo"in7 bac"$ I thin" you)ve disturbed me since you &ere a small child. I told myself often enou7h that you &ere sim%ly unusually intelli44@ ?I thin" I am$@ said Marlene >uic"ly. ?!hat$ too$ yes$ but it &as clearly somethin7 more than that$ thou7h I didn)t see it very clearly. !ell me44do you mind tal"in7 about this1@

?Not to you$ Mother$@ said Marlene$ but there &as a note of caution in her voice. ?-ell then$ &hen you &ere youn7er and found out that you could do this and other children couldn)t44and even other 7ro&n4u%s couldn)t44&hy didn)t you come and tell me about it1@ ?I tried once$ actually$ but you &ere im%atient. I mean$ you didn)t say anythin7$ but I could tell you &ere busy and couldn)t be bothered &ith childish nonsense.@ Insi7na)s eyes &idened. ?0id I say it &as childish nonsense1@ ?2ou didn)t say it$ but the &ay you loo"ed at me and the &ay you &ere holdin7 your hands said it.@ ?2ou should have insisted on tellin7 me.@ ?I &as 6ust a little "id. And you &ere unha%%y most of the timeabout Commissioner Pitt$ and about .ather.@ ?Never mind about that. Is there anythin7 else you can tell me no&1@ ?!here)s only one thin7$@ said Marlene. ?-hen Commissioner Pitt said &e could 7o$ there &as somethin7 about the &ay he said it that made me thin" he left out somethin744that there &as somethin7 he didn)t say.@ ?And &hat &as it$ Marlene1@ ?!hat)s 6ust it$ Mother. I can)t read minds$ so I don)t "no&. I can only 7o by outside thin7s and that leaves thin7s ha;y$ sometimes. Still44@ ?2es1@ ?I have the feelin7 that &hatever it &as he didn)t say &as rather un%leasant44maybe even evil.@ DE. +ettin7 ready for rythro too" Insi7na >uite a &hile$ of course. !here &ere matters on (otor that could not be left at mid%oint. !here had to be arran7ements in the astronomy de%artment$ instructions to others$ a%%ointment of her chief associate to the %osition of Chief Astronomer %ro4tem$ and some final consultations &ith Pitt$ &ho &as oddly noncommunicative on the matter. Insi7na finally %ut it to him durin7 her last re%ort before leavin7. ?I)m 7oin7 to rythro tomorro&$ you "no&$@ she said. ?Pardon me1@ #e loo"ed u% from the final re%ort she had handed him$ and &hich he had been starin7 at$ thou7h she &as convinced he &asn)t readin7 it. 9-as she %ic"in7 u% some of Marlene)s tric"s and not "no&in7 ho& to handle it1 She mustn)t be7in to believe that she &as %enetratin7 belo& the surface &hen$ in fact$ she &as not.: She said %atiently$ ?I)m 7oin7 to rythro tomorro&$ you "no&.@ ?Is it tomorro&1 -ell$ you)ll be comin7 bac" eventually$ so this is not 7ood4bye. !a"e care of yourself. *oo" u%on it as a vacation.@ ?I intend to be &or"in7 on Nemesis) motion throu7h s%ace.@ ?!hat1 -ell44@ #e made a 7esture &ith both hands as thou7h %ushin7 somethin7 unim%ortant a&ay. ?As you &ish. A chan7e of surroundin7s is a vacation even if you continue &or"in7.@ ?I &ant to than" you for allo&in7 this$ =anus.@ ?2our dau7hter as"ed me to. 0id you "no& she as"ed me to1@ ?I "no&. She told me the same day. I told her she had no ri7ht to bother you. 2ou &ere very tolerant of her.@ Pitt 7runted. ?She)s a very unusual 7irl. I didn)t mind obli7in7 her. It)s only tem%orary. .inish your calculations and return.@ She thou7ht, !hat)s t&ice he mentioned my return. -hat &ould Marlene ma"e out of that if she &ere here1 Somethin7 evil$ as she says1 3ut &hat1 She said evenly$ ?-e)ll come bac".@ #e said$ ?-ith the ne&s$ I ho%e$ that Nemesis &ill %rove harmless 44five thousand years from no&.@ ?!hat)s for the facts to decide$@ she said 7rimly$ then left. DF. It &as stran7e$ u7enia Insi7na thou7ht. She &as over t&o li7ht4years from the s%ot in s%ace

&here she &as born and yet she had only been on a s%aceshi% t&ice and then for the shortest %ossible 6ourneys44from (otor to arth and then bac" to (otor a7ain. She still had no 7reat ur7e to travel in s%ace. It &as Marlene &ho &as the drivin7 force behind this tri%. It &as she &ho$ inde%endently$ had seen Pitt and %ersuaded him to succumb to her stran7e form of blac"mail. And it &as she &ho &as truly e8cited$ &ith this odd com%ulsion of hers to visit rythro. Insi7na could not understand that com%ulsion and vie&ed it as another %art of her dau7hter)s uni>ue mental and emotional com%le8ity. Still$ &henever Insi7na >uailed at the thou7ht of leavin7 safe$ small$ comfortable (otor for the vast em%ty &orld of rythro$ so stran7e and menacin7$ and fully si8 hundred and fifty thousand "ilometers a&ay 9nearly t&ice as far a&ay as (otor had been from arth:$ it &as Marlene)s e8citement that reinvi7orated her. !he shi% that &ould ta"e them to rythro &as neither 7raceful nor beautiful. It &as serviceable. It &as one of a small fleet of roc"ets that acted as ferries$ blastin7 u% from the stod7y 7ravitational %ull of rythro$ or comin7 do&n &ithout darin7 to 7ive in to it by even a trifle$ and$ either &ay$ &or"in7 one)s &ay throu7h the cushiony$ &indy$ un%redictability of an untamed atmos%here. Insi7na didn)t thin" the tri% &ould be %leasurable. !hrou7h most of it they &ould be &ei7htless and t&o solid days of &ei7htlessness &ould$ no doubt$ be tedious. Marlene)s voice bro"e into her reverie. ?Come on$ Mother$ they)re &aitin7 for us. !he ba77a7e is all chec"ed and everythin7.@ Insi7na moved for&ard. #er last uneasy thou7ht as she %assed throu7h the airloc" &as44 %redictably443ut &hy &as =anus Pitt so &illin7 to let us 7o1 DG. Siever +enarr ruled a &orld as lar7e as arth. Or$ to be more accurate %erha%s$ he ruled$ directly$ a domed re7ion that covered nearly three s>uare "ilometers and &as slo&ly 7ro&in7. !he rest of the &orld$ ho&ever$ nearly five hundred million s>uare "ilometers of land and sea$ &as unoccu%ied by human bein7s. It &as also occu%ied by no other livin7 thin7s above the microsco%ic scale. So if a &orld is considered as bein7 ruled by the multicellular life4forms that occu%ied it$ the hundreds &ho lived and &or"ed in the domed re7ion &ere the rulers$ and Siever +enarr ruled over them. +enarr &as not a lar7e man$ but his stron7 features 7ave him an im%ressive loo". -hen he &as youn7$ this had made him loo" older than his a7e44but that had evened itself out no& that he &as nearly fifty. #is nose &as lon7 and his eyes some&hat %ouchy. #is hair &as in the first sta7es of 7ri;;le. #is voice$ ho&ever$ &as a musical and resonant baritone. 9#e had once thou7ht of the sta7e as a career$ but his a%%earance doomed him to occasional character roles$ and his talents as an administrator too" %recedence.: It &as those talents44%artly44that had "e%t him in the rythro 0ome for ten years$ &atchin7 it 7ro& from an uncertain three4room structure to the e8%ansive minin7 and research station it had no& become. !he 0ome had its disadvanta7es. .e& %eo%le remained lon7. !here &ere shifts$ since almost all those &ho came there considered themselves in e8ile and &ished$ more or less constantly$ to return to (otor. And most found the %in"ish li7ht of Nemesis either threatenin7 or 7loomy$ even thou7h the li7ht inside the 0ome &as every bit as bri7ht and homeli"e as that on (otor. It had its advanta7es$ too. +enarr &as removed from the hurly4burly of (otorian %olitics$ &hich seemed more in7ro&n and meanin7less each year. ven more im%ortant$ he &as removed from =anus Pitt$ &hose vie&s he 7enerally44and uselessly44o%%osed. Pitt had been strenuously o%%osed to any settlement on rythro from the start44even to (otor orbitin7 around rythro. #ere$ at least$ Pitt had been defeated by over&helmin7 %ublic o%inion$ but he sa& to it that the 0ome &as 7enerally starved for funds and that its 7ro&th &as slo&ed. If +enarr had not successfully develo%ed the 0ome as a source of &ater for (otor44far chea%er than it could be obtained from the asteroids44Pitt mi7ht have crushed it. In 7eneral$ thou7h$ Pitt)s %rinci%le of i7norin7 the 0ome)s e8istence as far as %ossible meant that he rarely attem%ted to interfere &ith +enarr)s administrative %rocedures44&hich suited +enarr ri7ht do&n to rythro)s dam% soil. It came as a sur%rise to him$ then$ that Pitt should have bothered to inform him %ersonally of the arrival of a %air of ne&comers$ instead of allo&in7 the information to sho& u% in the routine %a%er&or". Pitt had$ indeed$ discussed the matter in detail$ in his usual cli%%ed and arbitrary manner that invited no discussion$ or even comment$ and the conversation had been shielded$ too.

It came as an even 7reater sur%rise that one of the %eo%le comin7 to rythro &as u7enia Insi7na. Once$ years before the *eavin7$ they had been friends$ but then$ after their ha%%y colle7e days 9+enarr remembered them &istfully as rather romantic:$ u7enia had 7one to arth for her 7raduate studies and had returned to (otor &ith an arthman. +enarr had scarcely seen her44e8ce%t once or t&ice$ at a distance44since she had married Crile .isher. And &hen she and .isher had se%arated$ 6ust before the *eavin7$ +enarr had had &or" of his o&n and so had she44and it never occurred to either to rene& old ties. +enarr had$ %erha%s$ thou7ht of it occasionally$ but u7enia &as >uite a%%arently sun" in sorro&$ &ith an infant dau7hter to raise$ and he &as reluctant to intrude. !hen he &as sent to rythro and that ended even the %ossibility of rene&al. #e had %eriodic vacation time on (otor$ but he &as never at ease there any lon7er. Some old (otorian friendshi%s remained$ but only in lu"e&arm fashion. No& u7enia &as comin7 &ith her dau7hter. +enarr$ at the moment$ didn)t remember the 7irl)s name44if he had ever "no&n it. Certainly$ he had never seen her. !he dau7hter should be fifteen by no&$ and he &ondered$ &ith a >ueer little interior tremble$ if she &as be7innin7 to loo" anythin7 li"e the youn7 u7enia had. +enarr loo"ed out his office &indo& &ith an almost surre%titious air. #e had 7ro&n so used to rythro 0ome that he no lon7er sa& it &ith a critical eye. It &as the home of &or"in7 %eo%le of both se8es44adults$ no children. Shift &or"ers$ si7ned u% for a %eriod of &ee"s or %ossibly months$ sometimes returnin7 eventually for another shift$ sometimes not. 8ce%t for himself and four others &ho$ for one reason or another$ had learned to %refer the 0ome$ there &ere no %ermanents. !here &as no one to ta"e %ride in it as an ordinary abode. It &as "e%t clean and orderly as a matter of necessity$ but there &as also an air of artificiality about it. It &as too much a matter of lines and arcs$ %lanes and circles. It lac"ed irre7ularity$ lac"ed the chaos of %ermanent life$ &here a room$ or even 6ust a des"$ had ad6usted itself to the hollo&s and &averin7s of a %articular %ersonality. !here &as himself$ of course. #is des" and his room reflected his o&n an7ular and %lanar %erson. !hat$ %erha%s$ mi7ht be another reason he &as at home in the rythro 0ome. !he sha%e of his inner s%irit matched its s%are 7eometry. 3ut &hat &ould u7enia Insi7na thin" of it1 9#e &as rather %leased she had resumed her maiden name.: If she &ere as he remembered her$ she &ould revel in irre7ularity$ in the une8%ected touch of fri%%ery$ for all she &as an astronomer. Or had she chan7ed1 0id %eo%le ever chan7e$ essentially1 #ad Crile .isher)s desertion embittered her$ t&isted her +enarr scratched the hair at his tem%le &here it had 7one distinctly 7ray and thou7ht that these s%eculations &ere useless and time4&astin7. #e &ould see u7enia soon enou7h$ for he had left &ord that she &as to be brou7ht to him as soon as she had arrived. Or should he have 7one to 7reet her in %erson1 No< #e had ar7ued that &ith himself half a do;en times already. #e couldn)t loo" too an8iousA it &ouldn)t suit the di7nity of his %osition. 3ut then +enarr thou7ht that that &asn)t the reason at all. #e didn)t &ant to ma"e her uneasyA he didn)t &ant her to thin" he &as still the same uncomfortable and incom%etent admirer &ho had retreated in so shamblin7 a manner before the tall and broodin7 7ood loo"s of the arthman. And u7enia had never loo"ed at him a7ain after she had seen Crile44never seriously loo"ed at him. +enarr)s eyes scanned the messa7e from =anus Pitt44dry$ condensed$ as his messa7es al&ays &ere$ and &ith that indefinable feel of authority behind it$ as thou7h the %ossibility of disa7reement &ere not merely unheard of44but actually unthou7ht of. And he no& noted that Pitt s%o"e more forcefully of the youn7 dau7hter than of the mother. !here &as es%ecially Pitt)s statement that the dau7hter had e8%ressed a dee% interest in rythro$ and if she &ished to e8%lore its surface$ she &as to be allo&ed to. No& &hy &as that1 DH. And there she &as. .ourteen years older than at the time of the *eavin7. !&enty years older than she &as in her %re4Crile youth$ the day they had 7one into .armin7 Area C and climbed the levels into lo& 7ravity$ and she had lau7hed &hen he tried a lo& somersault and had turned too far and had come do&n on his belly. 9Actually$ he could easily have hurt himself$ for thou7h the sensation of &ei7ht decreased$ mass and inertia did not$ and dama7e could follo&. .ortunately$ he had not suffered that humiliation.

u7enia looked older$ too$ but she had not thic"ened very much$ and her hair44shorter no&$ and strai7ht44&as more matter4of4fact someho&$ but &as still a lively dar" bro&n. And &hen she advanced to&ard him$ smilin7$ he could feel his traitor heart s%eed a bit. She held out both hands and he too" them. ?Siever$@ she said$ ?I have betrayed you$ and I)m so ashamed.@ ?3etrayed me$ u7enia1 -hat are you tal"in7 about1@ -hat was she tal"in7 about1 Surely not her marria7e to Crile. She said$ ?I should have thou7ht of you every day. I should have sent you messa7es$ 7iven you the ne&s$ insisted on comin7 to visit you.@ ?Instead$ you never thou7ht of me at all<@ ?Oh$ I)m not that bad. I thou7ht of you every once in a &hile. I never really orgot you. 0on)t thin" that for a moment. It)s 6ust that my thou7hts never really %rom%ted me to do anythin7.@ +enarr nodded. -hat &as there to say1 #e said$ ?I "no& you)ve been busy. And I)ve been here44 out of si7ht and$ therefore$ out of mind.@ ?Not out of mind. 2ou)ve scarcely chan7ed at all$ Siever.@ ?!hat)s the advanta7e of loo"in7 old and cra77y &hen you)re t&enty. After that$ you never chan7e$ u7enia. !ime %asses and you 6ust loo" a trifle older and a trifle cra77ier. Not enou7h to matter.@ ?Come no&$ you ma"e a %rofession of bein7 cruel to yourself so that soft4hearted &omen &ill lea% to your defense. !hat hasn)t chan7ed at all.@ ?-here)s your dau7hter$ u7enia1 I &as told she &ould be comin7 &ith you.@ ?She came. 2ou can be sure of that. rythro is her idea of Paradise$ for no reason I can %ossibly thin" of. She &ent to our >uarters to strai7hten them out and un%ac" for the t&o of us. She)s that "ind of youn7 &oman. Serious. (es%onsible. Practical. 0utiful. She %ossesses &hat someone once described to me as all the unlovable virtues.@ +enarr lau7hed. ?I)m >uite at home &ith them. If you only "ne& ho& hard I)ve tried$ in my time$ to cultivate at least one charmin7 vice. I)ve al&ays failed.@ ?Oh &ell$ as one 7ro&s older$ I sus%ect one needs more unlovable virtues and fe&er charmin7 vices. 3ut &hy did you retreat %ermanently to rythro$ Siever1 I understand that rythro 0ome has to be administered$ but surely you)re not the only one on (otor &ho can do the 6ob.@ +enarr said$ ? Actually$ I li"e to thin" I am. In a &ay$ thou7h$ I en6oy it here and I do 7et to (otor on occasion for a short vacation.@ ?And never come to see me1@ ?=ust because I have a vacation doesn)t mean you do. I sus%ect you)re far busier than I am$ and have been ever since you discovered Nemesis. 3ut I)m disa%%ointed. I &anted to meet your dau7hter.@ ?2ou &ill. #er name)s Marlene. Actually$ it)s Molly in my heart$ but she &on)t allo& that. At the a7e of fifteen$ she has become remar"ably intolerant and insists on bein7 called Marlene. 3ut you)ll meet her$ never fear. Actually$ I didn)t &ant her here the first time. #o& could &e reminisce freely &ith her %resent1@ ?0o you &ant to reminisce$ u7enia1@ ?About some thin7s.@ +enarr hesitated. ?I)m sorry Crile didn)t 6oin the *eavin7.@ Insi7na)s smile became fi8ed. ? About some thin7s$ Siever.@ She turned a&ay and &al"ed to the &indo&$ starin7 out. ?!his is an elaborate %lace you have here$ by the &ay. =ust the little I)ve seen of it is im%ressive. 3ri7ht li7hts. Actual streets. Si;able buildin7s. And yet the 0ome is hardly ever s%o"en of or referred to bac" on (otor. #o& many %eo%le live and &or" here1@ ?It varies. -e have our slo& and busy times. -e)ve had as many as nearly nine hundred %eo%le here. At the moment$ the number is five hundred and si8teen. -e "no& every individual %resent. It)s not easy. ach day sees some come$ some 7o.@ ? 8ce%t you.@ ?And a fe& others.@ ?3ut &hy the 0ome$ Siever1 After all$ rythro)s atmos%here is breathable.@ +enarr %ushed out his lo&er li% and$ for the first time$ he did not meet her eyes. ?3reathable$ but not really comfortable. !he li7ht level is &ron7, -hen you 7et outside the 0ome$ you)re bathed in a %in"ish li7ht$ tendin7 to oran7e &hen Nemesis is hi7h in the s"y. It)s bri7ht enou7h. 2ou can read. Still$ it doesn)t seem natural. !hen$ too$ Nemesis itself doesn)t loo" natural. It loo"s too lar7e$ and most %eo%le thin" it loo"s threatenin7 and that its reddish li7ht ma"es it seem an7ry44and they 7et de%ressed. Nemesis is

dan7erous in actual fact$ too$ at least in a &ay. 3ecause it isn)t blindin7ly bri7ht$ there is a tendency to 7a;e at it and &atch for suns%ots. !he infrared can easily harm the retina. Peo%le &ho must 7o out in the o%en &ear a s%ecial helmet for that reason44amon7 other thin7s.@ ?!hen the 0ome is more of a device to "ee% normal li7ht in$ so to s%ea"$ rather than to "ee% anythin7 out.@ ?-e don)t even "ee% air out. !he air and &ater that circulates in the 0ome is dra&n from rythro)s %lanetary su%%ly. Naturally$ thou7h$ &e)re careful to "ee% somethin7 out$@ said +enarr. ?-e "ee% out the %ro"aryotes. 2ou "no&$ the little blue47reen cells.@ Insi7na nodded thou7htfully. !hat had turned out to be the e8%lanation for the o8y7en content in the air. !here was life on rythro$ even all4%ervasive life$ but it &as microsco%ic in nature$ only e>uivalent to the sim%lest forms of cellular life in the Solar System. She said$ ? Are they really %ro"aryotes1 I "no& that)s &hat they)re called$ but that)s &hat our bacteria are also called. Are they bacteria1@ ?If they)re e>uivalent to anythin7 in the history of Solar System life$ it is to the cyanobacteria$ those that %hotosynthesi;e. 2ou)re ri7ht to as" the >uestion$ thou7h. No$ they)re not our cyanobacteria. !hey %ossess nucleo%rotein$ but &ith a structure fundamentally different from that &hich %revails in our form of life. !hey also have a "ind of chloro%hyll that lac"s ma7nesium and &or"s on infrared so that the cells tend to be colorless rather than 7reen. 0ifferent en;ymes$ trace minerals in different %ro%ortions. Still$ they resemble arth cells sufficiently in outer a%%earance to be called %ro"aryotes. I understand that biolo7ists are %ushin7 for the &ord Berythryotes) but for nonbiolo7ists li"e ourselves$ %ro"aryotes is 7ood enou7h.@ ?And they)re efficient enou7h in their &or"in7s to account for the o8y7en in rythro)s atmos%here1@ ?Absolutely. Nothin7 else could %ossibly e8%lain its e8istence there. 3y the &ay$ u7enia$ you)re the astronomer$ so &hat)s the latest thin"in7 on ho& old Nemesis mi7ht be1@ Insi7na shru77ed. ?(ed d&arfs are ne8t to bein7 immortal. Nemesis can be as old as the 'niverse and still 7o on for another hundred billion years or so &ithout visible chan7e. !he best &e can do is 6ud7e by the contents of the minor elements ma"in7 u% its structure. Su%%osin7 that it)s a first47eneration star and didn)t be7in &ith anythin7 beyond hydro7en and helium$ it is a bit over ten billion years old44a little more than t&ice the a7e of the Sun of the Solar System.@ ?!hen rythro is ten billion years old$ too.@ ?Absolutely. A stellar system is formed all at once and not %iecemeal. -hy are you as"in71@ ?It 6ust stri"es me as odd that in ten billion years$ life hasn)t 7ot %ast the %ro"aryote sta7e.@ ?I don)t thin" that)s sur%risin7$ Siever. On arth$ for some&here bet&een t&o and three billion years after life first a%%eared$ it remained strictly %ro"aryote$ and here on rythro the ener7y concentration in sunli7ht is far less than it is on arth. It ta"es ener7y to form more com%licated life4forms. !his sort of thin7 has been %retty &ell discussed amon7 the (otorians.@ ?I)m sure of it$@ said +enarr$ ?but it doesn)t seem to reach us here at the 0ome. Our minds are too fi8ed$ I su%%ose$ on our local duties and %roblems44thou7h you)d thin" anythin7 to do &ith the %ro"aryotes &ould come under that headin7.@ ?.or that matter$@ said Insi7na$ ?&e don)t hear much about the 0ome on (otor.@ ?2es$ thin7s tend to com%artmentali;e. 3ut then$ of course$ there)s nothin7 7lamorous about the 0ome$ u7enia. It)s 6ust a &or"sho%$ so I)m not sur%rised it 7ets lost in the %ress of events on (otor. It)s the ne& Settlements that are bein7 built that 7et all the attention. Are you 7oin7 to move to one of them1@ ?Never. I)m a (otorian$ and I intend to stay one. I &ouldn)t even be here44if you)ll %ardon my sayin7 so44if it &eren)t an astronomical necessity. I)ve 7ot to ma"e a number of observations from a base that is more stable than (otor.@ ?So I have been informed by Pitt. I am instructed to 7ive you my full coo%eration.@ ?+ood. I)m sure you &ill. Incidentally$ you mentioned earlier that the 0ome &ould li"e to "ee% the %ro"aryotes out. 0o you succeed in doin7 so1 Is the &ater here safe to drin"1@ +enarr said$ ?Obviously$ since &e drin" it. !here are no %ro"aryotes in the 0ome. Any &ater that comes in44anythin7 at all that comes in44is bathed in blue4violet li7ht that destroys the %ro"aryotes in a matter of seconds. !he short4&ave %hotons in the li7ht are too ener7etic for the little thin7s and brea" do&n "ey com%onents of the cells. And even if some of them come in$ they)re not %oisonous$ as far as &e can tell$ or harmful in any &ay. -e)ve tested them on animals.@ ?!hat)s a relief.@

?It &or"s the other &ay$ too. Our o&n microor7anisms can)t com%ete &ith rythro)s %ro"aryotes under rythrotic conditions. At least &hen &e seed rythro)s soil &ith our o&n bacteria$ they don)t succeed in 7ro&in7 and multi%lyin7.@ ?-hat about multicellular %lants1@ ?-e)ve tried it$ but &ith very %oor results. And it must be due to the >uality of Nemesis) li7ht because &e can 7ro& %lants %erfectly &ell inside the 0ome$ usin7 rythro)s soil and &ater. -e re%ort these thin7s bac" to (otor$ of course$ but I doubt that the information 7ets &idely %ublici;ed. As I said$ (otor isn)t interested in the 0ome. Certainly the fearsome Pitt isn)t interested in us$ and he)s really all that counts on (otor$ isn)t he1@ +enarr said that &ith a smile$ but the smile seemed strained. 9-hat &ould Marlene have said about it1 Insi7na &ondered.: She said$ ?Pitt isn)t fearsome. #e)s sometimes tiresome$ but that)s a different thin7. 2ou "no&$ Siever$ I al&ays thou7ht &hen &e &ere youn7 that you mi7ht be Commissioner someday. 2ou &ere enormously bri7ht$ you "no&.@ ?-ere1@ ?Still are$ I)m sure$ but in those days you &ere so %olitically oriented$ had such ideas. I used to listen to you$ entranced. In some &ays$ you &ould have been a better Commissioner than =anus is. 2ou &ould have listened to %eo%le. 2ou &ouldn)t have insisted on 7ettin7 your o&n &ay as much.@ ?-hich is %recisely &hy I &ould have made a very %oor Commissioner. 2ou see$ I don)t have any %recise 7oals in life. I 6ust have the desire to do &hat seems to me to be the ri7ht thin7 at the moment$ in the hope that it &ill end u% &ith somethin7 bearable. No&$ Pitt "no&s &hat he &ants and intends to 7et there by any means.@ ?2ou)re mis6ud7in7 him$ Siever. #e)s 7ot stron7 vie&s$ but he)s a very reasonable man.@ ?Of course$ u7enia. !hat)s his 7reat 7ift$ his reasonableness. -hatever course he %ursues$ he al&ays has a %erfectly 7ood$ a %erfectly lo7ical$ a %erfectly human reason for it. #e can ma"e one u% at any 7iven moment$ and is so sincere about it$ he convinces even himself. I)m sure if you)ve had any dealin7s &ith him$ you)ve mana7ed to let him tal" you into doin7 &hat you at first didn)t &ant to do$ and that he &on you over not by orders and threats but by very %atient$ very rational ar7uments. ? Insi7na said &ea"ly$ ?-ell44@ At that$ +enarr added sardonically$ ?I see you have indeed suffered from his reasonableness. 2ou can see for yourself$ then$ &hat a 7ood Commissioner he is. Not a 7ood %erson$ but a 7ood Commissioner.@ ?I &ouldn)t 7o so far as to say he &asn)t a 7ood %erson$ Siever$@ said Insi7na$ sha"in7 her head sli7htly. ?-ell$ let)s not ar7ue about it. I &ant to meet your dau7hter.@ #e rose to his feet. ?-hy don)t I visit your >uarters after dinner1@ ?!hat &ould be deli7htful$@ said Insi7na. +enarr loo"ed after her &ith a fadin7 smile as she left. u7enia had &anted to reminisce$ and his o&n first reaction &as to mention her husband44and she had fro;en. #e si7hed in&ardly. #e still had that e8traordinary faculty of ruinin7 his o&n chances. DI. u7enia Insi7na said to her dau7hter$ ?#is name is Siever +enarr$ and he is %ro%erly addressed as Commander$ because he)s the head of the rythro 0ome.@ ?Of course$ Mother. If that)s his title$ I)ll call him that.@ ?And I don)t &ant you to embarrass him44@ ?I &ouldn)t do that.@ ?2ou &ould do so all too easily$ Marlene. 2ou "no& that. =ust acce%t his statements &ithout correctin7 them on the 7round of body lan7ua7e. Please< #e &as a 7ood friend of mine at colle7e and for a &hile after&ard. And even thou7h he)s been here in the 0ome for ten years and I haven)t seen him in all that time$ he)s still an old friend.@ ?I thin" he must have been a boyfriend.@ ?No& that)s 6ust &hat I mean$@ said Insi7na. ?I don)t &ant you &atchin7 him and tellin7 him &hat he really means or thin"s or feels. And for your information$ he &as not my boyfriend$ e8actly$ and &e &ere certainly not lovers. -e &ere friends and &e li"ed each other44as friends. 3ut after your father44@ She

shoo" her head$ and 7estured va7uely. ? And be careful &hat you say about Commissioner Pitt44if that sub6ect comes u%. I 7et the feelin7 Commander +enarr distrusts Commissioner Pitt44@ Marlene besto&ed one of her rare smiles on her mother. ?#ave you been studyin7 Commander Siever)s subliminal behavior1 3ecause &hat you have is more than a feelin7.@ Insi7na shoo" her head. ?2ou see1 2ou can)t sto% for a moment. Very &ell$ it)s not a feelin7. #e actually said he didn)t trust the Commissioner. And you "no&$@ she added$ half to herself$ ?he may have reason44@ She turned to Marlene and said suddenly$ ?*et me re%eat$ Marlene. 2ou are %erfectly free to &atch the Commander and find out all you can$ but don)t say anythin7 to him about it. !ell me! 0o you understand1@ ?0o you thin" there)s dan7er$ Mother1@ ?I don)t "no&.@ ?I do$@ said Marlene matter4of4factly. ?I)ve "no&n there &as dan7er as soon as Commissioner Pitt said &e could 7o to rythro. I 6ust don)t "no& &hat the dan7er is.@ DJ. Seein7 Marlene for the first time &as a shoc" to Siever +enarr$ one that &as made &orse by the fact that the 7irl loo"ed at him &ith a sullen e8%ression that made it seem that she "ne& %erfectly &ell that he had received a shoc"$ and 6ust &hy. !he fact &as that there &as not a thin7 about her that seemed to indicate she &as u7enia)s dau7hter$ none of the beauty$ none of the 7race$ none of the charm. Only those lar7e bri7ht eyes that &ere no& borin7 into him$ and they &eren)t u7enia)s either. !hey &ere the one res%ect in &hich she e8ceeded her mother$ rather than fell short. *ittle by little$ thou7h$ he revised his first im%ression. #e 6oined them for tea and dessert$ and Marlene behaved herself &ith %erfect %ro%riety. Cuite the lady$ and obviously intelli7ent. -hat &as it that u7enia had said1 All the unlovable virtues1 Not >uite that bad. It seemed to him that she ached for love$ as %lain %eo%le sometimes do. As he himself did. A sudden flood of fello& feelin7 s&e%t over him. And after a &hile$ he said$ ? u7enia$ I &onder if I mi7ht have a chance to s%ea" to Marlene alone.@ Insi7na said &ith an attem%t at li7htness$ ? Any %articular reason$ Siever1@ +enarr said$ ?-ell$ it &as Marlene &ho s%o"e to Commissioner Pitt and it &as she &ho %ersuaded the Commissioner to allo& the t&o of you to come to the 0ome. As Commander of the 0ome$ I)m %retty much de%endent on &hat Commissioner Pitt says and does$ and I &ould value &hat Marlene can tell me of the meetin7. I thin" she &ould s%ea" more freely if it &ere 6ust the t&o of us.@ +enarr &atched Insi7na leave and then turned to Marlene$ &ho &as no& sittin7 in a lar7e chair in a corner of the room$ almost lost in its soft ca%aciousness. #er hands &ere clas%ed loosely in her la% and her beautiful dar" eyes re7arded the Commander 7ravely. +enarr said &ith a hint of humor in his voice$ ?2our mother seemed a little nervous about leavin7 you here &ith me. Are you nervous$ too1@ ?Not at all$@ said Marlene. ? And if my mother &as nervous$ it &as on your behalf$ not on mine.@ ?On my behalf. -hy1@ ?She thin"s I mi7ht say somethin7 that &ould offend you.@ ?-ould you$ Marlene1@ ?Not deliberately$ Commander. I)ll try not to.@ ?And I)m sure you)ll succeed. 0o you "no& &hy I &ant to see you alone1@ ?2ou told my mother you &ant to find out about my intervie& &ith Commissioner Pitt. !hat)s true$ but you also &ant to see &hat I)m li"e.@ +enarr)s eyebro&s dre& to7ether 6ust a trifle. ?Naturally$ I &ould &ant to 7et to "no& you better.@ ?It)s not that$@ said Marlene >uic"ly. ?-hat is it$ then1@ Marlene loo"ed a&ay. ?I)m sorry$ Commander.@ ?Sorry about &hat1@ Marlene)s face t&itched unha%%ily and she &as silent. +enarr said softly$ ?No&$ Marlene$ &hat is &ron71 2ou must tell me. It is im%ortant to me that &e tal" fran"ly. If your mother told you to &atch &hat you say$ %lease for7et that. If she im%lied that I &as

sensitive and easily offended$ %lease for7et that$ too. In fact$ I command you to s%ea" to me freely and not to &orry a bit about offendin7 me$ and you must obey my command because I)m the Commander of the rythro 0ome.@ Marlene lau7hed suddenly. ?2ou)re really an8ious to find out about me$ aren)t you1@ ?Of course.@ ?3ecause you)re &onderin7 ho& I can loo" the &ay I do$ &hen I)m my mother)s dau7hter.@ +enarr)s eyes o%ened &ide. ?I never said anythin7 of the sort.@ ?2ou didn)t have to. 2ou)re an old friend of my mother)s. She told me that much. 3ut you &ere in love &ith her$ and you haven)t >uite 7otten over it$ and you &ere e8%ectin7 me to loo" the &ay she did &hen she &as youn7$ so &hen you sa& me$ you &inced and dre& bac".@ ?I did1 It &as noticeable1@ ?It &as a very small 7esture because you)re a %olite man and you tried to re%ress it$ but it &as there. I sa& it easily. And then your eyes turned to my mother and bac" to me. And then there &as the tone of your first &ords to me. It &as all very %lain. 2ou &ere thin"in7 I didn)t loo" at all li"e my mother and you &ere disa%%ointed.@ +enarr leaned bac" in his chair and said$ ?3ut this is marvelous.@ And a 7reat 7ladness lit u% Marlene)s face. ?2ou mean it$ commander. 2ou mean it. 2ou)re not offended. 2ou)re not uncomfortable. It ma"es you ha%%y. 2ou)re the first one$ the irst one. ven my mother doesn)t li"e it.@ ?*i"in7 or not li"in7 it doesn)t matter. !hat is totally irrelevant &hen it)s a >uestion of comin7 u% a7ainst the e8traordinary. #o& lon7 have you been able to read body lan7ua7e in this &ay$ Marlene1@ ?Al&ays$ but I)ve 7otten better at it. I thin" anyone must be able to do it$ if they only &atch44and thin".@ ?Not so$ Marlene. It can)t be done. 0on)t thin" it. And you say I love your mother.@ ?No doubt about it$ Commander. -hen you)re near her$ you 7ive it a&ay &ith every loo"$ every &ord$ every t&itch.@ ?0o you su%%ose she notices1@ ?She sus%ects you do$ but she doesn)t &ant you to.@ +enarr loo"ed a&ay. ?She never did.@ ?It)s my father.@ ?I "no&.@ Marlene hesitated. ?3ut I thin" she)s &ron7. If she could see you the &ay I do ri7ht no&44@ ?3ut she can)t$ unfortunately. It ma"es me so ha%%y that you do$ thou7h. 2ou)re beautiful.@ Marlene flushed. !hen she said$ ?2ou mean that<@ ?Of course I do.@ ?3ut44@ ?I can)t lie to you$ can I1 So I &on)t try. 2our face isn)t beautiful. 2our body isn)t beautiful. 3ut you are beautiful and that)s &hat)s im%ortant. And you can tell I really believe that.@ ?2es$ I do$@ said Marlene$ smilin7 &ith such 7enuine ha%%iness that even her face had a sudden distant cast of beauty. +enarr smiled$ too$ and said$ ?Shall &e no& tal" about Commissioner Pitt1 No& that I "no& &hat an uncommonly shre&d youn7 &oman you are$ it is all the more im%ortant I do so. Are you &illin71@ Marlene clas%ed her hands li7htly in her la%$ smiled demurely$ and said$ ?2es$ 'ncle Siever. 2ou don)t mind if I call you that$ do you1@ ?Not at all. In fact$ I)m honored. No&44tell me all about Commissioner Pitt. #e has sent me instructions that I)m to 7ive your mother all %ossible coo%eration and that I am to ma"e freely available to her all our astronomical e>ui%ment. -hy do you su%%ose that is1@ ?My mother &ants to ma"e delicate measurements of Nemesis) motion relative to the stars$ and (otor is too unsteady a base for those measurements. rythro &ill do much better.@ ?Is this %ro6ect of hers a recent one1@ ?No$ 'ncle Siever. She)s been tryin7 to 7et the necessary data for a lon7 time$ she told me.@ ?!hen &hy didn)t your mother as" to come here a lon7 time a7o1@ ?She did$ but Commissioner Pitt refused.@ ?-hy did he a7ree no&1@ ?3ecause he &anted to 7et rid of her.@ ?I)m sure of that44if she "e%t botherin7 him &ith her astronomical %roblems. 3ut he must have been tired of her a lon7 time a7o. -hy does he send her now? Marlene)s voice &as lo&. ?#e &anted to 7et rid of me. ?

FOURTEEN: FISHING
DK. .ive years had no& %assed since the *eavin7. Crile .isher found that hard to believe since it seemed so much lon7er than that$ infinitely lon7er. (otor &as not in the %ast$ but in another life alto7ether$ one that he could only vie& &ith 7atherin7 incredulity. #ad he really lived there1 #ad he had a &ife1 #e remembered only his dau7hter clearly$ and even that had its element of confusion$ for sometimes it seemed to him he remembered her as a teena7er. Of course$ the %roblem &as com%ounded by the fact that his life in the last three years$ ever since arth had discovered the Nei7hbor Star$ had been a hectic one. #e had visited seven different settlements. All of these &ere inhabited by Settlers of his o&n s"in shade &ho s%o"e more or less his lan7ua7e and shared more or less his cultural orientation. 9!hat &as the advanta7e of arth)s variety. arth could su%%ly an a7ent similar in a%%earance and culture to the 7eneral %o%ulation of any Settlement.: Of course$ there &as a limit to ho& closely he could melt into any Settlement. No matter ho& he matched its %o%ulation su%erficially$ he still had a distinctive accent of s%eech$ he could not remain as 7raceful as they under chan7es of 7ravitational %ull$ he could not s"im alon7 as they did in lo& 7ravity. In a do;en &ays$ he betrayed himself on each Settlement he visited$ and al&ays they &ithdre& from him 6ust sli7htly$ even thou7h$ in each case$ he had 7one throu7h >uarantine and medical treatment before bein7 allo&ed to even enter the Settlement %ro%er. Of course$ he remained on each Settlement only a fe& days to a fe& &ee"s. Never &as he e8%ected to remain on a Settlement on a semi%ermanent basis or to build himself a family there as he had done on (otor. 3ut then (otor had had hy%er4assistance$ and since then arth had been loo"in7 for items of narro&er im%ortance$ or at least he had been sent on tas"s of narro&er im%ortance. #e had been bac" no& for three months. !here &as no &ord of a ne& assi7nment and he &as not an8ious for one. #e &as tired of the u%rootin7$ tired of not fittin7 in$ tired of the %retense of bein7 a tourist. And there &as +arand -yler$ his old friend and collea7ue$ fresh from a Settlement of his o&n and starin7 at him &ith tired eyes. !he dar" s"in of his 7raceful hand 7limmered in the li7ht as he raised his sleeve to his nose for a moment$ then let it dro%. .isher half4smiled. #e "ne& the 7esture$ had 7one throu7h it himself. ach Settlement had its o&n characteristic odor$ de%endin7 on the cro%s it 7re&$ the s%ices it used$ the %erfumes it affected$ the very nature of the machinery and lubricants it used. It >uic"ly &ent unnoticed$ but on the return to arth$ the Settlement odor clun7 to one >uite detectably. And thou7h the %erson mi7ht be bathed$ and the clothin7 &ashed so that others did not notice$ one still noticed the smell on himself. .isher said$ ?-elcome bac". #o& &as your Settlement this time1@ ?As al&ays44terrible. Old Man !anayama is correct. -hat all the Settlements fear and hate most is variety. !hey don)t &ant differences in a%%earance$ tastes$ &ays$ and life. !hey select themselves for uniformity and des%ise everythin7 else.@ .isher said$ ?2ou)re ri7ht. And it)s too bad.@ -yler said$ ?!hat)s a mild$ unfeelin7 &ay of %uttin7 it. B!oo bad.) BOo%s$ I dro%%ed the dish. Oh$ too bad.) B-hoo%s$ my contact seal is out of line. Oh$ too bad.) -e)re tal"in7 humanity here. -e)re tal"in7 about arth)s lon7 stru77le to find a &ay of livin7 to7ether$ all cultures$ all a%%earances. It isn)t %erfect yet$ but com%are it to ho& it &as even a century a7o$ and it)s heaven. !hen$ &hen &e 7et a chance to move into s%ace$ &e shuc" it all off and move ri7ht bac" into the 0ar" A7es. And you say$ B!oo bad.) !hat)s some reaction to somethin7 that)s an enormous tra7edy.@ ?I a7ree$@ said .isher$ ?but unless you can tell me somethin7 %ractical I can do about it$ &hat does it matter ho& elo>uently I denounce it1 2ou &ere at A"ruma$ &eren)t you1@ ?2es$@ said -yler. ?0id they "no& about the Nei7hbor Star1@ ?Certainly. As far as I "no&$ the ne&s has no& reached every Settlement.@ ?-ere they concerned1@ ?Not a bit. -hy should they be1 !hey)ve 7ot thousands of years. *on7 before the Nei7hbor Star is any&here near$ and if it should seem to be dan7erous$ &hich isn)t absolutely certain$ you "no&$ they can

&ander off. !hey can all &ander off. !hey admire (otor$ and only &ait for a chance to 7et a&ay themselves.@ -yler &as fro&nin7$ his tone bitter. #e &ent on$ ?!hey)ll all leave$ and &e)ll be stuc". #o& are &e 7oin7 to build enou7h Settlements for ei7ht billion human bein7s and 7et them all a&ay1@ ?2ou sound 6ust li"e !anayama. -hat 7ood &ill it do us to chase them do&n and %unish them$ or destroy them1 -e)ll still be here and &e)ll still be stuc". If they all stayed behind li"e 7ood "ids and faced the Nei7hbor Star &ith us$ &ould &e be better off1@ ?2ou)re cold about this$ Crile. !anayama is hot$ and I)m on his side. #e)s hot enou7h to %ull the +ala8y a%art if necessary to find hy%er4assistance on our o&n. #e &ants it so &e can chase after (otor and blo& them out of s%ace$ but even if that does no 7ood$ &e)re 7oin7 to need hy%er4assistance to 7et as many %eo%le off arth as %ossible if it turns out that the Nei7hbor Star &ill ma"e it necessary. So &hat !anayama is doin7 is ri7ht$ even if his motives are &ron7.@ ?And su%%ose &e have hy%er4assistance and then &e find &e only have the time and the resources to 7et a billion %eo%le off. -hich is the billion that 7oes1 And &hat ha%%ens if those &ho are in char7e start savin7 only their o&n "ind1@ -yler 7ro&led$ ?It doesn)t bear thin"in7 of.@ ?It doesn)t$@ a7reed .isher. ?*et)s be 7lad &e)ll be lon7 7one before even the barest be7innin7 can be made.@ ?If it comes to that$@ said -yler$ his voice suddenly dro%%in7. ?!he barest be7innin7 may already have been made. I sus%ect &e have hy%er4assistance no&$ or 6ust about have it.@ .isher)s e8%ression &as one of dee% cynicism. ?-hat ma"es you thin" that1 0reams1 Intuition1@ ?No. I "no& a &oman &hose sister "no&s someone on the Old Man)s staff. -ill that do you1@ ?Of course not. 2ou)ll have to 7ive me more than that.@ ?I)m not in a %osition to. *oo"$ Crile$ I)m your friend. 2ou "no& I hel%ed you 7et bac" your status in the Office.@ Crile nodded. ?I do and I a%%reciate it. And I)ve tried to ma"e an ade>uate return no& and then.@ ?2ou have done so and I a%%reciate that. No& &hat I &ant to do is 7ive you some information &hich is su%%osed to be confidential and &hich I thin" you &ill find useful and im%ortant. Are you ready to acce%t it and "ee% me clear1@ ?Al&ays ready.@ ?2ou "no& &hat &e)ve been doin7$ of course.@ .isher said$ ?2es.@ It &as the "ind of useless$ rhetorical >uestion that re>uired no other ans&er. .or five years a7ents of the Office 9for the last three years$ .isher amon7 them: had been rumma7in7 in the informational 7arba7e hea%s of the Settlements. Scaven7in7. very Settlement &as &or"in7 on hy%er4assistance$ 6ust as arth itself &as$ ever since the &ord had lea"ed out that (otor had it$ and certainly ever since (otor had %roved the fact by leavin7 the Solar System. Presumably most Settlements$ %erha%s all$ had obtained some scra% of &hat it &as that (otor had done. 3y the O%en Science A7reement$ each one of those scra%s should have been laid on the table and if all &ere then %ut to7ether$ it mi7ht have meant %ractical hy%er4assistance for all. !hat$ ho&ever$ &as clearly too much to as" in this %articular case. !here &as no tellin7 &hat useful side effects mi7ht be born of the ne& techni>ue and no Settlement could abandon the ho%e that it mi7ht be first in the field and$ in this &ay$ 7ain an im%ortant lead on the others in one &ay or another. So each hoarded &hat it had 44if it had anythin744and not one of them had enou7h. And arth itself$ &ith its vastly elaborate !errestrial 3oard of In>uiry$ sniffed at all the Settlements indiscriminately. arth &as fishin7$ and .isher$ a%%ro%riately enou7h$ &as one of the fishermen. -yler said slo&ly$ ?-e)ve %ut &hat &e)ve 7ot to7ether and I 7ather it)s enou7h. -e)ll be able to have hy%er4assisted travel. And I)m thin"in7 &e)ll 7o out to the Nei7hbor Star. -ouldn)t you &ant to be on that tri% &hen it 7oes out there1@ ?-hy do I &ant to be on it$ +arand1 If there)s 7oin7 to be such a tri%$ &hich I doubt.@ ?I)m %retty sure there &ill be. I can)t 7ive you my source$ but ta"e my &ord for it$ it)s reliable. And$ of course$ you)ll &ant to ma"e the tri%. 2ou mi7ht see your &ife. Or if not her44your "id.@ .isher moved restlessly. It seemed to him he s%ent half his days no& tryin7 not to thin" of those eyes. Marlene &ould be si8 years old no&$ tal"in7 in a >uiet deliberate &ay44li"e (oseanne. Seein7 throu7h %eo%le44li"e (oseanne. #e said$ ?2ou)re tal"in7 nonsense$ +arand. ven if there &ere such a fli7ht$ &hy &ould they let

me be on it1 !hey &ould send s%ecialists of one sort or another. 3esides$ if there)s one %erson the Old Man &ill "ee% off$ it)s me. #e may have let me 7et bac" into the Office and 7iven me assi7nments$ but you "no& ho& he is about failures$ and I certainly failed him on (otor.@ ?2es$ but that)s the very %oint. !hat)s &hat ma"es you a s%ecialist. If he)s 7oin7 after (otor$ ho& can he fail to include the one arthman &ho lived on (otor for four years1 -ho &ould understand (otor better and &ho &ould "no& better ho& to deal &ith them1 As" to see him. Point this out$ but remember$ you)re not su%%osed to "no& that &e have hy%er4assistance. =ust tal" %ossibilities$ ma"e use of the sub6unctive. And don)t dra7 me into it in any &ay. I)m not su%%osed to "no& about it either.@ .isher)s bro& furro&ed in thou7ht. -as it %ossible1 #e dared not ho%e. E0. !he ne8t day$ &hile .isher &as still &onderin7 &hether to ris" as"in7 for an intervie& &ith !anayama$ the decision &as ta"en out of his hands. #e &as summoned. A sim%le a7ent is rarely summoned by the 0irector. !here are %lenty of de%uties to 7rind a&ay at them. And if an a7ent is summoned by the Old Man$ it is almost never 7ood ne&s. So Crile .isher %re%ared himself &ith 7rim resi7nation for an assi7nment as an ins%ector of the fertili;er factories. !anayama loo"ed u% at him from behind his des". .isher had seen him only rarely and briefly in the three years since arth)s discovery of the Nei7hbor Star$ and he seemed unchan7ed. #e had been small and shriveled for so lon7 that there seemed no room for any further %hysical chan7e. !he shar%ness of his eyes had not abated either$ nor the &ithered 7rim set of his li%s. #e mi7ht even be &earin7 the same 7arments he had &orn three years before. .isher could not tell. 3ut if the harsh voice$ too$ &as the same$ the tone &as sur%risin7. A%%arently$ in the face of astronomical odds$ the Old Man had called him in for the %ur%ose of %raisin7 him. !anayama said in his >ueer$ and not alto7ether un%leasant$ distortion of Planetary n7lish$ ?.isher$ you have done &ell. I &ant you to hear that from me.@ .isher$ standin7 9he had not been invited to sit do&n:$ mana7ed to su%%ress his small start of sur%rise. !he 0irector said$ ?!here can be no %ublic celebration of this$ no laser4beam %arade$ no holo7ra%hic %rocession. It is not in the nature of thin7s. 3ut I tell you this.@ ?!hat is >uite enou7h$ 0irector$@ said .isher. ?I than" you.@ !anayama stared fi8edly at .isher out of his narro& eyes. .inally$ he said$ ? And is that all you have to say1 No >uestions1@ ?I %resume$ 0irector$ you &ill tell me &hat I need to "no&.@ ?2ou are an a7ent$ a ca%able man. -hat have you found out for yourself1@ ?Nothin7$ 0irector. I do not see" to find out anythin7 but &hat I am instructed to find out.@ !anayama)s small head nodded very sli7htly. ?An a%%ro%riate ans&er$ but I see" ina%%ro%riate ones. -hat have you 7uessed1@ ?2ou seem %leased &ith me$ 0irector$ and it may therefore be that I have brou7ht in some information that has %roved useful to you.@ ?In &hat res%ect1@ ?I thin" nothin7 &ould %rove more useful to you than havin7 obtained the techni>ue of hy%er4 assistance.@ !anayama)s mouth made a noiseless, ?Ah4h4h.@ #e said$ ?And ne8t1 Assumin7 this to be so$ &hat are &e to do ne8t1@ ?!ravel to the Nei7hbor Star. *ocate (otor.@ ?Nothin7 better than that1 !hat is all there is to do1 2ou see no farther1@ And at this %oint$ .isher decided it &ould be foolish not to 7amble. #e could not %ossibly be handed a better o%%ortunity. ?One thin7 betterA that$ &hen the first arth vessel 7oes out of the Solar System by means of hy%er4assistance$ I be on it.@ .isher had scarcely said that &hen he "ne& his 7amble &as lost44or at least not &on. !anayama)s face dar"ened. #e said in a shar%ly im%erative tone$ ?Sit do&n<@ .isher could hear the soft movement of the chair behind him$ rollin7 to&ard him at the &ords of !anayama$ &ords that its %rimitive com%uteri;ed motor could understand. .isher sat do&n$ &ithout loo"in7 behind him to ma"e certain the chair &as there. !o have done so

&ould have been insultin7 and$ at the %resent moment$ there &as no room to insult !anayama. !anayama said$ ?-hy do you &ant to be on the vessel1@ -ith an effort$ .isher "e%t his voice level. ?0irector$ I have a &ife on (otor.@ ?A &ife you abandoned five years a7o. 0o you thin" she &ould &elcome you bac"1@ ?0irector$ I have a child.@ ?She &as one year old &hen you left. 0o you thin" she "no&s she has a father1 Or cares1@ .isher &as silent. !hese &ere %oints that he had thou7ht about himself$ over and over. !anayama &aited briefly$ then said$ ?3ut there &ill be no fli7ht to the Nei7hbor Star. !here &ill be no vessel for you to be on.@ A7ain$ .isher had to su%%ress sur%rise. #e said$ ?.or7ive me$ 0irector. 2ou did not say &e had hy%er4assistance. 2ou said$ BAssumin7 this to be So44) I should have noted your choice of &ords.@ ?So you should have done. So you should al&ays do. Nevertheless$ &e do have hy%er4assistance. -e can no& move throu7h s%ace$ 6ust as (otor has doneA or at least &e &ill$ once &e build a vehicle and are sure the desi7n is ade>uate$ and all its features &or"able44&hich may ta"e a year or t&o. 3ut then &hat1 Are you seriously su77estin7 &e ta"e it to the Nei7hbor Star1@ .isher said cautiously$ ?Surely that is an o%tion$ 0irector.@ ?A useless one. !hin" it out$ man. !he Nei7hbor Star is over t&o li7ht4years a&ay. No matter ho& s"illfully &e ma"e use of hy%er4assistance$ it &ill ta"e us more than t&o years to arrive there. Our theoreticians no& tell me that &hile hy%er4assistance &ill allo& a shi% to 7o faster than li7ht for brief %eriods of time44the faster$ the briefer44the end result is al&ays that it cannot reach any %oint in s%ace faster than a ray of li7ht &ould have$ if the t&o had started from the same %oint of ori7in.@ ?3ut if that is So44@ ?If that is so$ you &ould be forced to remain on a s%aceshi% in close >uarters &ith several other cre&4%eo%le for over t&o years. 0o you thin" you can endure that1 2ou "no& very &ell that small shi%s have never made lon7 tri%s. -hat &e need is a Settlement$ a structure lar7e enou7h to %rovide a reasonable environment44li"e (otor. #o& lon7 &ill that ta"e1@ ?I couldn)t say$ 0irector.@ ?Perha%s ten years if all &or"s &ell44if there are no hitches or misha%s. (emember$ &e haven)t built a Settlement in nearly a century. All the recent Settlements have been built by other Settlements. If$ suddenly$ &e be7in buildin7 one$ &e &ill attract the attention of all the Settlements that already e8ist$ and that must be avoided. !hen$ too$ if such a Settlement can be built$ and outfitted &ith hy%er4assistance$ and sent to the Nei7hbor Star in over a t&o4year fli7ht$ &hat &ill it do &hen it 7ets there1 As a Settlement$ it &ill be vulnerable and easy to destroy if (otor has &arshi%s$ as it certainly &ill have. (otor &ill have more &arshi%s than &e could %ossibly carryon our travelin7 Settlement. After all$ they have been there for three years already$ and may be there for t&elve more years before &e 7et there. !hey &ill blo& our Settlement out of s%ace on si7ht.@ ?In that case$ 0irector44@ ?No further 7uessin7$ A7ent .isher. In that case$ &e must have true hy%ers%atial travel$ so that &e may move any distance &e li"e in as short a %eriod as &e li"e.@ ?Pardon me$ 0irector$ but is that %ossible1 ven in theory1@ ?!hat is not for you or me to say. -e need scientists to concentrate on the matter$ and &e don)t have them. .or a century or more$ arth has suffered a brain drain to the Settlements. So no& &e must reverse that. -e must raid the Settlements$ after a fashion$ and %ersuade the best %hysicists and en7ineers to come to arth. -e can offer them a 7reat deal$ but it &ill have to be done carefully. -e can)t be too o%en$ you understand$ or the Settlements &ill certainly forestall us. No&44@ #e %aused$ and studied .isher thou7htfully. .isher stirred uneasily and said$ ?2es$ 0irector1@ ?!he %hysicist I have my eye on is one !. A. -endel$ &ho$ I)m told$ is the best hy%ers%atialist in the Solar System44@ ?It &as the hy%ers%atialists on (otor &ho discovered hy%er4assistance.@ .isher could not resist allo&in7 a certain dryness to enter his voice. !anayama i7nored that. #e said$ ?0iscoveries can be made by ha%%y accident$ and an inferior mind can stumble ahead &hile a su%erior one is ta"in7 the time to lay a firm foundation. !hat has fre>uently ha%%ened in history. 3esides$ (otor only has &hat %roved$ in the end$ to be merely hy%er4 assistance$ a s%eed4of4li7ht drive. I &ant a su%erluminal drive$ one that is far beyond the s%eed of li7ht. And I &ant -endel.@

?And do you &ish me to 7et him for you1@ ?#er. She)s a &oman. !essa Anita -endel of Adelia.@ ?Oh1@ ?!hat is &hy &e &ant you for the 6ob. A%%arently@44and here !anayama seemed to radiate a >uiet amusement$ althou7h nothin7 in his facial e8%ression seemed to indicate that44@you are irresistible to &omen.@ .isher)s e8%ression 7re& &ooden. ?I as" %ardon for contradictin7 you$ 0irector$ but I do not find it so. I have never found it so.@ ?!he re%orts are %ersuasive$ 6ust the same. -endel is a middle4a7ed &oman$ in her forties$ t&ice4 divorced. She should not be hard to %ersuade. ? ?!o be honest$ sir$ I find the assi7nment distasteful and$ under those circumstances$ it is %ossible another a7ent &ould be better suited for the tas".@ ?3ut I &ant you 6ust the same. If you fear that you &ould not be your flirtatious and maddenin7ly attractive self if you a%%roached her &ith face averted and nose &rin"led$ I &ill s&eeten matters for you$ A7ent .isher. 2ou failed on (otor$ but your service since has$ in %art$ made u% for it. 2ou can no& com%letely ma"e u% for it. If$ ho&ever$ you do not brin7 bac" this &oman$ that &ill be a far 7reater failure than (otor &as$ and you &ill never have the chance to ma"e u% for that. Still$ I don)t &ant you 7overned by a%%rehension alone. I &ill thro& in a bit of antici%ation. 3rin7 bac" -endel and &hen a su%erluminal vessel is built and heads out to&ard the Nei7hbor Star$ you &ill be on it if you &ish.@ ?I &ill do my best$@ said .isher$ ?and I &ould have done my best even if there &ere no occasion for either a%%rehension or antici%ation.@ ?An e8cellent ans&er$@ said !anayama$ allo&in7 himself the thinnest of smiles$ ?and undoubtedly &ell rehearsed.@ And .isher left$ fully reali;in7 that he had been sent out on his most crucial fishin7 e8%edition yet.

FIFTEEN: PLAGUE
E1. u7enia Insi7na smiled at +enarr over dessert. ?2ou seem to lead a %leasant life here.@ +enarr smiled$ too. ?Pleasant enou7h$ but claustro%hobic. -e live on a hu7e &orld$ but I)m bounded by the 0ome. !he %eo%le here tend to be in7ro&n. -hen I do meet someone interestin7$ they leave in a cou%le of months$ at most. +enerally$ the %eo%le here in the 0ome bore me most of the time$ thou7h %robably not as much as I bore them. !hat)s &hy the arrival of you and your dau7hter &ould have been a holovision item$ even if you &ere anyone else. Of course$ since it)s you44@ ?.latterer$@ said Insi7na sadly. +enarr cleared his throat. ?Marlene &arned me$ for my o&n 7ood$ you understand$ that you have not >uite 7otten over44@ 3ut Insi7na overrode him suddenly. ?I can)t say I)ve noticed any holovision attention.@ +enarr 7ave u%. #e said$ ?=ust a manner of s%ea"in7. -e)re %lannin7 a little %arty tomorro& evenin7$ and you)ll then be formally introduced and everyone &ill 7et a chance to "no& you.@ ?And discuss my a%%earance$ and choice of costume$ and che& over &hatever is "no&n about me.@ ?I)m sure of it. 3ut Marlene &ill be invited$ too$ and that means$ I su%%ose$ that you &ill "no& a 7reat deal more about all of us than &e &ill about you. 2our information &ill be more reliable$ too.@ Insi7na loo"ed uneasy$ ?0id Marlene act u%1@ ?2ou mean$ did she read my body lan7ua7e1 2es$ ma)am.@ ?I told her not to.@ ?I don)t thin" she can hel% it.@ ?2ou)re ri7ht. She can)t. 3ut I told her not to tell you about it. I ta"e it she did tell you.@ ?Oh yes. I ordered her to do so. Actually$ I commanded her to do so in my role as Commander.@ ?-ell$ I)m sorry. It can be so annoyin7.@ ?3ut it &asn)t. Not to me. u7enia$ %lease understand this. I li"e your dau7hter. I li"e her very much. I have the idea that she has had a miserable life bein7 someone &ho "no&s too much and &hom no one li"es. !hat she has turned out full of &hat you referred to as the unlovable virtues is little short of a miracle.@ ?I &arn you. She)ll tire you out. And she)s only fifteen.@ +enarr said$ ?!here)s some la&$ I thin"$ that %revents mothers from ever rememberin7 &hen they themselves &ere fifteen. She casually mentioned a boy$ and you may "no& that the %an7s of unre>uited love hurt as dee%ly at fifteen as at t&enty4five$ maybe even more so. !hou7h your teena7e years may &ell have been sunny ones$ considerin7 your a%%earance. (emember$ too$ that Marlene is in a %articularly bad %osition. She "no&s she)s %lain and she "no&s she)s intelli7ent. She feels that intelli7ence should much more than ma"e u% for lac" of beauty and she also "no&s that it doesn)t$ so she ra7es hel%lessly and "no&s that that does no 7ood either.@ ?-ell$ Siever$@ said Insi7na$ tryin7 to sound li7ht$ ?you)re >uite the %sycholo7ist. ? ?No$ not at all. It)s 6ust this one thin7 I understand. I)ve been throu7h it myself.@ ?Oh44@ Insi7na seemed at a loss. ?It)s all ri7ht$ u7enia. I have no intention of bein7 sorry for myself$ and I &asn)t tryin7 to lure you into sym%athy for a %oor$ bro"en soul44because I)m not. I)m forty4nine$ not fifteen$ and I)ve made my %eace &ith myself. #ad I been handsome and stu%id &hen I &as fifteen$ or t&enty4one$ as$ at that time in life$ I &ished I had been$ I &ould undoubtedly no& no lon7er be handsome44but I)d still be stu%id. So$ in the lon7 run$ I)ve &on out$ and so$ I)m %ositive$ &ill Marlene44if there is a lon7 run.@ ?And &hat do you mean by that$ Siever1@ ?Marlene tells me that she tal"ed to our 7ood friend Pitt$ and that she deliberately anta7oni;ed him in order to ma"e him &illin7 to send you to rythro because that meant 7ettin7 rid of her$ too.@ ?I don)t a%%rove of that$@ said u7enia. ?I don)t mean about mani%ulatin7 Pitt$ because I don)t thin" Pitt is that easy to mani%ulate. I mean trying to do it. Marlene is 7ettin7 to the %oint &here she thin"s she can %ull %u%%et strin7s$ and this may 7et her into serious trouble.@

? u7enia$ I do not &ish to fri7hten you$ but I thin" Marlene is in serious trouble ri7ht no&. At least$ it may be Pitt)s ho%e that she &ill be.@ ?No&$ Siever$ that)s im%ossible. Pitt may be o%inionated and overbearin7$ but there)s nothin7 vicious about him. #e)s not 7oin7 to stri"e out at a teena7e 7irl 6ust because she %layed foolish 7ames &ith him.@ !he dinner &as over$ but the li7hts &ere still some&hat lo&ered in +enarr)s rather ele7ant >uarters$ and Insi7na reacted &ith a sli7ht fro&n as +enarr leaned over to close the contact that activated the shield. ?Secrets$ Siever1@ she said &ith a forced lau7h. ?2es$ as a matter of fact$ u7enia. I)m 7oin7 to have to %lay the %sycholo7ist a7ain. 2ou don)t "no& Pitt as I do. I)ve competed &ith him$ and that)s &hy I)m out here. #e &anted to 7et rid of me. In my case$ ho&ever$ se%aration is enou7h. It may not be enou7h in Marlene)s case.@ Another forced lau7h. ?Come$ Siever. -hat are you sayin71@ ?*isten$ and you)ll understand. Pitt is secretive. #e has a fi8ed aversion to anyone "no&in7 &hat he intends. It 7ives him a sense of %o&er to be movin7 do&n a hidden road and dra77in7 others$ all un&ittin7$ &ith him.@ ?2ou may be ri7ht. #e "e%t Nemesis secret$ and forced the secrecy on me$ too.@ ?#e)s 7ot many secrets$ more than you and I "no&$ I)m sure. 3ut here)s Marlene$ to &hom a %erson)s hidden motives and thou7hts are as clear as day. No one li"es that44Pitt$ least of all. So he)s sent her out here44and you$ too$ since he couldn)t send her &ithout you.@ ?All ri7ht. -hat of that1@ ?2ou don)t su%%ose he &ants her bac"$ do you1 ver1@ ?!hat)s %aranoid$ Siever. 2ou can)t really believe Pitt &ould intend to "ee% her in %ermanent e8ile.@ ?#e can$ in one &ay. 2ou see$ u7enia$ you don)t "no& the early history of the 0ome as I do$ and as Pitt does$ and as hardly anyone else does. 2ou "no& Pitt)s %enchant for secrecy and it &or"s here$ too. 2ou have to understand &hy &e remain in the 0ome and ma"e no effort to coloni;e rythro.@ ?2ou e8%lained. !he character of the li7ht44@ ?!hat is the official e8%lanation$ u7enia. Acce%t the li7htA it is somethin7 &e can 7ro& accustomed to. Consider &hat else &e have, a &orld &ith a normal 7ravity$ a breathable atmos%here$ a %leasant tem%erature ran7e$ &eather cycles reminiscent of arth$ no life4forms above the %ro"aryote sta7e$ and &ith those %ro"aryotes not infectious in any &ay. 2et &e ma"e no move to coloni;e the &orld$ even in a limited fashion.@ ?-ell$ then$ &hy not1@ ?In the early days of the 0ome$ %eo%le &ent out freely to e8%lore outside. !hey too" no s%ecial %recautions$ breathed the air$ dran" the &ater.@ ?2es1@ ?And some of them fell ill. Mentally. Permanently. Not violently insane$ but44divorced from reality. Some have im%roved &ith time$ but none$ as far as I "no&$ has recovered com%letely. It is$ a%%arently$ not conta7ious$ and they are ta"en care of on (otor44>uietly.@ u7enia fro&ned. ?Are you ma"in7 this u%$ Siever1 I haven)t heard a &ord of it.@ ?I remind you a7ain of Pitt)s %enchant for secrecy. !his &as not somethin7 you had a need to "no&. It &as not your de%artment. It &as somethin7 I had a need to "no& because I &as sent here to deal &ith it. If I failed$ &e mi7ht have had to abandon rythro alto7ether$ and a %all of fear and discontent &ould have fallen over us all.@ #e fell silent for a moment$ then said$ ?I shouldn)t be tellin7 you this. I am$ in a sense$ violatin7 my oath of office. Still$ for Marlene)s sa"e44@ A loo" of dee%est a%%rehension crossed u7enia)s face. ?-hat are you sayin71 !hat Pitt44@ ?I)m sayin7 that Pitt may have thou7ht that Marlene mi7ht come do&n &ith &hat &e called B rythrotic Pla7ue.) It &ouldn)t "ill her. It &ouldn)t even ma"e her ill in the ordinary sense$ but it &ould sufficiently disorder her brain to %ut her %eculiar 7ift out of action$ %erha%s$ and that is &hat Pitt &ould &ant.@ ?3ut that is horrible$ Siever. 'nthin"able. !o sub6ect a child44@ ?I)m not sayin7 it &ill ha%%en$ u7enia. -hat Pitt &ants is not necessarily &hat Pitt &ill 7et. Once I 7ot here$ I introduced drastic methods of %rotection. -e don)t 7o out in the o%en$ e8ce%t in the e>uivalent of %rotective suits$ and &e don)t stay out lon7er than need be. !he filtration %rocedures of the 0ome have

been im%roved$ too. Since I instituted those measures$ &e)ve only had t&o cases$ both rather li7ht.@ ?3ut &hat causes it$ Siever1@ +enarr lau7hed briefly but not li7htly. ?-e don)t "no&. !hat)s the &orst of it. -e can)t shar%en our defenses any further. Careful e8%eriments indicate that there is nothin7 in either air or &ater that &ould seem to account for it. Nor in the soil44after all$ &e have the soil here in the 0omeA &e can)t divorce ourselves from it. -e have the air and &ater$ too$ %ro%erly filtered. Still$ many %eo%le have breathed ra& rythrotic air and drun" ra& rythrotic &ater and have done so &ith com%lete im%unity and no conse>uences.@ ?!hen it must be the %ro"aryotes.@ ?It can)t be. -e)ve all in7ested them or breathed them inadvertently$ and &e)ve used them in animal e8%eriments. Nothin7 ha%%ens. 3esides$ if it &ere the %ro"aryotes$ the Pla7ue &ould be e8%ected to be conta7ious and$ as I said$ it isn)t. -e)ve e8%erimented &ith the radiation from Nemesis and that seems to do no harm. -hat)s more$ once44only once44someone &ho)d never been outside 7ot it inside the 0ome. It)s a mystery.@ ?2ou have no theories1@ ?I1 No. I)m 6ust content that it has virtually sto%%ed. Still$ as lon7 as &e are so i7norant of the nature and cause of the Pla7ue$ &e can never be sure that it &on)t start u% a7ain. !here &as one su77estion44@ ?-hat &as that1@ ?A %sycholo7ist re%orted this su77estion to me and I %assed it on to Pitt. #e claimed that those &ho came do&n &ith the disorder &ere more ima7inative than those &ho did not$ more out of the ordinary$ mentally s%ea"in7. More intelli7ent$ more creative$ more unusual. #e su77ested that &hatever the cause$ the more remar"able brains &ere less resistant$ more easily u%set.@ ?0o you thin" that mi7ht be so1@ ?I don)t "no&. !he trouble is that there is no other distinction. 3oth se8es &ere hit$ rou7hly e>ually$ and no clear bias as far as a7e$ education$ or 7ross %hysical characteristics could be found. Of course$ the Pla7ue victims ma"e u% a relatively small sam%le$ so the statistics aren)t com%ellin7. Pitt thou7ht &e mi7ht 7o alon7 &ith the out4of4the4usual bit$ and in recent years$ no one has come to rythro &ho hasn)t been a %retty dull clod44not unintelli7ent$ you understand$ but a %lodder. *i"e myself. I)m the ideal sub6ect for immunity from the Pla7ue$ an ordinary brain. (i7ht1@ ?Come Siever44you aren)t44@ ?On the other hand$@ said +enarr$ not &aitin7 for her %rotest$ ?I &ould say that Marlene)s brain &as remar"ably out of the ordinary.@ ?Oh yes$@ be7an u7enia. ?I see &hat you)re 7ettin7 at.@ ?It)s %ossible that &hen Pitt discovered that Marlene had this ability and that she &as as"in7 to 7o to rythro$ he sa& at once that by merely accedin7 to her re>uest$ he mi7ht %ossibly 7et rid of a mind he instantly reco7ni;ed as dan7erous.@ ?Obviously$ then$ &e ou7ht to leave447o bac" to (otor.@ ?2es$ but I)m >uite sure Pitt can %revent that for a &hile. #e can insist that these measurements you &ish to ma"e are vital and must be com%leted and you &on)t be able to use the Pla7ue as an e8cuse. If you even try$ he &ill have you held for mental e8amination. I &ould su77est that you com%lete those measurements as >uic"ly as you can$ and$ as for Marlene$ &e &ill ta"e all %ossible %recautions. !he Pla7ue has died do&n$ and the su77estion that out4of4the4ordinary brains are %articularly vulnerable is 6ust that$ a su77estion$ and no more. !here)s no real reason to thin" &e can)t 7et a&ay &ith it. -e can "ee% Marlene safe and do Pitt in the eye. 2ou)ll see.@ Insi7na stared at +enarr$ not >uite seein7 him$ her stomach tyin7 itself into a "not.

SIXTEEN: HYPERSPACE
ED. Adelia &as a %leasant Settlement$ much more %leasant than (otor had been. Crile .isher had no& been on si8 Settlements other than (otor and all had been more %leasant than (otor. 9.isher %aused momentarily to 7o over the list of names and si7hed. !here &ere seven$ not si8. #e &as losin7 trac". Perha%s it &as all 7ettin7 to be too much for him.: -hatever the number$ Adelia &as the most %leasant Settlement Crile had visited. Not %erha%s %hysically. (otor had been an older Settlement$ one that had mana7ed to &or" itself into an assembly of traditions$ so to s%ea". !here &as an efficiency about it$ a sense of each %erson "no&in7 his %lace e8actly$ bein7 satisfied &ith it$ and &or"in7 a&ay at it successfully. Of course$ !essa &as here on Adelia44!essa Anita -endel. Crile had not %ursued matters there yet$ %erha%s because !anayama)s characteri;ation of him as irresistible to &omen had sha"en him. #o&ever much it mi7ht have been meant as humor 9or as sarcasm:$ it forced him$ almost a7ainst his &ill$ to 7o slo&ly. Producin7 a fiasco &ould seem doubly bad in the eyes of someone &ho believed him$ ho&ever insincerely$ to have a &ay &ith &omen. It &as t&o &ee"s after .isher had settled himself into the Settlement before he mana7ed to see her. It &as al&ays a source of &onder to him that on any Settlement one could al&ays mana7e to arran7e to 7et a vie& of anyone. Not all his e8%erience had accustomed him to the smallness of a Settlement$ to the fe&ness of its %o%ulation$ to the manner in &hich everyone "ne& everyone else in his or her social circle## everyone else44and almost everyone else outside that circle$ too. -hen he did see her$ ho&ever$ !essa -endel turned out to be rather im%ressive. !anayama)s descri%tion of her as middle4a7ed and as t&ice4divorced44the >uir" of his a7ed li%s as he said so$ as thou7h he &ere "no&in7ly settin7 .isher an un%leasant tas"44had built a %icture in .isher)s mind of a harsh &oman$ hard4faced$ &ith a nervous t&itch$ %erha%s$ and an attitude to&ard men that &as either cynical or hun7ry. !essa did not seem at all li"e this from the moderate distance at &hich he first sa& her. She &as almost as tall as he &as and brunette$ &ith her hair slee"ed do&n. She loo"ed >uite alert and she smiled easily44he could tell that. #er clothes &ere refreshin7ly sim%le$ as thou7h she &ent out of her &ay to esche& ornament. She had "e%t herself slim and her fi7ure &as still sur%risin7ly youthful. .isher found himself &onderin7 &hy she &as t&ice4divorced. #e &as ready to assume that she had tired of the men$ rather than the other &ay around$ even thou7h common sense told him that incom%atibility could stri"e a7ainst all odds. It &as necessary to be at some social function at &hich she &ould also be %resent. #is bein7 an arthman inter%osed a small difficulty$ but there &ere %eo%le on every Settlement &ho &ere$ to some e8tent or other$ in arth)s %ay. One of them &ould surely see to it that .isher &ould be ?launched$@ to use the term most Settlements a%%lied to the ritual. !he time came$ then$ &hen he and -endel &ere facin7 each other and she 7a;ed at him thou7htfully$ her eyes ma"in7 a slo& s&ee% do&n&ard$ then u%&ard a7ain$ follo&ed by the inevitable$ ?2ou)re from arth$ aren)t you$ Mr. .isher.@ ?2es$ I am$ 0r. -endel. And I re7ret that e8ceedin7ly44if it offends you.@ ?It doesn)t offend me. I %resume you)ve been decontaminated.@ ?Indeed. !o death$ 6ust about.@ ?And &hy have you dared the decontamination %rocess in order to come here1@ And .isher said$ &ithout starin7 at her too directly$ but "een to detect the effect$ ?3ecause I &as told that Adelian &omen &ere %articularly beautiful.@ ?And no&$ I su%%ose$ you &ill 7o bac" and deny the rumor.@ ?On the contrary$ it has 6ust been confirmed.@ She said$ ?2ou)re a fetcher$ you "no& that1@ .isher didn)t "no& &hat a ?fetcher@ &as in Adelian slan7$ but -endel &as smilin7$ and .isher decided the first e8chan7e had 7one &ell. -as it because he &as irresistible1 #e suddenly remembered that he had never tried to be irresistible to u7enia. #e had merely &anted a &ay of bein7 launched into the difficult (otorian society.

!he Adelian society &as not so difficult$ .isher decided$ but he had better not belabor his irresistibility. 2et to himself$ he smiled sadly. EE. A month later$ .isher and -endel &ere sufficiently at ease &ith each other to s%end some time to7ether in a lo&4+ 7ym. .isher had almost en6oyed the &or"out44but only almost$ because he had never 7ro&n sufficiently acclimated to 7ymnastics at lo&4+ to avoid a certain amount of s%ace sic"ness. On (otor$ there had been less attention to such thin7s$ and he had usually been e8cluded from them because he &as not a native (otorian. 9!hat &as not le7al$ but custom often has a habit of bein7 stron7er than le7ality.: !hey too" an elevator to a hi7her4+ level$ and .isher felt his stomach settlin7 do&n. 3oth he and -endel &ere &earin7 a minimum of clothin7$ and he had the feelin7 that she &as as a&are of his body as he &as of hers. After their sho&ers$ they had both robed and retired to one of the Privacies$ &here they could order a small meal. -endel said$ ?2ou)re not bad at lo&4+ for an arthman$ Crile. Are you en6oyin7 yourself on Adelia1@ ?2ou "no& I am$ !essa. An arthman can never 7et entirely used to a small &orld$ but your %resence &ould overbalance a 7reat many disadvanta7es. ? ?2es. !hat)s e8actly &hat a fetcher &ould say. #o& does Adelia com%are to (otor1@ ?!o (otor1@ ?Or to the other Settlements you)ve been on1 I can name them all$ Crile.@ .isher felt discomfited. ?-hat did you do1 Investi7ate me1@ ?Of course.@ ?Am I that interestin71@ ?I find anyone interestin7 &ho is clearly 7oin7 out of his &ay to be interested in me. I &ant to "no& &hy. 8cludin7 the %ossibility of se8$ of course. !hat)s ta"en as a 7iven.@ ?-hy am I interested in you$ then1@ ?Su%%ose you tell me. -hy &ere you on (otor1 2ou &ere there lon7 enou7h to 7et married and have a child and then you 7ot off in a hurry before it scooted a&ay. -ere you afraid of bein7 stuc" on (otor all your life1 0idn)t you li"e it there1@ .isher had 7one from feelin7 discomfited to feelin7 harassed. #e said$ ?Actually$ I didn)t li"e (otor very much because they didn)t li"e me44 arthmen$ that is. And you)re ri7ht. I didn)t &ant to be stuc" there as a second4class citi;en all my life. Other Settlements are easier on us. Adelia is.@ ?(otor had a secret$ thou7h$ that it &as tryin7 to "ee% from arth$ didn)t it1@ -endel)s eyes seemed to 7litter &ith amusement. ?A secret1 2ou mean$ I su%%ose$ hy%er4assistance.@ ?2es$ I su%%ose that is &hat I mean. And I su%%ose that that &as &hat you &ere after.@ ?I1@ ?2es$ of course you. 0id you 7et it1 I mean$ that)s &hy you married a (otorian scientist$ &asn)t it1@ She rested her face on her t&o fists$ elbo&s on the table$ and leaned to&ard him. .isher shoo" his head$ and said 7uardedly$ ?She never said a &ord to me about hy%er4assistance. 2ou)re all &ron7 about me.@ -endel i7nored his remar"$ and said$ ? And no& you &ant to 7et it from me. #o& do you %lan to do that1 Are you 7oin7 to marry me1@ ?-ould I 7et it from you if I married you1@ ?No.@ ?!hen marria7e seems to be out of the >uestion$ doesn)t it1@ ?!oo bad$@ said -endel$ smilin7. .isher said$ ? Are you as"in7 me these >uestions because you)re a hy%ers%atialist1@ ?-here &ere you told that that &as &hat I &as1 3ac" on arth$ before you came here1@ ?2ou)re listed in the +delian ,oster. ? ?Ah$ you)ve investi7ated me$ too. -hat a curious %air &e are. 0id you notice that I &as listed as a theoretical %hysicist1@ ?It also lists your %a%ers$ and &hen >uite a fe& of the titles have the &ord Bhy%ers%atial$) it ma"es

you sound li"e a hy%ers%atialist to me.@ ?2es$ but I)m a theoretical %hysicist 6ust the same$ so I a%%roach the &hole matter of hy%ers%atialism in a theoretical &ay. I)ve never tried to %ut it into %ractice.@ ?3ut (otor did. 0id that bother you1 I &onder. After all$ someone on (otor 7ot ahead of you.@ ?-hy should it bother me1 !he theory is interestin7$ but the a%%lication isn)t. If you &ere to read more of my %a%ers than the titles$ you &ould discover that I say$ >uite flatly$ that hy%er4assistance isn)t &orth the effort.@ ?(otorians &ere able to 7et a vessel far into s%ace and studied the stars.@ ?2ou)re tal"in7 about the .ar Probe. !hat enabled (otor to 7et %aralla8 measurements for a number of com%aratively distant stars$ but is that &orth the e8%ense they &ent to1 #o& far did the .ar Probe 7o1 =ust a fe& li7ht4months. !hat)s not really very far. As far as the +ala8y is concerned$ the .ar Probe)s e8treme %osition and that of arth and the ima7inary line that can be dra&n bet&een them all amounts to a %oint in s%ace.@ ?!hey did more than send out the .ar Probe$@ said .isher. ?!he entire Settlement left.@ ?!hey certainly did. !hat &as in BDD$ so they)ve been 7one si8 years no&. And all &e "no& is that they left.@ ?Isn)t that enou7h1@ ?Of course not. -here did they 7o1 Are they still alive1 -an they still be alive1 #uman bein7s have never been isolated on a Settlement. !hey have al&ays had arth in the vicinity$ and other Settlements$ too. Can a fe& tens of thousands of human bein7s survive$ alone in the 'niverse$ on a small Settlement1 -e have no idea if that is a %sycholo7ical %ossibility. My 7uess is that it isn)t.@ ?I ima7ine their %ur%ose &ould be to find a &orld they could live on. !hey &ouldn)t remain on a Settlement.@ ?Come$ &hat &orld &ill they find1 !hey)ve been 7one si8 years. !here are e8actly t&o stars they could have reached by no& since hy%er4assistance can only move them at an avera7e s%eed e>ual to that of li7ht. !hat)s Al%ha Centauri$ a three4star system$ four4%oint4three li7ht4years a&ay$ one of the three bein7 a red d&arf. !hen there)s 3arnard)s star$ a sin7le red d&arf$ five4%oint4nine li7ht4years a&ay. .our stars, a Sun4li"e star$ a near4Sun4li"e star$ and t&o red d&arfs. !he t&o Sun4li"es are %art of a moderately close binary and therefore unli"ely to have an arth4li"e %lanet in stable orbit. -here do they 7o ne8t1 !hey &on)t ma"e it$ Crile. I)m sorry. I "no& that your &ife and child &ere on (otor$ but they &on)t ma"e it.@ .isher "e%t calm. #e "ne& somethin7 she didn)t. #e "ne& about the Nei7hbor Star44but that &as a red d&arf$ too. #e said$ ?!hen you thin" that interstellar fli7ht is im%ossible1@ ?In a %ractical sense$ yes$ if hy%er4assistance is all there is.@ .isher said$ ?2ou ma"e it sound as thou7h hy%er4assistance isn&t all there is$ !essa.@ ?It may be all there is. It &asn)t lon7 a7o &hen &e thou7ht that even that much &as im%ossible and to 7o further yet44Still$ &e can at least dream of true hy%ers%atial fli7ht and true su%erluminal velocities. If &e could 7o as >uic"ly as &e &ished for as lon7 as &e &ished$ then the +ala8y$ %erha%s the 'niverse$ &ould become one lar7e Solar System$ so to s%ea"$ and &e could have it all.@ ?!hat)s a nice dream$ but is it %ossible1@ ?-e)ve had three All4Settlement Conferences on the matter since (otor)s fli7ht.@ ?=ust All4Settlement1 -hat about arth1@ ?!here &ere arth observers %resent$ but arth is not a %hysicists) %aradise these days.@ ?-hat conclusions did the conferences reach1@ -endel smiled. ?2ou)re not a %hysicist.@ ?*eave out the hard %arts. I)m curious.@ She merely smiled at him. .isher clenched his fist on the table before him. ?.or7et this theory of yours that I)m some sort of secret a7ent after your information. I have a child out there some&here$ !essa. 2ou say she)s %robably dead. -hat if she)s alive1 Is there a chance44@ -endel)s smile disa%%eared. ?I)m sorry. I did not thin" of that. 3ut be %ractical. .indin7 a Settlement some&here in a volume of s%ace that is re%resented by a s%here that$ at the %resent time$ is si8 li7ht4years in radius and is 7ro&in7 ever lar7er &ith time is an im%ossible tas". It too" us over a century to find the tenth %lanet$ and that &as enormously lar7er than (otor and a much smaller volume of s%ace had to be combed.@ .isher said$ ?#o%e s%rin7s eternal. Is true hy%ers%atial fli7ht %ossible1 2ou can say yes or no.@ ?Most say na44if you &ant the truth. !here may be a fe& &ho say they can)t say$ but they tend to mumble.@

?0oes anyone say yes ri7ht out loud1@ ?One %erson that I "no& of does. I do.@ ?2ou thin" it)s possible? said .isher &ith an astonishment he did not have to fa"e. ?0o you say that o%enly$ or is it somethin7 you tell yourself in the dar" of the ni7ht.@ ?I)ve %ublished on the sub6ect. One of those articles you only read the title of. No one dares a7ree &ith me$ of course$ and I)ve been &ron7 before$ but I thin" I)m ri7ht no&.@ ?-hy do the others all thin" you)re &ron71@ ?!hat)s the hard %art. It)s a matter of inter%retation. #y%er4assistance on the (otorian model$ the techni>ues of &hich are by no& understood in the Settlements 7enerally$ by the &ay$ de%ends on the fact that the %roduct of the ratio of shi% s%eed to li7ht s%eed$ multi%lied by time$ is a constant$ &here the ratio of shi% s%eed to li7ht s%eed is 7reater than one.@ ?-hat does that mean1@ ?!hat means that &hen you 7o faster than li7ht$ the faster you 7o$ the shorter the time you can maintain that s%eed$ and the lon7er the time you must 7o more slo&ly than li7ht before you can 7et a boost over it a7ain. !he result is that$ in the end$ your avera7e s%eed over a %articular distance is no 7reater than the s%eed of li7ht.@ ?-ell1@ ?!hat ma"es it sound as thou7h the uncertainty %rinci%le is involved$ and the uncertainty %rinci%le$ all of us are convinced$ can)t be fooled &ith. If the uncertainty %rinci%le is involved$ then true hy%ers%atial fli7ht &ould seem to be theoretically im%ossible$ and most %hysicists have come do&n on that side of the ar7ument$ &hile the rest of them &affle. My vie&$ ho&ever$ is that &hat)s involved merely seems li"e the uncertainty %rinci%le but isn)t$ and that true hy%ers%atial fli7ht is$ therefore$ not eliminated.@ ?Can the matter be settled1@ ?Probably not$@ said -endel$ sha"in7 her head. ?!he Settlements are definitely not interested in &anderin7 off &ith mere hy%er4assistance. No one is 7oin7 to re%eat the (otorian e8%eriment and voya7e for years to %robable death. On the other hand$ neither is any Settlement 7oin7 to invest an incredible amount of money$ resources$ and effort in order to try to &or" out a techni>ue that the vast ma6ority of e8%erts in the field are convinced is theoretically im%ossible.@ .isher leaned for&ard. ?0oesn)t that bother you1@ ?Of course it bothers me. I)m a %hysicist and I)d li"e to %rove that my vie& of the 'niverse is the correct one. #o&ever$ I)ve 7ot to acce%t the limits of the %ossible. It &ill ta"e enormous sums and the Settlements &ill 7ive me nothin7.@ ?3ut$ !essa$ even if the Settlements are not interested$ arth is44and to any amount.@ ?(eally1@ !essa smiled in &hat seemed mild amusement and she reached out to stro"e .isher)s hair$ slo&ly and sensually. ?I thou7ht &e)d 7et to arth eventually.@ EF. .isher sei;ed -endel)s &rist and 7ently dre& her hand a&ay from his head. #e said$ ?2ou)ve been tellin7 me the truth about your o%inions of hy%ers%atial fli7ht$ haven)t you1@ ?Com%letely.@ #e said$ ?!hen arth &ants you.@ ?-hy1@ ?3ecause arth &ants hy%ers%atial fli7ht$ and you)re the one im%ortant %hysicist &ho thin"s it can be done.@ ?If you "ne& that$ Crile$ &hy the cross4e8amination1@ ?I didn)t "no& it until you told me so. !he only information I had been 7iven &as that you &ere the most brilliant %hysicist alive today.@ ?Oh$ I am$ I am$@ said -endel moc"in7ly. ?And you &ere sent to 7et me1@ ?I &as sent to persuade you.@ ?Persuade me to do &hat1 !o come to arth1 Overcro&ded$ filthy$ im%overished$ &rac"ed by uncontrolled &eather. -hat an enticin7 thou7ht.@ ?*isten to me$ !essa. arth is not all of a %iece. It may have all those faults$ but there are %arts that are beautiful and %eaceful and that is all you &ould see. 2ou don)t really "no& &hat arth is li"e. 2ou)ve never been there$ have you1@

?Never. I)m Adelian$ born and bred. I have been to other Settlements$ but I)ve never been to arth$ than" you.@ ?!hen you can&t "no& &hat arth is li"e. 2ou can)t "no& &hat a lar7e &orld is. A real &orld. 2ou live here enclosed$ in a toy bo8$ &ith a fe& s>uare "ilometers of surface$ &ith a handful of %eo%le. 2ou)re livin7 in a miniature that you)ve used u% lon7 a7o and that has nothin7 more to offer you. arth$ on the other hand$ is over si8 hundred million s>uare "ilometers of surface. It is ei7ht billion human bein7s. It is infinite variety44lots of it very bad$ but lots of it very 7ood.@ ?And all of it very %oor. And you have no science.@ ?3ecause scientists44and &ith them science44have moved out to the Settlements. !hat)s &hy &e need you and others. Come bac" to arth. ? ?I still don)t see &hy.@ ?3ecause &e have 7oals$ ambitions$ desires. !he Settlements have only self4satisfaction.@ ?-hat 7ood are all those 7oals and ambitions and desires1 Physics is an e8%ensive %ursuit.@ ?And arth)s %er ca%ita &ealth is lo&$ I admit it. Individually$ &e are %oor$ but ei7ht billion %eo%le$ each contributin7 somethin7 out of %overty$ can amass a vast sum. Our resources$ misused as they are and have been$ are still enormous$ and &e can find more money and more labor than all the Settlements to7ether44if it is for somethin7 &e feel an absolute need. I assure you that arth feels an absolute need for hy%ers%atial fli7ht. Come to arth$ !essa$ and you &ill be treated as that rarest of resources$ a brilliant brain &e must have44and the one thin7 &e can)t su%%ly on our o&n.@ -endel said$ ?I)m not at all sure that Adelia &ould be &illin7 to let me 7o. It may be a self4 satisfied Settlement$ but it "no&s the value of brains$ too.@ ?!hey can)t ob6ect to your attendin7 a scientific meetin7 on arth.@ ?And once there$ you mean$ I needn)t return1@ ?2ou &ill have no com%laint &ith re7ard to treatment. 2ou &ill be more comfortable there than you are here. 2our every desire$ your every &ish44More than that$ you can head the hy%ers%atial %ro6ect and you &ill have an unlimited bud7et to devise tests of any "ind$ run e8%eriments$ ma"e observations44@ ?-ell< -hat a %rincely bribe you offer me<@ .isher said earnestly$ ?Is there anythin7 more you can as" for1@ ?I &onder$@ said -endel. ?-hy &ere you sent1 An attractive man li"e you1 -ere they e8%ectin7 you to brin7 bac" an elderly female %hysicist44susce%tible44frustrated44dra&n by your body li"e a fish by a hoo"1@ ?I don)t "no& &hat &as in the mind of those &ho sent me$ !essa$ but that &as not in my mind. Not after one loo" at you. 2ou are not elderly$ as you &ell "no&. I don)t for a minute believe that you are either susce%tible or frustrated. arth is offerin7 you a %hysicist)s dream. !hat has nothin7 to do &ith &hether you are male or female$ elderly or youthful.@ ?-hat a shame< Su%%ose I %roved recalcitrant and didn)t &ish to 7o to arth1 -hat &ere you to do as a last measure of %ersuasion1 Su%%ress your distaste for the %rocess and ma"e love to me1@ -endel crossed her arms over her ma7nificent breasts and loo"ed at him >ui;;ically. .isher said carefully$ choosin7 his &ords$ ? A7ain$ I cannot say &hat &as in the mind of those &ho sent me. Ma"in7 love &as not %art of my e8%licit instructions$ nor &as it %art of my intentions$ thou7h if it had been$ I assure you that I &ould feel no distaste at the %ros%ect. I felt$ ho&ever$ that you &ould see the advanta7es from a %hysicist)s %oint of vie& and I &ould not deni7rate you by su%%osin7 that you &ould need anythin7 more.@ ?#o& &ron7 you are$@ said -endel. ?I see the advanta7es from a %hysicist)s %oint of vie&$ and I am an8ious to acce%t the offer and to %ursue the butterfly of hy%ers%atial fli7ht do&n the corridors of the %ossible44but I do not &ish to 7ive u% your best efforts at %ersuasion either. I &ant it all.@ ?3ut44@ ?In short$ if you &ant me$ you must %ay me. Persuade me as thou7h I &ere recalcitrant$ as best as ever you can$ or I &on)t 7o to arth. Come$ &hy do you su%%ose &e are here in a Privacy1 -hat do you thin" Privacies are for1 Once &e have e8ercised$ sho&ered$ eaten a bit$ dran" a little$ conversed$ e8%erienced some %leasure in all these thin7s$ there is o%%ortunity to e8%erience others. I insist. Persuade me to come to arth.@ And at the touch of her fin7er$ the li7ht &ithin the Privacy dimmed seductively.

SEVENTEEN: SAFE?
EG. Insi7na felt uneasy. It &as Siever +enarr &ho had insisted that Marlene be consulted in the matter. #e said$ ?2ou)re her mother$ u7enia$ and you can)t hel% but thin" of her as a little 7irl. It ta"es a &hile for a mother to reali;e she is not an absolute monarch$ that her dau7hter is not a %iece of %ro%erty.@ u7enia Insi7na avoided his mild eye. She said$ ?0on)t lecture me$ Siever. 2ou have no children of your o&n. It)s easy to be %om%ous about other %eo%le)s children.@ ?0o I sound %om%ous1 I)m sorry. *et us say$ I)m not as emotionally bound as you are to the memory of an infant. I like the 7irl a 7reat deal$ but I have no %icture of her in my mind e8ce%t that of a bur7eonin7 youn7 &oman &ith a very remar"able mind. She)s important$ u7enia. I have a %eculiar feelin7 that she is much more im%ortant than either you or I. She must be consulted44@ ?She must be "e%t sa e$ ? Insi7na countered. ?I a7ree$ but she must be consulted as to ho& best to "ee% her safe. She is youn7$ she is ine8%erienced$ but she may %ossibly "no& better than &e do &hat must be done. *et us tal" amon7 ourselves as thou7h &e &ere three adults. Promise me$ u7enia$ that you &on)t try to ma"e use of maternal authority.@ Insi7na said bitterly$ ?#o& can I %romise that1 3ut &e)ll tal" to her.@ So no& the three &ere to7ether in +enarr)s office$ the room shielded$ and Marlene$ loo"in7 >uic"ly from one to the other$ %ressed her li%s ti7htly to7ether and said unha%%ily$ ?I)m not 7oin7 to li"e this.@ Insi7na said$ ?I)m afraid it is bad ne&s. #ere it is44bluntly. -e)re considerin7 a return to (otor.@ Marlene loo"ed astonished. ?3ut your im%ortant &or"$ Mother. 2ou can)t abandon that. 3ut I see you don)t intend to. I don)t understand$ then.@ ?Marlene$@ Insi7na s%o"e slo&ly and &ith em%hasis. ?-e)re considerin7 that you return to (otor. Only you. ? At that$ there &ere a fe& moments of silence$ &hile Marlene searched both of their faces. !hen she said$ almost in a &his%er$ ?2ou)re serious. I can)t believe it. I won&t return to (otor. I don)t &ant to. Ever. rythro is my &orld. (i7ht here is &here I &ant to be.@ )arlene@ be7an Insi7na$ her voice shrill. +enarr held u% his hand in Insi7na)s direction$ sha"in7 his head sli7htly. She fell silent$ and +enarr said$ ?-hy are you so an8ious to be here$ Marlene1@ And Marlene ans&ered flatly$ ?3ecause I am. 2ou can be hun7ry for some %articular food sometimes446ust feel li"e eatin7 it. 2ou can)t e8%lain &hy. 2ou 6ust &ant it. I)m hun7ry for rythro. I don)t "no& &hy$ but I &ant it. I don)t have to e8%lain that.@ +enarr said$ ?*et your mother tell you &hat &e "no&.@ Insi7na too" Marlene)s cold and unres%onsive hand in hers and said$ ?0o you remember$ Marlene$ before &e left for rythro$ &hen you &ere tellin7 me about your conversation &ith Commissioner Pitt44@ ?2es1@ ?2ou told me then that &hen he said &e could 7o to rythro$ he left out somethin7. 2ou didn)t "no& &hat that somethin7 &as$ but you said it &as rather un%leasant44sort of evil.@ ?2es$ I remember.@ Insi7na hesitated and Marlene)s lar7e %enetratin7 eyes 7re& hard. She &his%ered$ as thou7h she &as tal"in7 to herself and &asn)t entirely a&are that her inner thou7hts &ere bein7 voiced. ?O%tic flic"er at head. #and nearly at tem%le. Moves a&ay.@ !he sound died$ thou7h her li%s continued to move. !hen$ in loud outra7e$ she said$ ? Are you under the im%ression there)s somethin7 &ron7 &ith my mind1@ ?No$@ said Insi7na >uic"ly. ?Cuite the reverse$ dear. -e "no& that your mind is an e8cellent one$ and &e &ant it to stay that &ay. #ere)s the story44@ Marlene listened to the tale of the rythro Pla7ue &ith &hat seemed to be the dee%est sus%icion$ and finally said$ ?I see you believe &hat you are tellin7 me$ Mother$ but it could be that someone told you a lie.@

?She heard it from me$@ said +enarr$ ?and I tell you$ of my %ersonal e8%erience$ that it)s all the truth. No& you tell me if I am tellin7 the truth ri7ht no&.@ Marlene clearly acce%ted that and moved on&ard. ?-hy am I in %articular dan7er$ then1 -hy am I in dan7er more than you or Mother1@ ?As your mother said$ Marlene44!he Pla7ue is thou7ht to stri"e more readily at %eo%le &ho are more ima7inative$ more fanciful. !here is evidence that leads some to believe that unusual minds are more susce%tible to the Pla7ue$ and since yours is the most unusual I have ever encountered$ it seems to me %ossible that you are dan7erously susce%tible. !he Commissioner has sent instructions that you are to have a free hand on rythro$ that &e)re to ma"e it %ossible for you to see and e8%erience &hatever you &ish$ that &e are even to allo& you to e8%lore outside the 0ome44if that is your desire. It sounds very "ind of him$ but mi7ht he not &ant to e8%ose you to the outside in the &ish$ in the hope$ of increasin7 your chance at comin7 do&n &ith the Pla7ue1@ Marlene considered this &ith no si7n of emotion. Insi7na said$ ?0on)t you see$ Marlene1 !he Commissioner doesn)t &ant to "ill you. -e)re not accusin7 him of that. #e 6ust &ants to %ut your mind out of action. It is inconvenient to him. 2ou can easily find out thin7s about him and about his intentions that he doesn)t &ant you to "no&$ and he &on)t have that. #e)s a man of secrets.@ ?If Commissioner Pitt is tryin7 to do me harm$@ said Marlene at len7th$ ?then &hy are you tryin7 to send me bac" to him1@ +enarr raised his eyebro&s. ?-e)ve e8%lained it. 2ou)re in dan7er here.@ ?I)d be in dan7er there$ &ith him. -hat mi7ht he do ne8t44if he really &ants to destroy me1 If he thin"s I)m 7oin7 to be destroyed here$ then he)ll for7et about me. #e)ll leave me alone$ &on)t he1 At least for as lon7 as I)m here1@ ?3ut the Pla7ue$ Marlene. !he .lague. ? She reached out to hu7 her. Marlene evaded the embrace. ?I)m not &orried about the Pla7ue.@ ?3ut &e e8%lained44@ ?It doesn)t matter &hat you e8%lained. I)m not in dan7er here. Not at all. I "no& my mind. I)ve lived &ith it all my life. I understand it. It)s not in dan7er.@ +enarr said$ ?3e reasonable$ Marlene. #o&ever stable you feel your mind to be$ it)s sub6ect to disease and deterioration. 2ou mi7ht 7et menin7itis$ e%ile%tic sym%toms$ a brain tumor$ or$ eventually$ senescence. Can you hold any of those thin7s at bay 6ust by bein7 sure none of it &ill ha%%en to you1@ ?I)m not tal"in7 about any of those thin7s. I)m tal"in7 about the Pla7ue. !hat &on)t ha%%en to me.@ ?2ou can)t %ossibly be sure$ dear. -e don)t even "no& &hat the Pla7ue is.@ ?-hatever it is$ it &on)t ha%%en to me.@ ?#o& can you tell$ Marlene1@ as"ed +enarr. ?I 6ust "no&.@ Insi7na felt her %atience brea". She cau7ht Marlene by both elbo&s. ?Marlene$ you must do as you)re told.@ ?No$ Mother. 2ou don)t understand. On (otor$ I)ve felt a %ull to&ard rythro. It %ulls me more stron7ly than ever$ no& that I)m on it. I &ant to stay on it. I)ll be safe here. I don)t &ant to 7o bac" to (otor. I)ll be less safe there.@ +enarr raised his hand$ sto%%in7 &hatever it &as that Insi7na &as about to say. ?I su77est a com%romise$ Marlene. 2our mother is here to ma"e certain astronomical observations. It &ill ta"e her some time. Promise that$ &hile she is busy at it$ you &ill be content to stay inside the 0ome and ta"e such %recautions as I thin" &ill ma"e sense$ and that you submit to %eriodic tests. If &e detect no chan7e in your mental functionin7$ you can &ait here in the 0ome till your mother is done and then &e can discuss it a7ain. A7reed1@ Marlene bent her head in thou7ht. !hen she said$ ? All ri7ht. 3ut$ Mother$ don)t thin" of %retendin7 to be finished &hen you)re not finished. I &ill "no&. And don)t thin" of doin7 a >uic" 6ob instead of a 7ood one. I &ill "no& that$ too.@ Insi7nia fro&ned and said$ ?I &on)t %lay 7ames$ Marlene$ and don)t thin" I &ill ever deliberately do bad science44even for your sa"e.@ Marlene said$ ?I)m sorry$ Mother. I "no& that you find me irritatin7.@ Insi7nia si7hed heavily$ ?I don)t deny that$ but$ irritatin7 or not$ Marlene$ you are my dau7hter. I love you$ and I &ant to "ee% you safe. As far as that 7oes$ am I lyin71@ ?No$ Mother$ you are not lyin7$ but %lease believe me &hen I say I am safe. Since I)ve been on rythro$ I)ve been ha%%y. I never &as ha%%y on (otor.@

+enarr said$ ?And &hy are you ha%%y1@ ?I don)t "no&$ 'ncle Siever. 3ut bein7 ha%%y is enou7h$ even &hen you don)t "no& &hy$ isn)t it1@ EH. ?2ou loo" tired$ u7enia$@ said +enarr. ?Not %hysically$ Siever. =ust tired inside after t&o months of calculations. I don)t "no& ho& it &as %ossible for astronomers in %res%atial times to do &hat they did &ith nothin7 more than %rimitive com%uters. .or that matter$ 5e%ler &or"ed out the la&s of %lanetary motion &ith nothin7 more than lo7arithms$ and had to consider himself fortunate that they had 6ust been invented.@ ?Pardon a nonastronomer$ but I thou7ht that these days$ astronomers sim%ly 7ave their instruments their directions$ then &ent to slee% and$ after a fe& hours$ &o"e u% and found everythin7 %rinted u% neatly and &aitin7 at the des".@ ?I &ish. 3ut this 6ob &as different. 0o you "no& ho& %recisely I had to clculate the actual velocity of Nemesis and the Sun relative to each other$ so that I could "no& e8actly &here and &hen the t&o made their closest a%%roach1 0o you "no& ho& tiny an error &ould be sufficient to ma"e it seem that Nemesis &ould do arth no harm &hen it &ould really destroy it44and vice versa1 ?It &ould be bad enou7h$@ Insi7nia &ent on intensely$ ?if Nemesis and the Sun &ere the only t&o bodies in the 'niverse$ but there are nearby stars$ all of them movin7. At least a do;en of them are massive enou7h to have a tiny effect on Nemesis or the Sun or both. !iny$ but lar7e enou7h to mount u% to an error of millions of "ilometers one &ay or another$ if i7nored. And in order to 7et it ri7ht$ you have to "no& the mass of each star &ith considerable %recision$ and its %osition$ and its velocity. ?It)s a fifteen4body %roblem$ Siever$ enormously com%licated. Nemesis &ill 7o ri7ht throu7h the Solar System and have a %erce%tible effect on several of the %lanets. A lot de%ends on the actual %osition of each %lanet in its orbit as Nemesis %asses throu7h$ of course$ and by ho& much it &ill shift under the influence of Nemesis) 7ravity$ and ho& this shift &ill affect its %ull on the other %lanets. And$ by the &ay$ the effect of Me7as also has to be calculated.@ +enarr listened 7ravely. ? And &hat)s the bottom line$ u7enia1@ ?As it ha%%ens$ I believe the effect &ill be to ma"e arth)s orbit a trifle more eccentric than it is no& and the semima6or a8is a bit smaller than it is no&.@ ?-hich means1@ ?-hich means that arth &ill become too hot to be habitable.@ ?And &hat &ill ha%%en to Me7as and rythro1@ ?Nothin7 measurable. !he Nemetic System is much smaller than the Solar System and therefore is held to7ether more ti7htly. Nothin7 here &ill bud7e si7nificantly$ but arth &ill.@ ?-hen &ill this ha%%en1@ ?In five thousand and t&enty4four years$ %lus or minus fifteen$ Nemesis &ill reach the %oint of closest a%%roach. !he effect &ill s%read itself out over t&enty or thirty years as Nemesis and the Sun a%%roach and se%arate.@ ?Are there 7oin7 to be any collisions or anythin7 li"e that1@ ?Almost ;ero chance of anythin7 si7nificant. No collisions bet&een any ma6or bodies. Of course$ a solar asteroid mi7ht stri"e rythro$ or a Nemetic asteroid mi7ht stri"e the arth. !here &ould be a very small chance of that$ thou7h it &ould be catastro%hic for arth if it ha%%ened. !here)s no chance of calculatin7 that$ ho&ever$ until the stars are very close to each other.@ ?3ut$ in any case$ arth &ill have to be evacuated. Is that it1@ ?Oh yes.@ ?3ut they)ve 7ot five thousand years to do it in.@ ?.ive thousand years is none too lon7 to arran7e for the evacuation of ei7ht billion %eo%le. !hey should be &arned.@ ?-on)t they find out for themselves$ even if they aren)t &arned1@ ?-ho "no&s &hen1 And even if they find out soon$ &e should 7ive them the techni>ue of hy%er4 assistance. !hey &ill have to have it.@ ?I)m sure they &ill have that on their o&n$ too$ and %erha%s in not too lon7 a time.@ ?And if they don)t1@

?I)m also sure that &ithin a century or less$ communication &ill be established bet&een (otor and arth. After all$ if &e have hy%er4assistance for trans%ortation$ &e &ill have it for communication eventually. Or &e &ill send a Settlement bac" to arth and there &ill still be time.@ ?2ou tal" li"e Pitt.@ +enarr chuc"led. ?#e can)t be &ron7 all the time$ you "no&.@ ?#e &on)t &ant to communicate. I "no& it.@ ?#e can)t al&ays have his &ay either. -e have a 0ome here on rythro$ thou7h he o%%osed it. And even if &e don)t beat him on that$ he)ll be dead eventually. (eally$ u7enia$ don)t &orry e8cessively about arth at this moment. -e have nearer concerns. 0oes Marlene "no& you are about done1@ ?#o& can she fail to "no&1 A%%arently$ the e8act state of my %ro7ress is im%rinted on the &ay I s&ish my sleeve or comb my hair.@ ?She)s 7ettin7 ever more %erce%tive$ isn)t she1@ ?2es. #ave you noticed that$ too1@ ?Indeed I have. =ust in the short time I)ve "no&n her.@ ?I su%%ose %art of it is due to her 7ro&in7 older. She)s 7ro&in7 %erce%tion$ %erha%s$ the &ay she)s 7ro&in7 breasts. !hen$ too$ she s%ent most of her life tryin7 to hide her ability because she didn)t "no& &hat to ma"e of it$ and because it 7ot her into trouble. No& that she)s not afraid$ it)s out and e8%andin7$ so to s%ea".@ ?Or because$ for some reason$ as she says$ she li"es bein7 on rythro and her %leasure e8tends her %erce%tions.@ Insi7na said$ ?I have had a thou7ht about this$ Siever. I don)t &ish to %ester you &ith my follies. I do tend to accumulate &orries about Marlene$ about arth$ about everythin70o you su%%ose that rythro is affectin7 her1 I mean$ adversely1 0o you su%%ose that a touch of the Pla7ue is ta"in7 the form of ma"in7 her even more %erce%tive1@ ?I don)t "no& that that >uestion can be ans&ered$ u7enia$ but if her hei7htened %erce%tion is the effect of the Pla7ue$ it doesn)t seem to bother her mental balance at all. And I can tell you this44none of those &ho suffered from the Pla7ue in all our stay here sho&ed any sym%toms remotely li"e u7enia)s 7ift.@ Insi7na heaved a si7h. ?!han" you. 2ou)re comfortin7. And than" you$ too$ for bein7 so 7entle and friendly &ith Marlene.@ +enarr)s mouth >uir"ed in a small lo%sided smile. ?It)s easy. I)m very fond of her.@ ?2ou ma"e that sound so natural. She)s not a li"able 7irl. I "no& that$ even if I)m her mother.@ ?I find her li"able. I)ve al&ays %referred brains to beauty in &omen 44unless I could 7et both$ as in your case$ u7enia44@ ?!&enty years a7o$ maybe$@ said u7enia &ith another si7h. ?My eyes have a7ed &ith your body$ u7enia. !hey see no chan7e. 3ut it doesn)t matter to me that Marlene is not beautiful. She)s fearfully intelli7ent$ even a%art from her %erce%tion.@ ?2es$ there is that. It consoles me even &hen she is most burdensome.@ ?-ell$ as to that$ I)m afraid Marlene &ill continue to be a burden$ u7enia.@ Insi7na loo"ed u% shar%ly. ?In &hat &ay1@ ?She has made it %lain to me that bein7 in the 0ome is not enou7h. She &ants to be out there$ out on the soil of the &orld itself 6ust as soon as you are done &ith your &or". She insists<@ And Insi7na stared at him in horror.

EIGHTEEN: SUPERLUMINAL
EI. !hree years on arth had a7ed !essa -endel. #er com%le8ion had coarsened a bit. She had %ut on some &ei7ht. !here &as the be7innin7 of 6o&ls and dar" %atches under her eyes. #er breasts had 7ro&n a shade %endulous and her &aist had thic"ened. Crile .isher "ne& that !essa &as in her late forties no&$ that she &as five years older than he &as. 3ut she did not loo" older than her years. She &as still a fine mature fi7ure of a &oman 9as he had heard someone refer to her:$ but she &ould no lon7er %ass for a &oman in her thirties$ as she mi7ht easily have done &hen he had first met her at Adelia. !essa &as a&are of it$ too$ and had s%o"en of it bitterly to him only the &ee" before. ?It)s you$ Crile$@ she had said one ni7ht &hen they &ere in bed to7ether 9a time &hen$ a%%arently$ she &as most conscious of a7in7:. ?!he fault is yours. 2ou sold me on arth. BMa7nificent$) you said. B normous$) you said. BVariety. Al&ays somethin7 ne&. Ine8haustible.) ? ?And isn)t it1@ he said$ "no&in7 &hat she found ob6ectionable$ but &illin7 to let her vent her feelin7s once a7ain. ?Not &here 7ravity is concerned. Allover this entire bloated$ im%ossible %lanet$ you have the same 7ravitational %ull. '% in the air$ do&n in a mine$ here$ there$ every&here$ one +44one +44one +. It should "ill you all out of sheer boredom.@ ?-e "no& no better$ !essa.@ /ou "no& better. 2ou)ve been on Settlements. !here you can %ic" your 7ravitational %ull to suit yourself. 2ou can e8ercise at lo& 7ravity. 2ou can li7hten the strain on your tissues no& and then. #o& can you 0ive &ithout that1@ ?-e e8ercise here on arth$ too.@ ?Oh %lease44you do it &ith that %ull$ that eternal %ull$ yan"in7 do&n on you. 2ou s%end all your time fi7htin7 it instead of lettin7 your muscles inter%lay. 2ou can)t lea%$ you can)t fly$ you can)t soar. 2ou can)t let yourself dro% into the 7reater %ull or rise into the lesser one. And that %ull$ %ull$ %ull dra7s every bit of you do&n$ so that you sa7 and &rin"le and a7e. *oo" at me< 1ook at me<@ ?I loo" at you as often as I can$@ said .isher solemnly. ?0on)t loo" at me$ then. If you do$ you)ll thro& me over. And if you do that$ I)ll 7o bac" to Adelia.@ ?No$ you &on)t. -hat &ill you do there after you)ve e8ercised at lo& 7ravity1 2our research &or"$ your laboratories$ your team are all here.@ ?I)ll start over and build a ne& team.@ ?And &ill Adelia su%%ort you in the style to &hich you are no& accustomed1 Of course not. 2ou)ll have to admit that arth is not stintin7 you$ that you are 7ettin7 all you &ant. -asn)t I ri7ht1@ ?-eren)t you ri7ht1 !raitor< 2ou didn)t tell me that arth had hy%er4assistance. 2ou also didn)t tell me that they had discovered the Nei7hbor Star. In fact$ you let me %ontificate on the uselessness of (otor)s .ar Probe and never once told me that it had discovered anythin7 more than a fe& %aralla8es. 2ou sat there and lau7hed at me$ li"e the heartless &retch you are.@ ?I &ould have told you$ !essa$ but &hat if you had decided not to come to arth1 It &as not my secret to 7ive you.@ ?3ut after I came to arth1@ ?As soon as you 7ot to &or"$ actually to &or"$ &e told you.@ !hey told me$ and left me feelin7 stunned and foolish. 2ou mi7ht have 7iven me 6ust a hint so that I &ouldn)t come off li"e such an idiot. I should have "illed you$ but &hat could I do1 2ou)re addictive. 2ou "ne& you &ere &hen you heartlessly seduced me into comin7 to arth.@ !hat &as a 7ame she insisted on %layin7$ and .isher "ne& his role. #e said$ ?Seduced you1 2ou insisted. 2ou &ouldn)t have it any other &ay.@ ?2ou liar. 2ou forced yourself on me. It &as ra%e44im%ure and com%le8. And you)re 7oin7 to do it a7ain. I can see it in those dreadful44lust4filled eyes.@ It had been months since she had %layed that %articular 7ame and .isher "ne& it came &hen she

&as satisfied &ith herself %rofessionally. #e said after&ard$ ?#ave you made %ro7ress1@ ?Pro7ress1 I thin" you can call it that.@ She &as %antin7. ?I have a demonstration that I)ve set u% for tomorro& for your decayin7 and ancient arthman$ !anayama. #e)s been %ushin7 for it mercilessly.@ ?#e)s a merciless fello&.@ ?#e)s a stu%id fello&. 2ou)d thin" that even if a society doesn)t "no& science$ they &ould "no& somethin7 about science$ about ho& it &or"s. If they 7ive you a million 7lobal credits in the mornin7$ they shouldn)t e8%ect anythin7 definite by evenin7 the same day. !hey should at least &ait till the ne8t mornin7 and 7ive you the &hole ni7ht to &or" in. 0o you "no& &hat he said to me last time &e s%o"e$ &hen I said I mi7ht have somethin7 to sho& him1@ ?No$ you hadn)t told me. -hat did he say1@ ?2ou)d thin" he)d say, BIt)s ama;in7 that in a mere three years you)ve &or"ed out somethin7 so astonishin7 and ne&. -e must 7ive you enormous credit and the &ei7ht of 7ratitude &e feel to&ard you is immeasurable.) !hat)s &hat you &ould think he &ould say.@ ?No$ not in a million years &ould I thin" that !anayama &ould say anythin7 li"e that. -hat did he say1@ ?#e said$ BSo you have somethin7 finally$ after three years. I should ho%e so. #o& lon7 do you thin" I have to live1 0o you thin" I have been su%%ortin7 you$ and %ayin7 for you and feedin7 you an army of assistants and &or"ers in order to have you %roduce somethin7 after I)m dead and can)t see it1) !hat)s &hat he did say$ and I tell you I &ould li"e to delay the demonstration till he is dead$ for my o&n satisfaction$ but I su%%ose that the &or" comes first.@ ?0o you really have somethin7 that &ill satisfy him1@ ?Only su%erluminal fli7ht. !rue su%erluminal fli7ht$ not that hy%er4assistance nonsense. -e no& have somethin7 that &ill o%en the door to the 'niverse.@ EJ. !he site &here !essa -endel)s research team labored$ intent on sha"in7 the 'niverse$ had been %re%ared for her even before she had been recruited and come to arth. It &as inside a vast mountainous redoubt that &as totally off4limits to arth)s teemin7 %o%ulation$ and in it a veritable city of research had been built. And no& !anayama &as there$ seated in a motori;ed chair. Only his eyes$ behind their narro&ed lids$ seemed alive44shar%$ 7lancin7 this &ay and that. #e &as by no means the hi7hest fi7ure in arth)s 7overnment$ not even the hi7hest fi7ure then %resent$ but he had been$ and still &as$ the force behind the %ro6ect and all automatically 7ave &ay to him. Only -endel seemed unintimidated. #is voice &as a rustlin7 &his%er. ?-hat &ill I see$ 0octor1 A shi%1@ !here &as no shi% in vie&$ of course. -endel said$ ?No shi%$ 0irector. Shi%s are years a&ay. I have only a demonstration$ but it is an e8citin7 one. 2ou &ill see the first %ublic demonstration of true su%erluminal fli7ht$ somethin7 that is far beyond hy%er4assistance.@ ?#o& am I 7oin7 to see that1@ ?It &as my understandin7$ 0irector$ that you have been briefed.@ !anayama cou7hed &rac"in7ly and had to %ause to catch his breath. ?!hey tried to tal" to me$@ he said$ ?but I &ant it from you.@ #is eyes$ baleful and hard$ &ere fi8ed on her. ?2ou)re in char7e$@ he said. ?It is your scheme. 8%lain.@ ?I can)t e8%lain the theory. !hat &ould ta"e too lon7$ 0irector. It &ould tire you.@ ?I &ant no theory. -hat am I 7oin7 to see? ?-hat you are 7oin7 to see are t&o cubical 7lass containers. 3oth contain a hard vacuum.@ ?-hy a vacuum1@ ?Su%erluminal fli7ht can only be initiated in a vacuum$ 0irector. Other&ise the ob6ect made to move faster than li7ht dra7s matter &ith it$ increasin7 ener7y e8%enditures and decreasin7 controllability. It must end in a vacuum$ too$ or else the results can be catastro%hic because44@ ?Never mind the Bbecause.) If this su%erluminal fli7ht of yours must be7in and end in a vacuum$ ho& do &e ma"e use of it1@ ?It is necessary$ first$ to move out into outer s%ace by ordinary fli7ht and then move into hy%ers%ace and stay there. 2ou arrive near your destination and move out into ordinary s%ace$ and then

ma"e the final move by ordinary fli7ht.@ ?!hat ta"es time.@ ? ven su%erluminal fli7ht can)t be done instantaneously$ but if you can move from the Solar System to a star forty li7ht4years a&ay in forty days rather than forty years$ it &ould be un7rateful to 7rumble over the time la%se.@ ?All ri7ht$ then. 2ou have these t&o cubical 7lass containers. -hat of them1@ ?!hey are holo7ra%hic %ro6ections. Actually$ they are three thousand "ilometers a%art throu7h the body of the arth$ each in a mountain fastness. If li7ht could travel from one to the other throu7h unobstructed vacuum$ it &ould ta"e that li7ht fully 1L1000th of a second44one millisecond44to ma"e the %assa7e. -e)re not 7oin7 to use li7ht$ of course. Sus%ended in the middle of the cube at the left$ held in s%ace by a %o&erful ma7netic field$ is a small s%here$ &hich is actually a tiny hy%eratomic motor. 0o you see it$ 0irector1@ ?I see somethin7 there$@ said !anayama. ?Is that all you have1@ ?If you &ill &atch carefully$ you &ill see that it &ill disa%%ear. !he countdo&n is %ro7ressin7.@ It &as a &his%er in each %erson)s ear$ and$ at ;ero$ the s%here &as 7one from one cube and %resent in the other. ?(emember$@ said -endel$ ?those cubes are really three thousand "ilometers a%art. !he timin7 mechanism sho&s that the duration bet&een the de%arture and the arrival &as a little over ten microseconds$ &hich means that the %assa7e too" %lace at almost a hundred times the s%eed of li7ht.@ !anayama loo"ed u%. ?#o& can I tell1 !he &hole thin7 could be a tric" desi7ned to fool someone you believe to be a 7ullible old man. ? ?0irector$@ said -endel sternly. ?!here are hundreds of scientists here$ all &ith re%utations$ a number of them arthmen. !hey &ill sho& you anythin7 you &ant to see$ e8%lain ho& the instruments &or". 2ou &ill find nothin7 here but honest science done &ell.@ ? ven if all is as you say$ &hat does it mean1 A little ball. A Pin7 Pon7 ball$ travelin7 a fe& thousand "ilometers. Is that &hat you have after three years1@ ?-hat you have seen is %erha%s more than anyone had a ri7ht to e8%ect$ 0irector$ &ith all due res%ect. -hat you have seen may be the si;e of a Pin74Pon7 ball$ and it may have traveled no more than three thousand "ilometers$ but it is true su%erluminal fli7ht 6ust as much as if &e had moved a starshi% from here to Arcturus at a hundred times the s%eed of li7ht. -hat you have seen is the first %ublic demonstration of true su%erluminal fli7ht in human history.@ ?3ut it)s the starshi% I &ant to see.@ ?.or that you &ill have to &ait.@ ?I have no time. I have no time$@ ras%ed !anayama in a voice that &as nothin7 more than a hoarse &his%er. A fit of cou7hin7 shoo" him a7ain. And -endel said in a lo& voice that %erha%s only !anayama heard$ ? ven your &ill cannot move the 'niverse.@ EK. !he three days devoted to officialdom in &hat &as unofficially "no&n as #y%er City had %assed 7rindin7ly$ and no& the interlo%ers &ere 7one. ? ven so$@ said !essa -endel to Crile .isher$ ?it &ill ta"e t&o or three more days to recover and 7et bac" to &or" &ith full intensity.@ She loo"ed ha77ard and intensely dis%leased as she said$ ?-hat a vile old man.@ .isher had no trouble divinin7 the reference to be to !anayama. ?#e)s a sic" old man.@ -endel shot an an7ry loo" at him. ? Are you defendin7 him1@ ?=ust statin7 a fact$ !essa.@ She lifted a fin7er in admonishment. ?I am >uite certain that that miserable relic &as as irrational and unreasonable in days %ast &hen he &as not sic"$ or$ for that matter$ &hen he &as not old. #o& lon7 has he been 0irector of the Office1@ ?#e)s a fi8ture. Over thirty years. And before that he &as Chief 0e%uty for almost as lon7 and %robably the real %o&er behind a succession of three or four fi7urehead 0irectors. And no matter ho& old or sic" he 7ets$ he)ll stay 0irector till he dies44maybe for three days after&ard$ &hile %eo%le &ait to ma"e sure he doesn)t rise from the dead.@

?I 7ather you thin" this is funny.@ ?No$ but &hat can you do but lau7h at the s%ectacle of a man &ho$ &ithout o%en %o&er$ &ithout even bein7 "no&n to the 7eneral %ublic$ has "e%t everyone in the 7overnment in fear and sub6ection for nearly half a century sim%ly because he has firm control over everyone)s disre%utable secrets and &ould not hesitate to ma"e use of them.@ ?And they endure him1@ ?Oh yes. !here)s not a %erson in the 7overnment &ho has ever been &illin7 to sacrifice his o&n career &ith certainty$ merely on the chance of brin7in7 do&n !anayama.@ ? ven no& &hen his hold on matters must be 7ro&in7 tenuous1@ ?2ou)re ma"in7 a mista"e. #is 7ri% may fail &ith death$ but until his actual death that 7ri% of his &ill never be tenuous. It &ill be the last that 7oes$ sometime after his heart sto%s.@ ?-hat drives %eo%le so1@ as"ed -endel &ith distaste. ?Is there no desire to let 7o early enou7h to have a chance to die in %eace1@ ?Not !anayama. Never. I &ouldn)t say I)m an intimate of his$ but in fifteen years or so$ I have made contact &ith him no& and then$ never &ithout bein7 badly bruised in the %rocess. I "ne& him &hen he &as still vi7orous$ and I al&ays "ne& he &ould never sto%. !o ans&er your earlier >uestion$ different thin7s drive different %eo%le$ but in !anayama)s case$ it)s hatred.@ ?I should thin" so$@ said -endel. ?It sho&s. No one that hateful can fail to hate. 3ut &ho does !anayama hate1@ ?!he Settlements.@ ?Oh$ he does1@ -endel &as obviously rememberin7 that she &as a Settler from Adelia. ?I)ve never heard a Settler say a "ind &ord for arth either. And you "no& my feelin7s for any%lace &ithout variable 7ravity.@ ?I)m not tal"in7 disli"e$ !essa$ or distaste or contem%t. I)m tal"in7 blind scarlet hatred. Almost any arthman disli"es the Settlements. !hey have all the latest. !hey)re >uiet$ uncro&ded$ comfortable$ middle4class. !hey have am%le food$ am%le recreation$ no bad &eather$ no %oor. !hey have robots that are "e%t smoothly out of si7ht. It)s only natural for %eo%le &ho consider themselves de%rived to disli"e those &ho seem to have everythin7. 3ut &ith !anayama$ it)s active boilin7 hatred. I thin" he &ould li"e to see the Settlements destroyed$ everyone.@ ?-hy$ Crile1@ ?My o&n theory is that &hat 7ets him is none of the thin7s I have listed. -hat he can)t stand is the cultural homo7eneity of the Settlements. 0o you "no& &hat I mean1@ ?No.@ ?!he %eo%le of the Settlements select themselves. !hey select %eo%le li"e themselves. !here)s a shared culture$ even$ to some e8tent$ a shared %hysical a%%earance on each Settlement. arth$ on the other hand$ is$ and throu7h all of history has been$ a &ild mi8ture of cultures$ all enrichin7 each other$ com%etin7 &ith each other$ sus%icious of each other. !anayama and many other arthmen44myself$ for instance44 consider such a mi8ture to be a source of stren7th$ and feel that cultural homo7eneity on the Settlements &ea"ens them and$ in the lon7 run$ shortens their %otential life s%an.@ ?-ell$ then$ &hy hate the Settlements for %ossessin7 somethin7 you consider a disadvanta7e to them1 0oes !anayama hate us for bein7 better off and for bein7 &orse off1 It doesn)t ma"e sense.@ ?It doesn)t have to. -ho &ould bother hatin7$ if it had to be reasoned out into sensibleness first1 Perha%s446ust %erha%s44!anayama is afraid that the Settlements &ill succeed too &ell and &ill %rove cultural homo7eneity to be a 7ood thin7 after all. Or %erha%s he thin"s that the Settlements are as an8ious to destroy the arth as he himself is to destroy the Settlements. !he matter of the Nei7hbor Star infuriated him.@ ?!he fact that (otor discovered the Nei7hbor Star and did not inform the rest of us1@ ?More than that. !hey did not bother to &arn us that it &as s%eedin7 to&ard the Solar System.@ ?!hey mi7ht not have "no&n$ I su%%ose.@ ?!anayama &ould never believe that. I)m sure that he feels that they "ne& and deliberately refused to &arn us$ ho%in7 that &e &ould be cau7ht un%re%ared$ and that arth$ or at least arth)s civili;ation$ &ould be destroyed.@ ?#as it been decided that the Nei7hbor Star &ill a%%roach closely enou7h to dama7e us1 I haven)t heard that. It)s my understandin7 that most astronomers thin" it &ill %ass at a 7reat enou7h distance to leave us substantially untouched. #ave you heard differently1@ .isher shru77ed. ?No$ I haven)t$ but I thin" it feeds !anayama)s hatred to believe that there is dan7er here. And from that$ you move lo7ically to the notion that su%erluminal fli7ht is &hat &e must have

in order to locate an arth4li"e &orld else&here. !hen &e can transfer as much of arth)s %o%ulation as %ossible to that other &orld44if the &orst comes to &orst. 2ou)ll have to admit that)s sensible.@ ?It is$ but you don)t have to ima7ine destruction$ Crile. It is a natural feelin7 that humanity ou7ht to s%read out&ard even if arth remains %erfectly safe. -e)ve moved out to the Settlements and reachin7 for the stars is a lo7ical ne8t ste%$ and for that ne8t ste%$ &e must have su%erluminal travel.@ ?2es$ but !anayama &ould find that a cold vie&. !he coloni;ation of the +ala8y is somethin7 I)m sure he is &illin7 to leave to 7enerations to come. -hat he &ants for himself is to find (otor and %unish it for havin7 abandoned the Solar System &ithout re7ard for the rest of the human community. #e &ants to live to see that and that)s &hy he "ee%s %ushin7 you$ !essa.@ ?#e can %ush all he &ants$ and it &on)t hel% him. #e)s a dyin7 man.@ ?I &onder. Modern medical %rocedures can %erform marvels and I)m sure the doctors &ill 7o all out for !anayama.@ ? ven modern medicine can only 7o so far. I as"ed the doctors.@ ?And they ans&ered1 I &ould have su%%osed that the >uestion of !anayama)s health &as a state secret.@ ?Not to me$ under the circumstances$ Crile. I &ent to the medical team that attended the Old Man here and told them that I &as an8ious to build an actual shi% ca%able of carryin7 human bein7s to the stars$ and that I &anted to do so before !anayama died. I as"ed them ho& much time I had.@ ?And &hat did they say1@ ?I had a year. !hat)s &hat they said. At the most. !hey ur7ed me to hurry.@ ?Can you do it in one year1@ ?In one year1 Of course not$ Crile$ and I)m 7lad of it. I find %leasure in the fact that that %oisonous %erson &on)t live to see it. -hat are you ma"in7 faces about$ Crile1 0oes it bother you that I ma"e so cruel a remar"1@ ?It)s a %etty remar"$ any&ay$ !essa. !hat Old Man$ ho&ever %oisonous$ has done all this. #e)s made #y%er City %ossible.@ ?2es$ but for his o&n %ur%oses$ not mine. And not arth)s or humanity)s. And I)m allo&ed to have my %ettiness$ too. I am sure that 0irector !anayama never once %itied anyone he considered his enemy or li7htened the %ressure of his foot on that enemy)s throat by a dyne. And I ima7ine he doesn)t e8%ect %ity or mercy from anyone else. #e &ould %robably des%ise$ as a &ea"lin7$ anyone &ho offered it.@ .isher still loo"ed unha%%y. ?#o& lon7 will it ta"e$ !essa1@ ?#o& can anyone say1 It mi7ht ta"e forever. ven if everythin7 bro"e reasonably &ell$ I don)t see ho& it could ta"e less than five years at the least.@ ?3ut &hy1 2ou already have su%erluminal fli7ht.@ -endel sat u% strai7ht. ?No$ Crile. 0on)t be naive. All I have is a laboratory demonstration. I can ta"e a li7ht ob6ect44a Pin7 Pon7 ball 44in &hich a tiny hy%eratomic motor ma"es u% K0 %ercent of the mass$ and move it su%erluminally. A shi%$ ho&ever$ &ith %eo%le aboard$ is a totally different thin7. -e)ll have to be certain$ and for that five years is o%timistic. I tell you that before the days of modern com%uters and the "ind of simulations they ma"e %ossible$ five years &ould be an unreali;able dream. ven fifty years mi7ht have been.@ Crile .isher shoo" his head$ and said nothin7. !essa -endel &atched him thou7htfully$ then said$ almost testily$ ?-hat)s the matter &ith you1 Are you in such a 7reat hurry also1@ .isher said soothin7ly$ ?I)m sure you)re as an8ious to 7et this done as anyone$ but I do lon7 for a %ractical hy%ers%atial shi%.@ ?2ou$ more than someone else1@ ?I$ >uite a bit.@ ?-hy1@ ?I)d li"e to 7o to the Nei7hbor Star.@ She 7lared at him. ?-hy1 Are you dreamin7 of reunitin7 &ith the &ife you abandoned1@ .isher had never discussed u7enia &ith !essa -endel in any detail$ and he had no intention of bein7 tra%%ed into it no&. #e said$ ?I have a dau7hter out there. I thin" you can understand that$ !essa. 2ou have a son.@ So she did. #e &as in his early t&enties$ attendin7 Adelia 'niversity$ and he occasionally &rote his mother. -endel)s face softened. ?Crile$@ she said$ ?you mustn)t allo& yourself false ho%es in this. I)ll 7rant

you that since they "ne& about the Nei7hbor Star$ that)s &here they &ent. -ith merely hy%er4assistance$ ho&ever$ the tri% must have ta"en over t&o years. -e can)t be sure that (otor survived such a tri%. And even if they did$ the chances of findin7 a suitable %lanet around a red d&arf star is 6ust about ;ero. #avin7 survived that far$ they mi7ht then have traveled on in search of a suitable %lanet. -here1 And ho& &ould &e find them1@ ?I ima7ine they "ne& there &as no ho%e for a suitable %lanet around the Nei7hbor Star. -ouldn)t they have been %re%ared$ therefore$ sim%ly to %ut (otor into a suitable orbit around the star1@ ? ven if they survived the fli7ht$ and even if they &ent into orbit around the star$ it &ould be a sterile life$ and there mi7ht be no %ossibility of continuin7 it for lon7 in any form com%atible &ith civili;ation. Crile$ you)ve 7ot to steel yourself. -hat if &e mana7e to or7ani;e the e8%edition to the Nei7hbor Star and find nothin7 at all$ or at most$ the em%ty hul" of &hat is left of (otor1@ .isher said$ ?In that case$ that &ould be that. 3ut surely there must be a chance that they survived.@ ?And that you)ll find your child1 0ear Crile$ is it safe to build your ho%es on that1 ven if (otor survived and your child survived$ she &as only one year old &hen you left her and that &as in BDD. If she a%%eared before you ri7ht no& as she no& is$ she)d be ten years old$ and if &e &ent out to the Nei7hbor Star at the earliest %ractical moment$ she &ould be fifteen. She &ouldn)t "no& you. .or that matter$ you &ouldn)t "no& her.@ ?!en years old$ or fifteen$ or fifty. If I sa& her$ !essa$ I &ould "no& her$@ said .isher.

NINETEEN: REMAINING
F0. Marlene smiled hesitantly at Siever +enarr. She had 7ro&n used to invadin7 his office at &ill. ?Am I interru%tin7 you at a busy time$ 'ncle Siever1@ ?No$ dear$ this is not really a busy 6ob. It &as devised so that Pitt could 7et rid of me$ and I too" it and "e%t it so that I could be rid of Pitt. It)s not somethin7 I &ould admit to everyone$ but I)m com%elled to tell you the truth since you al&ays s%ot the lie.@ ?0oes that fri7hten you$ 'ncle Siever1 It fri7htened Commissioner Pitt$ and it &ould have fri7htened Aurinel44if I had ever let him see &hat I could do.@ ?It doesn)t fri7hten me$ Marlene$ because I)ve 7iven u%$ you see. I)ve 6ust made u% my mind that I)m made of 7lass as far as you)re concerned. Actually$ it)s restful. *yin7 is hard &or" &hen you sto% to thin" about it. If %eo%le &ere really la;y$ they)d never lie.@ Marlene smiled a7ain. ?Is that &hy you li"e me1 3ecause I ma"e it %ossible for you to be la;y1@ ?Can)t you tell1@ ?No. I can tell you li"e me$ but I can)t tell why you li"e me. !he &ay you hold yourself sho&s you li"e me$ but the reason is hidden inside your mind and all I can 7et about that are va7ue feelin7s sometimes. I can)t >uite reach in there.@ She thou7ht for a &hile. ?Sometimes I &ish I could.@ ?3e 7lad you can)t. Minds are dirty$ dan"$ uncomfortable %laces.@ ?-hy do you say that$ 'ncle Siever1@ ? 8%erience. I don)t have your natural ability$ but I)ve been around %eo%le for much lon7er than you have. 0o you li"e the inside of your o&n mind$ Marlene1@ Marlene loo"ed sur%rised. ?I don)t "no&. -hy shouldn)t I1@ ?0o you li"e everythin7 you thin"1 verythin7 you ima7ine1 very im%ulse you have1 3e honest$ no&. ven thou7h I can)t read you$ be honest.@ ?-ell$ sometimes I thin" silly thin7s$ or mean thin7s. Sometimes I 7et an7ry and thin" of doin7 thin7s I &ouldn)t really do. 3ut not often$ really.@ ?Not often1 0on)t for7et that you)re used to your o&n mind. 2ou hardly sense it. It)s li"e the clothes you &ear. 2ou don)t feel the touch of them because you)re so used to their bein7 there. 2our hair curls do&n the bac" of your nec"$ but you don)t notice. If someone else)s hair touched the bac" of your nec"$ it &ould itch and be unbearable. Someone else)s mind mi7ht thin" thou7hts no &orse than yours$ but they &ould be someone else&s thou7hts and you &ouldn)t li"e them. .or instance$ you mi7ht not li"e my li"in7 you44if you "ne& &hy I li"ed you. It is much better and more %eaceful to acce%t my li"in7 you as somethin7 that e8ists$ and not scour my mind for reasons.@ And inevitably$ Marlene said$ ?-hy1 -hat are the reasons1@ ?-ell$ I li"e you because once I was you.@ ?-hat do you mean1@ ?I don)t mean I &as a youn7 lady &ith beautiful eyes and the 7ift of %erce%tion. I mean that I &as youn7 and thou7ht I &as %lain and that everyone disli"ed me for bein7 %lain. And I "ne& I &as intelli7ent$ and I couldn)t understand &hy everyone didn)t li"e me for bein7 intelli7ent. It seemed unfair to be scorned for a bad %ro%erty &hile a 7ood %ro%erty &as i7nored. ?I &as hurt and an7ry$ Marlene$ and made u% my mind that I &ould never treat others as %eo%le treated me$ but I haven)t had much chance to %ut that 7ood resolution into %ractice. !hen I met you$ and you come close. 2ou)re not as %lain as I &as by far$ and you)re much more intelli7ent than I ever &as$ but I don)t mind your bein7 better than me.@ #e smiled very broadly. ?It)s li"e 7ivin7 myself a second chance44 &ith advanta7es. 3ut come$ I don)t thin" that is &hat you came to tal" to me about. I may not be %erce%tive in your sense$ but I can tell that much.@ ?-ell$ it)s my mother.@ ?Oh1@ +enarr fro&ned &ith a sudden obvious and almost %ainful increase in interest. ?-hat about her1@ ?She)s 6ust about finished her %ro6ect here$ you "no&. If she 7oes bac" to (otor$ she)ll &ant me to 7o bac" &ith her. Must I1@

?I thin" so. 0on)t you &ant to1@ ?No$ I don)t$ 'ncle Siever. I feel it)s important that I stay here. So &hat I &ould li"e you to do is to tell Commissioner Pitt that you &ould li"e to "ee% us here. 2ou can ma"e u% an e8cuse that sounds 7ood. And the Commissioner$ I)m %retty sure$ &ill be >uite 7lad to have us stay$ es%ecially if you e8%lain that Mother has found out that Nemesis will destroy arth.@ ?#as she told you that$ Marlene1@ ?No$ she didn)t$ but she didn)t have to. 2ou can e8%lain to the Commissioner that Mother &ill %robably annoy him continually &ith her insistence that the Solar System be &arned.@ ?#as it occurred to you that Pitt &ould not be "een on obli7in7 me1 If he 7ets the idea I &ant to "ee% u7enia and you here in the rythro 0ome$ he)s liable to order you bac" to (otor 6ust to annoy me.@ ?I)m >uite sure$@ said Marlene calmly$ ?that the Commissioner &ould much rather %lease himself by "ee%in7 us here$ than dis%lease you by ta"in7 us bac". 3esides$ you &ant Mother here because you)re 44you)re fond of her.@ ?Very fond of her. All my life$ it seems. 3ut your mother)s not fond of me. 2ou told me >uite a &hile a7o that your father still occu%ies her thou7hts.@ ?She li"es you more and more$ 'ncle Siever. She li"es you a 7reat deal.@ ?*i"in7 is not lovin7$ Marlene. I)m sure you)ve already discovered that.@ Marlene reddened. ?I)m tal"in7 about old %eo%le.@ ?*i"e me$@ and +enarr leaned his head bac" and lau7hed. !hen he said$ ?I)m sorry$ Marlene. It)s 6ust that old %eo%le al&ays thin" youn7 %eo%le haven)t really learned about loveA and youn7 %eo%le thin" that old %eo%le have for7otten about loveA and$ you "no&$ they)re both &ron7. And &hy do you thin" it)s im%ortant to stay in the rythro 0ome$ Marlene1 Surely not 6ust because you li"e me.@ ?Of course I li"e you$@ said Marlene seriously. ?Very much. 3ut I &ant to stay here because I li"e rythro.@ ?I)ve e8%lained that it)s a dan7erous &orld.@ ?Not for me.@ ?2ou)re still certain that the Pla7ue &on)t affect you1@ ?Of course it &on)t.@ ?3ut ho& do you "no&1@ ?I 6ust know. ? I)ve al&ays known this$ even &hen I &as on (otor. I had no reason not to.@ ?No$ you didn)t. 3ut after you &ere told about the Pla7ue1@ ?!hat didn)t chan7e thin7s. I feel com%letely safe here. ven more than on (otor.@ +enarr shoo" his head slo&ly. ?I must admit that I don)t understand this.@ #e studied her solemn face$ her dar" eyes half4hidden by those ma7nificent lashes. ?#o&ever$ let me read your body lan7ua7e$ Marlene44if I can. 2ou mean to have your o&n &ay in this$ at &hatever cost$ and to remain on rythro.@ ?2es$@ said Marlene flatly. ?And I e8%ect you to hel% me.@ F1. u7enia Insi7na bla;ed >uietly &ith an7er. #er voice &as not loud$ but it &as intense. ?#e can)t do this$ Siever.@ ?Of course he can$ u7enia$@ said +enarr 6ust as >uietly. ?#e)s the Commissioner.@ ?3ut he)s not an absolute ruler. I have my citi;en)s ri7hts$ and one of them is freedom of movement.@ ?If the Commissioner &ishes to establish a state of emer7ency$ either 7eneral$ or$ for that matter$ confined to one %erson$ then citi;en)s ri7hts are sus%ended. !hat)s more or less the 7ist of &hat the nablin7 Act of BDF says.@ ?3ut it ma"es a moc"ery of all the la&s and traditions &e have$ datin7 bac" to (otor)s establishment.@ ?I a7ree.@ ?And if I ma"e an outcry over this$ Pitt &ill find himself44@ ? u7enia$ %lease. *isten to me. *et it 7o. .or no&$ &hy don)t you and Marlene sim%ly stay here1 2ou)re more than &elcome.@ ?-hat are you sayin71 !his amounts to im%risonment &ithout accusation$ &ithout trial$ &ithout 6ud7ment. -e are com%elled to stay in rythro indefinitely by the arbitrary u"ase44@

?Please do it &ithout ob6ection. It &ill be better.@ ?#o& better1@ Insi7na s%o"e &ith infinite contem%t. ?3ecause Marlene$ your dau7hter$ is very an8ious that you do so.@ Insi7na loo"ed blan". ?Marlene1@ ?*ast &ee" she came to me full of su77estions that I maneuver the Commissioner into orderin7 the t&o of you to remain here on rythro.@ Insi7na half4rose from her seat$ &ildly indi7nant. ? And you actually did it1@ +enarr shoo" his head vi7orously. ?No. No& listen to me. All I did &as to inform Pitt that your &or" here &as finished and that I &as uncertain &hether it &as his intention to have you return to (otor &ith Marlene or to stay here. It &as a %erfectly neutral statement$ u7enia. I sho&ed it to Marlene before I sent it off and she &as satisfied. She said$ and I >uote$ BIf you 7ive him the choice$ he &ill "ee% us here.) And$ a%%arently$ he)s doin7 that.@ Insi7na san" bac". ?Siever$ are you really follo&in7 the advice of a fifteen4year4old 7irl1@ ?I don)t thin" of Marlene as merely a fifteen4year4old 7irl. 3ut tell me$ &hy are you so an8ious to 7o bac" to (otor1@ ?My &or"44@ ?!here is none. !here &ill be none if Pitt doesn)t &ant you. ven assumin7 he allo&s you to return$ you)d find yourself re%laced. #ere$ on the other hand$ you)ll find e>ui%ment you can use44that you have used. 2ou came here$ after all$ to do &hat could not be done on (otor.@ ?My &or" doesn)t matter<@ cried out Insi7na &ith s&ee%in7 inconsistency. ?0on)t you see that I &ant to return for the same reason that he &ants me to stay1 #e &ants Marlene destroyed. If I had "no&n$ before I left$ of this rythro Pla7ue$ &e)d never have come. I can)t ris" Marlene)s mind.@ ?#er mind is the last thin7 I)d &ant to ris"$@ said +enarr. ?I &ould sooner ris" myself.@ ?3ut it is at ris" if &e stay here.@ ?Marlene doesn)t thin" so.@ ?Marlene< Marlene< 2ou seem to thin" she)s a 7oddess. -hat does she "no&1@ ?*isten to me$ u7enia. *et)s tal" about this rationally. If it really seemed that Marlene &as in dan7er$ I &ould 7et you both bac" to (otor someho&$ but listen to me first. !here)s nothin7 me7alomaniacal about Marlene$ is there1@ Insi7na &as tremblin7. #er %assion had not receded. ?I don)t "no& &hat you mean.@ ?Is she %rone to ma"in7 7randiose claims that are fanciful$ that are %atently ridiculous1@ ?Of course not. She)s a very sensible44-hy do you as" these >uestions1 2ou "no& that she ma"es no claims that aren)t44@ ?!hat aren)t substantiated. I "no&. She never boasted about her %erce%tivity. It &as more or less forced out of her by circumstance.@ ?2es$ but &hat is the %ur%ose of all this1@ +enarr "e%t on$ >uietly. ?#as she ever laid claim to havin7 stran7e intuitive %o&ers1 #as she ever e8%ressed herself as certain that somethin7$ some %articular somethin7$ &as sure to ha%%en$ or &as sure not to ha%%en$ for no reason other than that she &as certain1@ ?No$ of course not. She clin7s to evidence. She doesn)t ma"e &ild claims &ithout evidence.@ ?2et in one res%ect$ %erha%s only in one res%ect$ she does. She is certain that the Pla7ue cannot touch her. She claims that she e8%erienced this utter confidence$ this certainty that rythro cannot harm her$ even on (otor$ and that it 7re& stron7er &hen she reached the 0ome. She is >uite determined##completely determined44to remain here.@ Insi7na)s eyes &idened and her hand fle& to her mouth. She made an inarticulate sound and then said$ ?In that case44@ and remained starin7 at him. ?2es$@ +enarr said in sudden alarm. ?0on)t you see it1 Isn)t this the Pla7ue stri"in71 #er %ersonality is chan7in7. #er mind is bein7 affected.@ +enarr sat fro;en at the thou7ht for a moment$ then he said$ ?No$ it can)t be. In all the cases of Pla7ue$ nothin7 li"e this has been detected. !his is not the Pla7ue.@ ?#er mind is different from those of others. It &ould be affected differently. ? ?No$@ said +enarr des%erately. ?I can)t believe that. I &on)t believe that. I believe that if Marlene says she is certain she is immune$ that she is immune$ and that her immunity &ill hel% us solve the %u;;le of the Pla7ue.@ Insi7na)s face &hitened. ?Is that &hy you &ant her here on rythro$ Siever1 !o use her as a tool a7ainst the Pla7ue1@ ?No. I don)t &ant her here only to use her. Nevertheless$ she &ants to stay and she may be a tool$

>uite a%art from &hether &e &ant her to be one or not.@ ?And 6ust because she &ants to remain on rythro$ you are &illin7 to allo& her to do so1 =ust because she &ants to stay out of some %erverse desire she can)t e8%lain and in &hich you and I can see no reason or lo7ic. 2ou seriously thin" she should be allo&ed to remain here merely because she &ishes to1 0o you dare tell me that1@ +enarr said &ith an effort$ ? As a matter of fact$ I am tem%ted in that direction.@ ?It is easy for you to be tem%ted. She is not your child. She is my child. She is the only44@ ?I "no& $@ said +enarr. ?She is the only thin7 you have left of44Crile. 0on)t stare at me li"e that. I "no& that you have never overcome your loss. I understand ho& you feel.@ #e said this last softly$ 7ently$ and loo"ed as if he &anted to reach out and touch Insi7na)s bo&ed head. ?=ust the same$ u7enia$ if Marlene really &ants to e8%lore rythro$ I thin" nothin7 &ill sto% her from doin7 so in the end. And if she is absolutely convinced that the Pla7ue &ill not touch her mind$ %erha%s that mental attitude &ill %revent it from doin7 so. Marlene)s a77ressive sanity and confidence may be her mental immune mechanism.@ Insi7na sna%%ed her head u%$ her eyes smolderin7. ?2ou are s%ea"in7 nonsense$ and you have no ri7ht to 7ive in to this sudden strea" of romanticism in a mere child. She is a stran7er to you. 2ou do not love her.@ ?She is no stran7er to me and I do love her. More im%ortant$ I admire her. *ove &ould not 7ive me that de%th of confidence that &ould %ermit the ris"$ but admiration &ould. !hin" about it.@ And they sat there$ starin7 at each other.

TWENTY: PROOF
FD. 5attimoro !anayama$ &ith his accustomed tenacity$ lived out the year he had been allotted$ and &as &ell into another year before his lon7 battle &as over. -hen the time came$ he left the field of battle &ithout a &ord or si7n$ so that the instruments recorded death before any onloo"er could see it had come. It made little stir on arth and none at all in the Settlements$ for the Old Man had al&ays done his &or" outside the %ublic eye and had been all the stron7er for it. It &as those &ho dealt &ith him &ho "ne& his %o&er$ and those &ho most de%ended on his stren7th and %olicy &ho &ere the most relieved to see him 7o. !he ne&s reached !essa -endel early$ by the s%ecial channel set u% bet&een her head>uarters and -orld City. Someho&$ the fact that it had been e8%ected for months did not ease the shoc". -hat &ould ha%%en no&1 -ho &ould succeed !anayama and &hat chan7es &ould be made1 She had been s%eculatin7 on the matter for a lon7 time$ but it &as only no& that the >uestions seemed to have real meanin7. Obviously$ des%ite everythin7$ -endel 9and %erha%s all &ho &ere involved: had not really e8%ected the Old Man to die. She turned for comfort to Crile .isher. -endel &as realistic enou7h to "no& that it &as not her no& clearly middle4a7ed body 9in less than t&o months$ she &ould be reachin7 an incredible fifty: that held .isher. #e &as forty4three no& and the bloom of youth had become some&hat overblo&n there$ too$ but it &asn)t as obvious in a man. In any case$ he &as held$ and she could still ma"e herself feel that it &as she &ho held him$ fi7uratively$ es%ecially on those occasions &hen she held him$ literally. She said to .isher$ ?-ell$ no& &hat1@ .isher said$ ?It)s no sur%rise$ !essa. It should have ha%%ened before this.@ ?+ranted$ but it)s ha%%ened no&. It &as his blind determination that "e%t this %ro6ect 7oin7. No& &hat1@ .isher said$ ?As lon7 as he &as alive$ you &ere ea7er for him to die. No& you are concerned. 3ut I don)t thin" you need &orry. !he %ro6ect &ill continue. Somethin7 this si;e has a life of its o&n and it can)t be sto%%ed.@ ?#ave you ever tried to calculate ho& much this has cost$ Crile1 !here)ll be a ne& 0irector of the !errestrial 3oard of In>uiry and the +lobal Con7ress &ill certainly %ic" someone they can control. !here)ll be no ne& !anayama before &hom they must all co&er44not in the foreseeable future. And then they)ll loo" at their bud7et and$ &ithout !anayama)s 7narled hand coverin7 it$ they &ill see it is meters dee% in red in"$ and they)ll &ant to cut it bac".@ ?#o& can they1 !hey)ve s%ent so much already. Are they to sto% &ith nothin7 to sho& for it1 !hat &ould really be a fiasco.@ ?!hey can blame it on !anayama. B#e &as a madman$) they)ll say$ Ban e7omaniac$ driven by an obsession)44all of &hich is true to a considerable e8tent$ as &e both "no&44and no& they$ &ho &ere not res%onsible for any of this$ can return arth to sanity and abandon somethin7 the %lanet can)t really afford.@ .isher smiled. ?!essa$ my love$ your %enetration of the manner of %olitical thin"in7 is %robably %ar for a first4class hy%ers%atialist 7enius. !he 0irector of the Office is44in theory$ and in %ublic %erce%tion44an a%%ointed official of narro& %o&ers &ho is su%%osedly under the thorou7h control of the President4+eneral and the +lobal Con7ress. !hese su%%osedly %o&erful officials$ &ho are elected$ cannot ma"e it %lain that !anayama ruled them all and had them co&erin7 in corners$ afraid to let their hearts beat &ithout his %ermission. !hey &ould reveal themselves to be co&ards and inca%able &ea"lin7s$ and they &ould ris" losin7 their %ositions at the ne8t election. !hey &ill have to continue the %ro6ect. !hey &ill ma"e cosmetic cuts only.@ ?#o& can you be so sure1@ muttered -endel. ?*on7 e8%erience at &atchin7 elected officialdom$ !essa. 3esides$ if &e sto% short$ &e)re 6ust invitin7 all the Settlements to 7et it before &e do44to move out into dee% s%ace and leave us behind the &ay (otor did.@ ?Oh1 #o& &ill they do that1@ ?+iven their "no&led7e of hy%er4assistance$ &ouldn)t you say that an advance to su%erluminal

fli7ht is inevitable1@ -endel loo"ed at .isher sardonically. ?Crile$ my love$ your %enetration of hy%ers%atialism is %robably %ar for a first4class &heedler of secrets. Is that &hat you thin" of my &or"1 !hat it is an inevitable conse>uence of hy%er4assistance1 #aven)t you 7ras%ed the fact that hy%er4assistance is a natural conse>uence of relativistic thin"in71 It still doesn)t allo& travel faster than the s%eed of li7ht. !o move on to su%erluminal velocities re>uires a true lea% in both thou7ht and %ractice. It &ould not come naturally$ and I have e8%lained this to various %eo%le in the 7overnment. !hey com%lained about the slo&ness and the e8%ense$ and I had to e8%lain the difficulties. !hey)ll remember this no& and they &on)t be afraid to sto% us at this %oint. I can)t &hi% them on&ard by suddenly tellin7 them that &e may be outraced.@ .isher shoo" his head. ?Of course you can tell them that. And they)ll believe you$ too$ because it &ill be true. -e can be easily overta"en.@ ?#aven)t you listened to &hat I)ve said1@ ?I have$ but you)re leavin7 somethin7 out. Allo& a little for common sense$ es%ecially from someone you)ve 6ust called a first4class &heedler of secrets.@ ?-hat are you tal"in7 about$ Crile1@ ?!his vast lea% from hy%er4assistance to su%erluminal fli7ht is only a vast lea% if one be7ins at the be7innin7$ as you did. !he Settlements$ ho&ever$ are not be7innin7 at the be7innin7. 0o you really thin" they "no& nothin7 at all about our %ro6ect$ about #y%er City1 0o you thin" that I and my arthly collea7ues are the only &heedlers of secrets in the Solar System1 !he Settlers have their &heedlers$ &ho &or" 6ust as hard as &e do and 6ust as effectively. .or one thin7$ they)ve "no&n you &ere on arth almost from the day you arrived here.@ ?-hat if they "ne&1@ ?=ust this. 0o you thin" they don)t have com%uters that &ill tell them you have &ritten and %ublished %a%ers in the field1 0o you thin" they don)t have access to those %a%ers1 0o you thin" they haven)t read them %ainsta"in7ly and carefully and that they haven)t found out you thin" that su%erluminal s%eeds are theoretically %ossible1@ -endel bit her li% and said$ ?-ell44@ ?2es$ thin" about it. -hen you &rote your thou7hts on su%erluminal velocity$ you &ere merely s%eculatin7. 2ou &ere virtually a minority of one in thin"in7 it mi7ht be %ossible. No one too" it seriously. 3ut no& you come to arth and you stay there. 2ou suddenly dro% from si7ht and do not return to Adelia. !hey may not "no& all the details of &hat you)re doin7$ for security on this %ro6ect has been as ti7ht as !anayama)s %aranoia could ma"e it. Still$ the mere fact that you)ve disa%%eared is su77estive and there can)t be any %ossible doubt$ in the li7ht of &hat you)ve %ublished$ as to &hat you)re &or"in7 on.@ ?Somethin7 li"e #y%er City can)t be "e%t a total secret. !he incredible sums of money bein7 invested must leave a noticeable trace. So every Settlement is scrabblin7 for odds and ends they may be able to convert into bits of "no&led7e. And every bit 7ives them hints that &ill enable them to %ro7ress much more >uic"ly than you &ere able to. 2ou tell them all that$ !essa$ if any >uestion arises over endin7 the %ro6ect. -e can and will be overta"en in the race if &e sto% runnin7. !hat thou7ht &ill "ee% the ne& %eo%le as fired4u% over the matter as ever !anayama &as$ and it all has the merit of bein7 true.@ -endel &as silent for a considerable time &hile .isher &atched her carefully. ?2ou)re ri7ht$ my dear &heedler of secrets$@ she said at last. ?I made a mista"e in thou7htlessly considerin7 you a lover rather than an adviser.@ ?-hy should the t&o necessarily be mutually e8clusive1@ as"ed .isher. ?Althou7h$@ said -endel$ ?I "no& very &ell that you have your o&n motivations in this.@ ?-hat does that matter$@ said .isher$ ?even if it)s true$ %rovided mine run %arallel &ith yours1@ FE. A dele7ation of Con7ressmen eventually arrived$ alon7 &ith I7or 5oro%ats"y$ the ne& 0irector of the !errestrial 3oard of In>uiry. #e had been in subordinate %ositions at the Office for years$ so he &as not com%letely un"no&n to !essa -endel. #e &as a >uiet man$ &ith smooth$ thinnin7 7ray hair$ a rather bulbous nose$ a comfortable double chin$ &ho loo"ed &ell4fed and 7ood4natured. #e &as shre&d undoubtedly$ but he obviously lac"ed !anayama)s almost diseased intensity. At a full "ilometer$ you could see that. Con7ressmen &ere &ith him$ of course$ as thou7h to sho& that this successor &as their %ro%erty

and under their control. !hey must surely be ho%in7 it &ould stay that &ay. !anayama had been a lon7 and bitter lesson. No one su77ested that the %ro6ect be ended. (ather$ the concern &as that it be hastened44if %ossible. -endel)s cautious attem%t to stress the %ossibility that the Settlements mi7ht overta"e arth$ or be hot on its heels$ &as acce%ted &ithout demur$ almost dismissed as obvious on the face of it. 5oro%ats"y$ &ho &as allo&ed to be s%o"esman and to ta"e the res%onsibility$ said$ ?0r. -endel$ I do not as" for a lon7$ formal tour of #y%er City. I have been here before$ and it is more im%ortant that I s%end some time reor7ani;in7 the Office. I mean no disres%ect to my distin7uished %redecessor$ but any shiftin7 of an im%ortant administrative body from one %erson to another re>uires a 7reat deal of reor7ani;ation$ es%ecially if the %redecessor)s tenure has been a len7thy one. N o& I am not$ by nature$ a formal man. *et us$ therefore$ s%ea" freely and informally$ and I &ill as" some >uestions &hich I ho%e you &ill ans&er in a &ay that a man of my o&n modest attainments in science &ill have no trouble in understandin7.@ -endel nodded. ?I &ill do my best$ 0irector.@ ?+ood. -hen do you e8%ect to have a su%erluminal starshi% in o%eration1@ ?2ou must reali;e$ 0irector$ that this is an essentially unans&erable >uestion. -e are at the mercy of unforeseen difficulties and accidents.@ ?Assume only reasonable difficulties and no accidents.@ ?In that case$ since &e have com%leted the science and need only the en7ineerin7$ if &e are fortunate &e &ill have a shi% in three years$ %erha%s.@ ?2ou &ill be ready in DDEH$ in other &ords.@ ?Certainly not sooner.@ ?#o& many %ersons &ill it carry1@ ?.ive to seven$ %erha%s.@ ?#o& far &ill it 7o1@ ?As far as &e &ish$ 0irector. !hat is the beauty of su%erluminal velocity. 3ecause &e are %assin7 throu7h hy%ers%ace$ &here the ordinary la&s of %hysics do not a%%ly$ not even the conservation of ener7y$ it costs no more effort to 7o a thousand li7ht4years than to 7o one.@ !he 0irector stirred uneasily. ?I am not a %hysicist$ but I find it difficult to acce%t an environment &ithout constraints. Are there not thin7s you cannot do1@ ?!here are constraints. -e need a vacuum and a 7ravitational intensity belo& a certain %oint if &e are to ma"e the transition into and out of hy%ers%ace. -e &ill$ &ith e8%erience$ undoubtedly find additional restraints &hich mi7ht have to be determined throu7h test fli7hts. !he results mi7ht necessitate further delays.@ ?Once you have the shi%$ &here &ill the first fli7ht ta"e you1@ ?It mi7ht seem %rudent to allo& the first tri% to 7o no farther than the %lanet Pluto$ for instance$ but that mi7ht &ell be considered an unbearable &aste of time. Once &e have the technolo7y &ith &hich to visit the stars$ the tem%tation to actually visit one &ould be over&helmin7.@ ?Such as the Nei7hbor Star1@ ?!hat &ould the lo7ical 7oal. 840irector !anayama &anted that visited$ but I must %oint out that there are other stars far more interestin7. Sirius is only four times as far a&ay and it &ould 7ive us a chance to observe a &hite d&arf star at close ran7e.@ ?0r. -endel$ I thin" that the Nei7hbor Star must be the 7oal$ thou7h not necessarily for !anayama)s reasons. Su%%ose you travel far out to some other star44any other star44and return. #o& &ould you %rove that you had indeed been in the nei7hborhood of another star1@ -endel loo"ed startled. ?Prove1 I don)t understand you1@ ?I mean$ ho& &ould you counter accusations that the su%%osed fli7ht &as actually a fa"e.@ ?A ake? -endel rose furiously to her feet. ?!hat is insultin7.@ 5oro%ats"y)s voice suddenly 7re& dominatin7. ?Sit do&n$ 0r. -endel. 2ou are bein7 accused of nothin7. I am tryin7 to foresee a situation and to 7uard a7ainst it. #umanity moved into s%ace almost three centuries a7o. It is a not4alto7ether4for7otten e%isode in history and my subdivision of the 7lobe remembers it %articularly &ell. -hen the first satellites &ent u% in those dim days of terrestrial confinement$ there &ere those &ho insisted everythin7 %resented by those satellites &ere fa"es. !he first %hoto7ra%hs of the far side of the Moon &ere accused of havin7 been fa"ed. ven the first %ictures of arth from s%ace &ere called fa"es by some fe& &ho believed the arth &as flat. No& if arth claims to have su%erluminal fli7ht$ &e may run into similar trouble.@

?-hy$ 0irector1 -hy should anyone thin" &e &ould lie about a thin7 li"e that1@ ?My dear 0r. -endel$ you are naive. .or over three centuries$ Albert instein has been the demi7od &ho invented cosmolo7y. Peo%le$ for 7eneration after 7eneration$ have 7ro&n used to the conce%t of the s%eed of li7ht as an absolute limit. !hey &ill not readily 7ive it u%. ven the %rinci%le of causality44 and one can)t thin" of anythin7 more basic than that cause must %recede effect44seems violated. !hat)s one thin7. ?Another$ 0r. -endel$ is that the Settlements mi7ht find it %olitically useful to convince their %eo%les$ and arthmen$ too$ that &e are lyin7. It &ill confuse us$ involve us in %olemics$ &aste our time$ and 7ive them more of a chance to catch u%. So I as" you, Is there a sim%le %roof that any fli7ht you mi7ht ma"e &ould be a truly le7itimate one1@ -endel said icily$ ?0irector$ &e &ould %ermit scientists to ins%ect our shi% once &e return. -e &ill underta"e to e8%lain the techni>ues used44@ ?No no no. Please. 0on)t 7o any further. !hat &ould only convince scientists as "no&led7eable as yourself.@ ?-ell then$ &hen &e come bac" &e &ill have %hoto7ra%hs of the s"y and the nearer stars &ill be %ositioned sli7htly differently &ith res%ect to each other. .rom the chan7e in relative %ositions$ it &ill be %ossible to calculate e8actly &here &e &ere relative to the Sun.@ ?Also 6ust for scientists. Com%letely unconvincin7 to the avera7e %erson.@ ?-e)ll have close4u% %ictures of &hatever star &e visit. It &ill be >uite different from our Sun in every res%ect.@ ?3ut this sort of thin7 is done in every trivial holovision %ro7ram dealin7 &ith interstellar travel. It is the small chan7e of the science fiction e%ic. It &ould be no more than a BCa%tain +ala8y) %ro7ram.@ ?In that case$@ said -endel &ith teeth4clenchin7 e8as%eration$ ?I don)t "no& of any &ay. If %eo%le &ill not believe$ then they &ill not believe. It is a %roblem you must handle. I am only a scientist.@ ?No& no&$ 0octor. 5ee% your tem%er$ %lease. -hen Columbus returned from his first tri% across the ocean seven and a half centuries a7o$ no one accused him of fa"ery. -hy1 3ecause he brou7ht bac" &ith him native %eo%le from the ne& shores he had visited.@ ?Very 7ood$ but the chance of findin7 life4bearin7 &orlds and brin7in7 bac" s%ecimens is very small.@ ?Perha%s not. (otor$ you "no&$ is believed to have discovered the Nei7hbor Star &ith their .ar Probe and to have left the Solar System soon after that. Since they never returned$ it is %ossible that they traveled to the Nei7hbor Star and remained there and$ in fact$ are still there.@ ?So 0irector !anayama believed. #o&ever$ the tri%$ &ith hy%er4assistance$ &ould have ta"en over t&o years. It may be that throu7h accident$ throu7h scientific failure$ throu7h %sycholo7ical %roblems$ they never com%leted the tri%. !hat$ too$ &ould account for their never returnin7.@ ?Nevertheless$@ said 5oro%ats"y$ >uietly insistent$ ?they may have arrived.@ ? ven if they have arrived$ they are li"ely to have sim%ly 7one into orbit around the star$ in the certain absence of any habitable &orld. In isolation$ the %sycholo7ical strains$ &hich didn)t sto% them en route$ &ould sto% them then$ and it is li"ely there is no& only a dead Settlement &hirlin7 the Nei7hbor Star forever.@ ?!hen you no& see that it must be the 7oal because once you)re there$ you &ill see" out (otor$ alive or dead. ither &ay$ you must brin7 bac" somethin7 unmista"ably (otorian and it &ould then be very easy for everyone to believe that you had indeed 7one out to the stars and come bac".@ #e smiled broadly. ? ven I &ould believe it$ and that &ould ans&er my >uestion as to ho& you &ould %rove that you had made a su%erluminal tri%. !hat &ill be your mission$ then$ and for that$ never fear$ arth &ill continue to find you the money and resources and &or"ers you &ill need.@ And &hen after a dinner durin7 &hich technical %oints &ere not raised$ 5oro%ats"y said to -endel$ in the friendliest %ossible tone$ but &ith more than a hint of ice beneath$ ?=ust the same$ remember that you have only three years to do it in. At the most. ? FF. ?So my clever %loy &asn)t really needed$@ said Crile .isher &ith a sli7ht air of re7ret. ?No. !hey &ere determined to continue &ithout the threat of bein7 overta"en. !he only thin7 that bothered them$ and it &as somethin7 that never seemed to bother !anayama$ &as this matter of havin7 to

battle %ossible cases of fa"ery. I su%%ose !anayama 6ust &anted to destroy (otor. As lon7 as that &as done$ the &orld could yell B.a"e) all it &anted.@ ?!hey &ouldn)t. #e &ould have had the shi% brin7 bac" somethin7 to sho& him that (otor &as destroyed. !hat &ould %rove it to the &orld$ too. -hat "ind of fello& is the ne& 0irector1@ ?Cuite the reverse of !anayama. #e seems soft$ almost a%olo7etic$ but I have a feelin7 that the +lobal Con7ress is 7oin7 to find him 6ust as hard to handle as !anayama &as. #e has to settle into his 6ob$ that)s all.@ ?.rom &hat you)ve told me about the conversation$ he seems more sensible than !anayama.@ ?2es$ but it still steams me44that su77estion of fa"ery. Ima7ine thin"in7 s%acefli7hts &ould be fa"ed. It)s %robably the result of arthmen havin7 no feel for s%ace. No feel at all. It)s you %eo%le havin7 this endless &orld and$ e8ce%t in a microsco%ic fraction of cases$ never leavin7 it.@ .isher smiled. ?-ell$ I)m one of the microsco%ic fraction that has left it. Often. And you)re a Settler. So neither one of us is %lanetbound.@ ?!hat)s ri7ht$@ said -endel$ shootin7 him a sidelon7 7lance. ?Sometimes I thin" you don)t remember that I)m a Settler.@ ?3elieve me$ I never for7et it. I don)t 7o about mutterin7 to myself$ B!essa is a Settler< !essa is a Settler<) but$ at all times$ I "no& you are.@ ?0oes anyone else$ thou7h1@ She &aved her hand around as thou7h to include an indefinite surroundin7 volume. ?#ere is #y%er City under unima7inably ti7ht security and &hy1 A7ainst the Settlers. !he &hole %oint is to 7et out there &ith %ractical su%erluminal fli7ht before the Settlers can even 7et started. And &ho is in com%lete char7e of the %ro6ect1 A Settler.@ ?Is this the first time you)ve thou7ht of that in the five years you)ve been on the %ro6ect1@ ?No$ but I thin" of it %eriodically. I 6ust don)t understand it. Aren)t they afraid to trust me1@ .isher lau7hed. ?Not really. 2ou)re a scientist.@ ?So1@ ?So scientists are considered mercenaries &ithout ties to anyone society. +ive a scientist a fascinatin7 %roblem and all the money$ e>ui%ment$ and hel% that he or she needs to tac"le that %roblem$ and that scientist &ouldn)t care &ho the source of su%%ort &as. 3e truthful442ou care neither for arth$ nor Adelia$ nor for the Settlements as a &hole$ nor even for humanity as a &hole. 2ou 6ust &ant to &or" out the details of su%erluminal fli7ht$ and you have no loyalties beyond that.@ -endel said hau7htily$ ?!hat)s a stereoty%e$ and not every scientist &ill fit it. I may not fit it.@ ?I)m sure they reali;e that$ too$ so that you are %robably under constant surveillance$ !essa. Some of your closest associates %robably have$ as an im%ortant as%ect of their &or"$ the constant monitorin7 of your activities$ and the constant re%ortin7 to the 7overnment.@ ?2ou)re not referrin7 to yourself$ I ho%e.@ ?0on)t tell me you)ve never thou7ht that I mi7ht be remainin7 near you entirely in my role as &heedler of secrets.@ ?As a matter of fact$ the idea has occurred to me44no& and then.@ ?3ut it)s not my 6ob. I sus%ect that I)m too close to you to be trusted. In fact$ I)m >uite sure that I)m re%orted on$ too$ and that my activity is carefully &ei7hed. As lon7 as I "ee% you ha%%y44@ ?2ou)re a cold4blooded %erson$ Crile. #o& can you find humor in somethin7 li"e that1@ ?!here)s no humor there. I)m tryin7 to be realistic. If you ever tire of me$ I lose my function. An unha%%y !essa may be an un%roductive !essa$ so I &ill be suddenly 7otten out of your hair and the &ay &ill be smoothed for my successor. After all$ your contentment is &orth far more to them than mine is$ and I reco7ni;e that it is only sensible that that be the case. 2ou see my realism1@ -hereu%on -endel reached out suddenly to stro"e Crile)s chee". ?0on)t &orry. I thin" I)ve 7ro&n too used to you to tire of you no&. In the hot blood of my youth$ I could 7ro& bored &ith my men and discard them$ but no&44@ ?It)s too much of an effort$ eh1@ ?If you choose to thin" of it that &ay. I mi7ht also finally be in love44in my &ay.@ ?I understand your meanin7. *ove in cool blood can be restful. 3ut I sus%ect this is not the %ro%er moment to %rove it. 2ou)ll have to che& over this e8chan7e &ith 5oro%ats"y first$ and 7et that %oisonous feelin7 about fa"ery out of your system.@ ?I)ll 7et over that someday. 3ut there)s another thin7. I told you a little &hile a7o about arth%eo%le havin7 no feel for s%ace.@ ?2es$ I remember.@

?-ell$ here)s an e8am%le. 5oro%ats"y has no feelin744no feelin7 at all44for the sheer si;e of s%ace. #e tal"ed about 7oin7 to the Nei7hbor Star and findin7 (otor. No& ho& is that to be done1 very once in a &hile$ &e s%ot an asteroid and lose it before &e can calculate its orbit. 0o you "no& ho& lon7 it ta"es to relocate that lost asteroid$ even &ith all our modern devices and instruments1 2ears sometimes. S%ace is lar7e$ even in the near vicinity of a star$ and (otor is small.@ ?2es$ but &e search for one asteroid amon7 a hundred thousand. (otor$ on the other hand$ &ill be the only ob6ect of its "ind near the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?-ho told you that1 ven if the Nei7hbor Star doesn)t have a %lanetary system in our sense$ it is e8tremely unli"ely that it &on)t be surrounded by debris of one sort or another.@ ?3ut it &ould be dead debris$ li"e our dead asteroids. Since (otor &ill be a functionin7 Settlement$ it &ill be emittin7 a &ide ran7e of radiation$ and that should be easy to detect.@ I (otor is a functionin7 Settlement. -hat if it isn)t1 !hen it)s 6ust another asteroid and findin7 it may %rove an enormous tas". -e may not succeed at all in any reasonable %eriod of time.@ .isher could not "ee% his face from fallin7 into lines of misery. -endel made a small sound and moved closer to him$ %lacin7 an arm around his unres%onsive shoulder. ?Oh$ my dear$ you know the situation. 2ou must face it.@ .isher said in a cho"ed voice$ ?I "no&. 3ut they may have survived. Isn)t that true1@ ?!hey may$@ said -endel &ith a sli7htly synthetic lilt to her voice$ ?and if they have$ so much the better for us. As you %ointed out$ it &ould then be easy to locate them throu7h their radiational out%ut. And more than that44@ ?2es1@ ?5oro%ats"y &ants us to brin7 bac" somethin7 that &ill %rove &e encountered (otor$ feelin7 that &ould be the best evidence that &e had indeed been in dee% s%ace and returned$ coverin7 several li7ht4 years in$ at most$ a fe& months. 8ce%t44-hat e8actly could &e brin7 bac" that &ould be convincin71 Su%%ose &e find some driftin7 bits of metal or concrete. Not any bit &ill do. A lum% of metal &ith nothin7 to identify it as (otorian &ould be somethin7 &e mi7ht &ell have ta"en &ith us. ven if &e mana7e to find a %iece that is characteristic of (otor44some artifact that could only e8ist on a Settlement44it mi7ht be considered a fa"e. ?If$ ho&ever$ (otor &ere a &or"in7$ livin7 Settlement$ &e mi7ht be able to %ersuade some (otorian to come bac" &ith us. A (otorian can be identified as one. .in7er%rints$ retinal %atterns$ 0NA analysis. !here may even be %eo%le on other Settlements$ or on arth$ &ho &ould be able to reco7ni;e the %articular (otorian &e brin7 bac". 5oro%ats"y hinted heavily that &e do this. #e %ointed out that Columbus$ returnin7 from his first voya7e$ brou7ht Native Americans &ith him. ?Of course@44and -endel si7hed heavily as she &ent on44@there is a limit to ho& much &e can brin7 bac"$ animate or inanimate. Someday &e may have stars hi%s as lar7e as Settlements$ but our first one is 7oin7 to be a small and$ by later standards$ a %rimitive thin7$ I)m sure. -e mi7ht be able to brin7 bac" one (otorianA more than one &ould be more than &e could handle$ so &e)ll have to %ic" the ri7ht one.@ ?My dau7hter$ Marlene$@ said .isher. ?She mi7ht not &ant to come. -e can only ta"e someone &ho)s &illin7 to return. !here)s bound to be one amon7 the thousands$ %erha%s even a lar7e number$ but if she doesn)t &ant to come44@ ?Marlene &ill be &illin7 to come. 2ou let me tal" to her. Someho& I)ll &in her over. ? ?#er mother mi7ht not &ish it.@ ?Someho& I)ll tal" her into it$@ said .isher stubbornly. ?Someho& I)ll mana7e.@ -endel si7hed a7ain. ?I can)t let you live &ith that thou7ht$ Crile. 0on)t you see that &e can)t ta"e your dau7hter bac"$ even if she is &illin7 to come1@ ?-hy not1 Why not? ?She &as one year old &hen she left. She has no memories of the Solar System. No one in the Solar System could identify her. !here are very unli"ely to have been any records that could be chec"ed inde%endently else&here in the system. No$ &e &ould have to have some middle4a7ed %erson at the least$ and one &ho has visited other Settlements or$ better yet$ arth.@ She %aused and then said ti7htly$ ?2our &ife mi7ht be suitable. 0idn)t you once tell me that she too" %art of her education on arth1 !here &ould be records and she &ould be identifiable. !hou7h$ to be honest$ I &ould much rather ta"e someone else.@ .isher &as silent. -endel said$ almost timidly$ ?I)m sorry$ Crile. It)s not as I &ould &ish it.@ And .isher said bitterly$ ?=ust let my Marlene be alive. -e)ll see &hat can be done.@

TWENTY-ONE: BRAINSCAN
FG. ?I)m sorry$@ said Siever +enarr$ loo"in7 do&n his lon7 nose at mother and dau7hter &ith an e8%ression that seemed to be7 their %ardon even &ithout his &ords. ?I had told Marlene that this 6ob &as not a very busy one and then almost immediately thereafter &e had a "ind of mini4crisis &ith our %o&er su%%ly and I found I had to delay this conference of ours. !he crisis is over$ ho&ever$ and &asn)t much to be7in &ith$ no& that &e can vie& it in hindsi7ht. Am I for7iven1@ ?Of course$ Siever$@ said u7enia Insi7na. She &as clearly restless. ?I &on)t say it)s been an easy three days$ thou7h. I feel that every hour &e stay here increases Marlene)s dan7er.@ Marlene said$ ?I don)t fear rythro at all$ 'ncle Siever.@ Insi7na said$ ? And I don)t thin" Pitt can do anythin7 a7ainst us on (otor. #e "no&s that$ or he &ouldn)t have sent us here.@ +enarr said$ ? And I &ill try to %lay the honest bro"er and satisfy you both. -hatever Pitt can or cannot do o%enly$ there is a 7reat deal he can do indirectly$ so it)s dan7erous$ u7enia$ for you to let your fear of rythro lead you to underestimate Pitt)s resolve and in7enuity. !o be7in &ith$ if you return to (otor$ you &ill be doin7 so a7ainst his emer7ency rulin7 and he can im%rison you or send you into e8ile on Ne& (otor or even send you bac" here. ?As for rythro$ &e don)t dare underestimate the dan7er of the Pla7ue either$ even thou7h it seems to have died out in its virulent early form. I am as reluctant to ris" Marlene as you are$ u7enia.@ And Marlene &his%ered in e8as%eration$ ?!here)s no ris".@ Insi7na said$ ?Siever$ I don)t thin" &e should carryon this discussion of Marlene in her %resence.@ ?2ou)re &ron7. I &ant to do it in her %resence. I sus%ect that she "no&s better than either of us &hat she ou7ht to do. She is the careta"er of that mind of hers and it is our 6ob to interfere &ith her as little as %ossible.@ Insi7na made an inarticulate sound in her throat$ but +enarr &ent on$ a >uality of remorselessness enterin7 his voice, ?I &ant her in this discussion because I &ant her in%ut. I &ant her o%inion.@ Insi7na said$ ?3ut you know her o%inion. She &ants to 7o out there$ and you)re sayin7 that &e must let her do &hat she &ants to do because she is someho& ma7ical.@ ?No one said a &ord about ma7ical$ or about sim%ly lettin7 her 7o out. I &ould li"e to su77est &e e8%eriment$ &ith all due %recautions.@ ?In &hat &ay1@ ?!o be7in &ith$ I &ould li"e a brain scan.@ #e turned to Marlene. ?0o you understand$ Marlene$ that that)s necessary1 0o you have any ob6ections1@ Marlene fro&ned sli7htly. ?I)ve had brain scans. veryone has had brain scans. !hey don)t let you start school &ithout a brain scan. Any time you have a com%lete medical e8amination44@ ?I "no&$@ said +enarr 7ently. ?I haven)t com%letely &asted these last three days. I have here@44and his hand came to rest on a stac" of com%uter stri%s at the left end of his des"44@the com%uteri;ation of every sin7le brain scan you)ve ever had.@ ?3ut you)re not tellin7 everythin7$ 'ncle Siever$@ said Marlene calmly. ?Ah$@ said Insi7na &ith a touch of trium%h. ?-hat is he hidin7$ Marlene1@ ?#e)s a little nervous about me. #e doesn)t entirely believe my feelin7 that I)m safe. #e)s uncertain.@ +enarr said$ ?#o& can that be$ Marlene1 I feel >uite certain about your safety.@ 3ut Marlene said &ith a 7lo& of sudden enli7htenment$ ?I thin" that)s &hy you &aited three days$ 'ncle Siever. 2ou ar7ued yourself into bein7 certain so that I &ouldn)t see your uncertainty. 3ut it didn)t &or". I can still see it.@ +enarr said$ ?If that sho&s$ Marlene$ then it)s only because I value you so hi7hly that I find even the sli7htest ris" un%leasant.@ Insi7na said an7rily$ ?If you find even the sli7htest ris" un%leasant$ ho& do you su%%ose I feel$ as a mother1 So in your uncertainty$ you obtain brain scans$ violatin7 Marlene)s medical %rivacy.@ ?I had to find out. And I did. !hey)re insufficient.@ ?Insufficient in &hat &ay1@

?In the early days of the 0ome$ &hen the Pla7ue struc" a7ain and a7ain$ one of our concerns &as to devise a more detailed brain scanner and a more efficiently %ro7rammed com%uter to inter%ret the data. !his has never been transferred to (otor. Pitt)s e8a77erated desire to hide the Pla7ue led him to resist the sudden a%%earance of an im%roved brain scanner on (otor. It mi7ht have 7iven rise to inconvenient >uestions and rumors. (idiculous$ to my &ay of thin"in7$ but in this$ as in many other thin7s$ Pitt had his &ay. !herefore$ Marlene$ you have never been %ro%erly brain scanned and I &ant you to have one on our device.@ Marlene shran" bac"$ ?No.@ A loo" of ho%e crossed Insi7na)s face. ?-hy not$ Marlene1@ ?3ecause &hen 'ncle Siever said that44he &as suddenly much more uncertain.@ +enarr said$ ?No$ that)s not44@ #e sto%%ed himself$ lifted his arms$ and let them dro% hel%lessly. ?-hy do I bother1 Marlene$ dear$ if I seemed suddenly concerned$ it)s because &e need as detailed a brain scan as %ossible to serve as a standard of mental normality. !hen$ if you are e8%osed to rythro and suffer even the sli7htest mental distortion as a result$ it can be detected by brain scan even &hen no one can tell by sim%ly loo"in7 at you or tal"in7 to you. -ell$ as soon as I mention a detailed brain scan$ I thin" of the %ossibility of detectin7 an other&ise indetectable mental chan7e44and the thou7ht itself s%ar"s an automatic concern. !hat s &hat you detect. Come$ Marlene$ ho& much uncertainty do you detect1 3e >uantitative.@ 3ut Marlene said$ ?Not much$ but it)s there. !he trouble is$ I can only tell you)re uncertain. I can)t tell why. Maybe this s%ecial brain scan is dan7erous.@ ?#o& can it be1 It has been used So44Marlene$ you know rythro &on)t hurt you. 0on)t you also "no& that the brain scan &on)t hurt you1@ ?No$ I don)t.@ ?0o you "no& that it wilt hurt you1@ A %ause and then Marlene said reluctantly$ ?No.@ ?3ut ho& can you be sure about rythro and not sure about the brain scan1@ ?I don)t "no&. I 6ust "no& that rythro &on)t hurt me$ but I don)t "no& that the brain scan &on)t. Or &ill.@ A smile crossed +enarr)s face. It did not ta"e unusual abilities to see that he &as enormously relieved. Marlene said$ ?-hy does that ma"e you feel 7ood$ 'ncle Siever1@ +enarr said$ ?3ecause if you &ere ma"in7 u% your intuitional feelin7s44out of a desire to be im%ortant$ or out of 7eneral romanticism$ or out of some sort of self4delusion44you &ould a%%ly it to everythin7. 3ut you don)t. 2ou %ic" and choose. Some thin7s you "no& and some thin7s you don)t "no&. !hat ma"es me far more inclined to believe you &hen you claim to be sure rythro &on)t hurt you and I no lon7er in the least fear that the brain scan &ill reveal anythin7 disturbin7.@ Marlene turned to her mother. ?#e)s ri7ht$ Mother. #e feels much better and so I feel much better. It)s so obvious. Can)t you see it$ too1@ ?It doesn)t matter &hat I see$@ said Insi7na. I don)t feel better.@ ?Oh$ Mother$@ murmured Marlene. !hen$ more loudly to +enarr$ ?I)ll ta"e the scan.@ FH. ?!his is not sur%risin7$@ murmured Siever +enarr. #e &as &atchin7 the com%uter 7ra%hics in their intricate$ almost floral %atterns$ as they moved slo&ly in and out in false color. u7enia Insi7na$ at his side$ stared at it "eenly$ but understood nothin7. ?-hat is not sur%risin7$ Siever1@ she as"ed. ?I can)t tell you %ro%erly because I don)t have their 6ar7on do&n %at. And if (anay 0) Aubisson$ &ho)s our local 7uru on this$ &ere to e8%lain it$ neither you nor I &ould understand her. #o&ever$ she did %oint this out to me44@ ?It loo"s li"e a snail shell.@ ?!he color ma"es it stand out. It)s a measure of com%le8ity rather than a direct indication of %hysical form$ (anay says. !his %art is aty%ical. -e don)t find it in brains 7enerally.@ Insi7na)s li% trembled. ?2ou mean she)s already affected1@ ?No$ of course not. I said aty%ical$ not abnormal. Surely I don)t have to e8%lain that to an e8%erienced scientific observer. 2ou)ll have to admit that Marlene is different. In a &ay$ I)m 7lad that the snail shell is there. If her brain &ere com%letely ty%ical$ &e)d have to &onder &hy she seems to be &hat she isA &here the %erce%tivity is comin7 from. Is she cleverly fa"in7 it$ or are &e fools1@ ?3ut ho& do you "no& it isn)t somethin744somethin744@

?0iseased1 #o& can that be1 -e have all of the brain scans collected over her lifetime from infancy. !hat aty%icality &as al&ays there.@ ?It &as never re%orted to me. No one ever remar"ed on it.@ ?Of course not. !hose early brain scans &ere the usual fairly %rimitive ty%e and it &ouldn)t sho&$ at least not so that it &ould hit you in the face. 2ut$ once &e have this %ro%er brain scan and can see the detail clearly$ &e can 7o bac" to the early ones and ma"e it out. (anay has already done so. I tell you$ u7enia$ this advanced brain scannin7 techni>ue ou7ht to be standard on (otor. Pitt)s su%%ression of it is one of his most foolish moves. It)s e8%ensive$ of course.@ ?I)ll %ay$@ murmured Insi7na. ?0on)t be silly. I)m %uttin7 this one on the 0ome bud7et. After all$ this may be hel%ful in solvin7 the Pla7ue mystery. At least$ that)s &hat I)ll claim if it)s ever >uestioned$ -ell$ there you are. Marlene)s brain is recorded in 7reater com%le8ity than ever before. If she should be even sli7htly affected$ it &ill sho& on the screen.@ ?2ou have no idea ho& fri7htenin7 this is$@ said Insi7na. ?I don)t blame you$ you "no&. 3ut she is so confident that I can)t hel% 7oin7 alon7 &ith her. I)m convinced that this solid sense of security has meanin7 behind it.@ ?#o& can it1@ +enarr %ointed to the snail shell. ?2ou don)t have that$ and I don)t have it$ so neither of us is in a %osition to tell &here and ho& she 7ets her sense of security. 3ut she has it$ so &e must let her out on the surface. ? ?-hy must &e ris" her1 Can you %ossibly e8%lain to me &hy &e must ris" her1@ ?!&o reasons. .irst$ she does seem determined$ and I have the feelin7 that she)ll 7et &hatever she)s determined to 7et44sooner or later. In that case$ &e mi7ht as &ell be cheerful about it and send her off$ since &e &on)t be able to sto% her for very lon7. Secondly$ it)s %ossible &e)ll learn somethin7 about the Pla7ue as a result. -hat that mi7ht be$ I can)t say$ but anythin7$ ho&ever small$ that &ill yield additional information concernin7 the Pla7ue is &orth a 7reat deal.@ ?Not my dau7hter)s mind.@ ?It &on)t come to that. .or one thin7$ even thou7h I have faith in Marlene and believe there)s no ris"$ I &ill do &hat I can to minimi;e it for your sa"e. In the first %lace$ &e)ll not let her out onto the surface itself for a &hile. I may ta"e her out on a fli7ht over rythro$ for instance. She)ll see la"es and %lains$ hills$ canyons. -e mi7ht even 7o as far as the ed7e of the sea. It all has a star" beauty44I sa& it once 44but it is barren. !here is no life any&here that she can see44only the %ro"aryotes in the &ater$ &hich are invisible$ of course. It)s %ossible that the uniform barrenness may re%el her and she may lose interest in the outside alto7ether. ?If$ ho&ever$ she is still "een on 7oin7 out$ on feelin7 the soil of rythro under her feet$ &e &ill see to it that she &ears an 4suit.@ ?-hat is an 4suit1@ ?An rythro4suit. It)s a strai7htfor&ard affair44li"e a s%acesuit$ e8ce%t that it doesn)t have to hold in air %ressure a7ainst a vacuum. It)s an im%ermeable combination of %lastic and te8tile that)s very li7ht and doesn)t im%ede motion. !he helmet &ith its infrared shieldin7 is some&hat more substantial and there is an artificial air su%%ly and ventilation. -hat it amounts to is that the %erson in an 4suit is not sub6ected to the rythro environment. And on to% of that$ there)ll be someone &ith her.@ ?-ho1 I &ould trust no one &ith her but myself.@ +enarr smiled. ?I couldn)t ima7ine a less suitable com%anion. 2ou "no& nothin7 about rythro$ really$ and you)re fri7htened of it. I &ouldn)t dare let you out there. *oo"$ the only %erson &e can trust is not you$ but me.@ ?2ou1@ Insi7na stared at him$ o%en4mouthed. ?-hy not1 No one here "no&s rythro better than I do$ and if Marlene is immune to the Pla7ue$ so am I. In ten years on rythro$ I haven)t been affected in the sli7htest. -hat)s more$ I can fly an aircraft$ &hich means &e &on)t need a %ilot. And then$ too$ if I 7o out &ith Marlene$ I can &atch her closely. If she does anythin7 abnormal$ no matter ho& sli7htly$ I)ll have her bac" in the 0ome and under the brain scan faster than li7ht.@ ?3y &hich time$ of course$ it &ill be too late.@ ?No. Not necessarily. 2ou mustn)t loo" u%on the Pla7ue as an all4or4nothin7 matter. !here have been li7ht cases$ even very li7ht cases$ and %eo%le &ho are li7htly affected can live reasonably normal lives. Nothin7 &ill ha%%en to her. I)m sure of it.@ Insi7na sat in her chair$ silent$ seemin7 someho& small and defenseless. +enarr im%ulsively %laced his arm around her. ?Come$ u7enia$ for7et this for a &ee". I %romise

she)ll not 7o out for at least a &ee"44lon7er than that if I can &ea"en her resolve by sho&in7 her rythro from the air. And durin7 the fli7ht she &ill be enclosed in the aircraft and &ill be as safe there as she is here. As for ri7ht no&$ I)ll tell you &hat44you)re an astronomer$ aren)t you1@ She loo"ed at him and said$ &anly$ ?2ou "no& I am.@ ?!hen that means that you never loo" at the stars. Astronomers never do. !hey only loo" at their instruments. It)s ni7ht over the 0ome no&$ so let)s 7o u% to the observation dec" and observe. !he ni7ht is absolutely clear$ and there is nothin7 li"e 6ust loo"in7 at the stars to ma"e one feel >uiet and at %eace. !rust me.@ FI. It &as true. Astronomers did not loo" at the stars. !here &as no need. One 7ave instructions to the telesco%es$ the cameras$ and the s%ectrosco%e by &ay of the com%uter$ &hich received instructions in the &ay of %ro7rammin7. !he instruments did the &or"$ the analyses$ the 7ra%hic simulations. !he astronomer merely as"ed the >uestions$ then studied the ans&ers. .or that$ one didn)t have to loo" at the stars. 3ut then$ she thou7ht$ ho& does one loo" at stars idly1 Can one &hen one is an astronomer1 !he mere si7ht should ma"e one uneasy. !here &as &or" to be done$ >uestions to be as"ed$ mysteries to be solved$ and$ after a &hile$ surely one &ould return to one)s &or"sho% and set some instruments in motion &hile one distracted one)s mind by readin7 a novel or &atchin7 a holovision s%ectacle. She muttered this to Siever +enarr$ as he &ent about his office$ chec"in7 loose ends before leavin7. 9#e &as a confirmed loose4end chec"er$ Insi7na remembered from the ancient days &hen they &ere all youn7. It had irritated her then$ but %erha%s she ou7ht to have admired it. Siever had so many virtues$ she thou7ht$ and Crile$ on the other hand44: She dra77ed at her thou7hts mercilessly and %ointed them another &ay. +enarr &as sayin7$ ? Actually$ I don)t use the observation dec" myself very often. !here al&ays seems to be somethin7 else to do. And &hen I do 7o$ I almost al&ays find myself alone u% there. It &ill be %leasant to have com%any. Come<@ #e led the &ay to a small elevator. It &as the first time Insi7na had been in an elevator in the 0ome$ and$ for a fleetin7 moment$ it &as as thou7h she &ere bac" on (otor44e8ce%t that she felt no chan7e in %seudo47ravitation %ull and did not feel herself %ressed 7ently a7ainst one of the &alls throu7h a Coriolis effect$ as she &ould have been on (otor. ?#ere &e are$@ said +enarr$ and motioned to Insi7na to ste% out. She did so$ curiously$ into the em%ty chamber$ and$ almost at once$ shran" bac". She said$ ? Are &e e8%osed1@ ? 8%osed1@ +enarr as"ed$ be&ildered. ?Oh$ you mean$ are &e o%en to rythro)s atmos%here1 No no. #ave no fears about that. -e are enclosed in a hemis%here of diamond4coated 7lass &hich nothin7 scratches. A meteorite &ould smash it$ of course$ but the s"ies of rythro are virtually meteor4free. -e have such 7lass on (otor$ you "no&$ but@44and his voice too" on a tone of %ride44@not >uite this >uality$ and not >uite this si;e.@ ?!hey treat you &ell do&n here$@ said Insi7na$ reachin7 out 7ently to touch the 7lass a7ain and assure herself of its e8istence. ?!hey must$ to 7et %eo%le to come here.@ !hen$ revertin7 to the bubble$ ?It rains$ of course$ on occasion$ but it)s cloudy then any&ay. And once the s"ies clear$ it dries u% >uic"ly. A residue is left behind$ and durin7 the day$ a s%ecial deter7ent mi8ture cleans the bubble. Sit do&n$ u7enia.@ Insi7na sat in a chair that &as soft and comfortable and that reclined almost of its o&n accord$ so that she found herself loo"in7 u%&ard. She could hear another chair si7h softly as +enarr)s &ei7ht %ushed it bac"&ard. And then$ the small ni7ht4li7hts$ &hich had cast a 7lo& sufficient to %oint out the %resence and location of chairs and small tables in the room$ &ent out. In the dar"ness of an uninhabited &orld$ the s"y$ cloudless$ and as dar" as blac" velvet$ burned &ith s%ar"s. Insi7na 7as%ed. She "ne& &hat the s"y &as li"e in theory. She had seen it on charts and ma%s$ in simulations and %hoto7ra%hs44in every sha%e and &ay e8ce%t reality. She found herself not %ic"in7 out the interestin7 ob6ects$ the %u;;lin7 items$ the mysteries that demanded she 7et to &or". She didn)t loo" at anyone ob6ect$ but at the %atterns they made. In dim %rehistory$ she thou7ht$ it &as the study of the %atterns$ and not of the stars themselves$ that 7ave the ancients the constellations and the be7innin7 of astronomy.

+enarr &as ri7ht. Peace$ li"e a fine$ unfelt cob&eb$ settled do&n over her. After a &hile$ she said$ almost slee%ily$ ?!han" you$ +enarr.@ ?.or &hat1@ ?.or offerin7 to 7o out &ith Marlene. .or ris"in7 your mind for my dau7hter.@ ?I)m not ris"in7 my mind. Nothin7 &ill ha%%en to either of us. 3esides$ I have a44a fatherly feelin7 to&ard her. After all$ u7enia$ &e 7o a lon7 &ay bac" to7ether$ you and I$ and I thin"44have al&ays thou7ht44hi7hly of you.@ ?I "no&$@ said Insi7na$ feelin7 the stirrin7s of 7uilt. She had al&ays "no&n ho& +enarr had felt44 he could never obscure it. It had ins%ired her &ith resi7nation before she met Crile$ and &ith annoyance after&ard. She said$ ?If I)ve ever hurt your feelin7s$ Siever$ I am truly sorry.@ ?No need$@ said +enarr softly$ and there &as a lon7 silence &hile %eace dee%ened$ and Insi7na found herself earnestly ho%in7 that no one &ould enter and brea" the stran7e s%ell of serenity that held her fast. And then +enarr said$ ?I have a theory as to &hy %eo%le don)t come u% to the observation dec" here. Or on (otor. 0id you ever notice that the observation dec" isn)t used much on (otor either1@ ?Marlene li"ed to 7o there on occasion$@ said Insi7na. ?She told me she &as usually alone u% there. In the last year or so$ she &ould tell me that she li"ed to &atch rythro. I should have listened more closely4%aid attention44@ ?Marlene is unusual. I thin" &hat 7ets most %eo%le and "ee%s them from comin7 u% here is that.@ ?-hat1@ as"ed Insi7na. ?!hat$@ said +enarr. #e &as %ointin7 to some s%ot in the s"y$ but in the dar"ness she could not see his arm. ?!hat very bri7ht starA the bri7htest in the s"y.@ ?2ou mean the Sun44our Sun44the Sun of the Solar System.@ ?2es$ I do. It)s an interlo%er. 8ce%t for that bri7ht star$ the s"y &ould be 6ust about the same as the one &e see from arth. Al%ha Centauri is rather out of %lace and Sirius is shifted sli7htly$ but &e &ouldn)t notice that. 3arrin7 such thin7s$ the s"y you see is &hat the Sumerians sa& five thousand years a7o. All e8ce%t for the Sun.@ ?And you thin" the Sun "ee%s %eo%le a&ay from the observation dec"1@ ?2es$ %erha%s not consciously$ but I thin" the si7ht of it ma"es them uneasy. !he tendency is to thin" of the Sun as far$ far a&ay$ unreachable$ %art of an alto7ether different 'niverse. 2et there it is in the s"y$ bri7ht$ demandin7 our attention$ stirrin7 u% our 7uilt for havin7 run a&ay from it.@ ?3ut then &hy don)t the teena7ers and children 7o to the observation dec"1 !hey "no& little or nothin7 of the Sun and the Solar System.@ ?!he rest of us set a ne7ative e8am%le. -hen &e)re all 7one$ &hen there)s no one on (otor to &hom the Solar System is anythin7 but a %hrase$ I thin" the s"y &ill seem to belon7 to (otor a7ain$ and this %lace &ill be cro&ded44if it still e8ists.@ ?0o you thin" it &on)t still e8ist1@ ?-e can)t foresee the future$ u7enia.@ ?-e seem to be flourishin7 and 7ro&in7 so far.@ ?2es$ &e are$ but it)s that bri7ht star44the interlo%er44that I)m &orried about.@ ?Our old Sun. -hat can it do1 It can)t reach us.@ ?Sure it can.@ +enarr &as starin7 at the bri7ht star in the &estern s"y. ?!he %eo%le &e)ve left behind on arth and on the Settlements are bound to discover Nemesis eventually. Maybe they already have. And maybe they)ve &or"ed out hy%er4assistance. I)m of the o%inion they must have develo%ed hy%er4 assistance soon after &e left. Our disa%%earance must have stimulated them 7reatly.@ ?-e left fourteen years a7o. -hy aren)t they already here1@ ?Perha%s they >uail at the thou7ht of a t&o4year fli7ht. !hey "no& that (otor attem%ted it$ but they don)t "no& that &e succeeded at it. !hey may thin" that our &rec"a7e is stre&n throu7h s%ace all the &ay from the Sun to Nemesis.@ We didn)t lac" the coura7e to attem%t it.@ ?Sure &e did. 0o you thin" that (otor &ould have made the attem%t if &e hadn)t had Pitt1 It &as .itt &ho drove the rest of us$ and I doubt that there)s another Pitt any&here in the Settlements$ or on arth for that matter. 2ou "no& I don)t li"e Pitt. I disa%%rove of his methods$ of his morals$ or the lac" of them$ of his deviousness$ of his cold4blooded ability to send a 7irl li"e Marlene to &hat he clearly ho%es &ill be her destruction$ and yet if &e 7o by results$ he may 7o do&n in history as a 7reat man.@ ?As a 7reat leader$@ said Insi7na. /ou are a 7reat man$ Siever. !here)s a clear difference.@

!here &as silence a7ain$ till +enarr said softly$ ?I "ee% &aitin7 for them to come here after us. !hat)s my bi77est fear$ and it seems to stren7then &hen the interlo%er shines do&n u%on me. It)s fourteen years no& since &e left the Solar System. -hat have they been doin7 in these fourteen years1 #ave you ever &ondered about that$ u7enia1@ ?Never$@ said Insi7na$ half4aslee%. ?My &orries are more immediate.@

TWENTY-TWO: ASTEROID
FJ. Au7ust DD$ DDEG< It meant somethin7 to Crile .isher$ for it &as !essa -endel)s birthday. !o be %recise$ it &as her fifty4third birthday. She made no reference to the day$ or to its si7nificance44%erha%s because she had been so %roud of her youthful a%%earance on Adelia$ or %erha%s because she &as over4 conscious of .isher)s five years) advanta7e. 3ut their relative a7e difference didn)t matter to Crile. ven if .isher had not been attracted to her intelli7ence and to her se8ual vi7or$ !essa held the "ey to (otor and he "ne& it. !here &ere fine &rin"les around her eyes no&$ and a distinct flabbiness to her u%%er arms$ but her unmentioned birthday &as one of trium%h for her$ and she came s&in7in7 into the a%artment$ &hich had 7ro&n steadily more lavish &ith the years$ and thre& herself into her sturdy field4bottomed armchair &ith a smile of satisfaction on her face. ?It &ent as smoothly as interstellar s%ace. Absolute %erfection.@ ?I &ish I had been there$@ said Crile. ?I &ish you had$ too$ Crile$ but &e)re on a strictly need4to4 "no& basis$ and I 7et you involved in more thin7s than I should$ as it is.@ !he 7oal had been #y%ermnestra$ an other&ise undistin7uished asteroid that &as in a convenient %osition$ not too close to other asteroids at the moment$ and$ &hat &as more im%ortant$ not too close to =u%iter. It &as also unclaimed by any Settlement$ and unvisited by any. And$ to to% it off$ there &ere the first t&o syllables of the name$ &hich$ ho&ever trivial$ seemed to re%resent a %ro%er tar7et for a su%erluminal fli7ht throu7h hy%ers%ace. ?I ta"e it you 7ot the shi% there safely.@ ?-ithin ten thousand "ilometers. -e could easily have %laced it closer$ but &e didn)t &ant to ris" an intensification of its 7ravitational field$ feeble thou7h it &as. And bac"$ of course$ to the %rearran7ed s%ot. It)s bein7 she%herded in by t&o ordinary vessels.@ ?I su%%ose the Settlements &ere on the loo"out.@ ?Of course$ but it)s one thin7 to see that the shi% vanishes instantaneously$ and >uite another to tell &here it &entA &hether it &ent at or near li7ht s%eed$ or many multi%les of itA and$ most of all$ ho& it &as done. So &hat they do see means nothin7.@ ?!hey had nothin7 in the nei7hborhood of #y%ermnestra$ did they1@ ?!hey had no &ay of "no&in7 &hat the destination &as$ barrin7 a brea"do&n of security$ and that apparently didn)t ha%%en. If they had "no&n$ or 7uessed$ that alone still &ould not have hel%ed them. All in all$ Crile$ very satisfactory. ? ?Obviously a 7iant ste%.@ ?-ith additional 7iant ste%s still facin7 us. It &as the first shi%$ ca%able of carryin7 a human bein7$ to attain su%erluminal velocity$ but$ as you "no&$ it &as staffed44if that)s the &ord44by one robot.@ ?0id the robot o%erate successfully1@ ?Com%letely$ but that)s not very si7nificant$ e8ce%t that it sho&s &e can transfer a fairly lar7e mass there and bac" in one %iece44at least in one %iece on the macro4scale. It &ill ta"e several &ee"s of ins%ection to ma"e sure that no dan7erous dama7e &as done on the micro4scale. And$ of course$ that still leaves us the tas" of buildin7 lar7er shi%s$ of ma"in7 sure that life4su%%ort systems are incor%orated and functionin7 &ell$ and of multi%lyin7 safety %rovisions. A robot can ta"e stresses that human bein7s cannot.@ ?And is the schedule holdin7 u%1@ ?So far. So far. Another year or year and a half44if there are no disasters or une8%ected accidents44 and &e ou7ht to be able to sur%rise the (otorians$ assumin7 them to e8ist.@ .isher &inced$ and -endel said$ loo"in7 han7do7$ ?I)m sorry. I "ee% %romisin7 myself not to say thin7s li"e that$ but it does sli% out once in a &hile.@ ?Never mind$@ said .isher. ?Is it definitely settled that I)ll be 7oin7 on the first tri% to (otor1@ ?If anythin7 can be definitely settled for somethin7 that &on)t ta"e %lace for a year or more. !here)s no &ay of 7uardin7 a7ainst sudden shifts of needs.@ ?3ut so far1@ ?A%%arently$ !anayama had left behind a note to the effect that you &ere %romised a berth44more

decent of him than I &ould have e8%ected. 5oro%ats"y &as "ind enou7h to tell me about the note today$ after the successful fli7ht$ &hen it seemed to me that it mi7ht be a 7ood time to advance the %ossibility.@ ?+ood< !anayama %romised it to me by &ord of mouth once. I am 7lad he %ut it on the record.@ ?0o you mind tellin7 me &hy he made that %romise1 !anayama al&ays struc" me as someone &ho 7ave nothin7 for nothin7.@ ?2ou)re ri7ht. I 7ot the tri% on condition that I brou7ht you bac" to arth to &or" on su%erluminal velocities. I thin" you)ll recall I carried out that tas" trium%hantly.@ -endel snorted. ?I doubt that it &as that alone that shoo" and moved your 7overnment. 5oro%ats"y said that he &ould not consider himself bound by !anayama)s %romises$ ordinarily$ but that you had lived on (otor for some years and that your s%ecial "no&led7e mi7ht come in handy. My o&n feelin7 is that your s%ecial "no&led7e$ after thirteen years$ mi7ht have dimmed$ but I didn)t say that$ because I &as feelin7 7ood after the trial$ and decided that$ for the moment$ I loved you.@ .isher smiled. ?I feel relieved$ !essa. I ho%e you)ll be on the first fli7ht$ too. 0id you 7et that strai7htened out1@ -endel %ulled her head bac" an inch or t&o as thou7h to 7et .isher into better focus. ?!hat &as a lot harder$ my boy. !hey &ere %erfectly &illin7 to send you into dan7er$ but as for me$ they said that I couldn)t be s%ared. B-ho could carryon the %ro6ect if anythin7 ha%%ens to you1) they said. So I said, BOnly anyone of about t&enty of my subordinates &ho are as &ell u% on su%erluminal fli7ht as I am$ and &hose minds are youn7er and nimbler.) A lie$ of course$ since there)s no one >uite li"e me$ but it im%ressed them.@ ?!here)s somethin7 to &hat they say$ you "no&. Should you ta"e the ris"1@ ?2es$@ said -endel. ?.or one thin7 I &ant the credit of bein7 ca%tain of the first su%erluminal fli7ht. .or another I am curious to see another star$ and resent that these (otorians 7ot there first$ if44@ She cau7ht herself and said$ ? And finally$ and most im%ortant$ I believe$ I &ant to 7et off arth.@ She said that &ith a virtual snarl. After&ard$ as they lay in bed to7ether$ she said$ ? And &hen the time comes$ and &e finally 7et there$ &hat a marvelous feelin7 it &ill be<@ .isher did not ans&er. #e &as thin"in7 of a child &ith stran7e lar7e eyes$ and of his sister$ and the t&o seemed to fuse as dro&siness closed do&n over him.

TWENTY-THREE: AIRFLIGHT
FK. *on74distance travel throu7h a %lanetary atmos%here &as not somethin7 that Settlers acce%ted as %art of their society. On a Settlement$ distances &ere small enou7h so that elevators$ le7s$ and an occasional electric cart &ere all that &as necessary. As for inter4Settlement travel$ that &as by roc"et. Many Settlers44at least$ bac" in the Solar System44had been in s%ace so many times that %ro7ress throu7h it &as almost as common to them as &al"in7. It &as a rare Settler$ ho&ever$ &ho had traveled to arth$ &here alone atmos%heric travel e8isted$ and &hich had made use of airfli7ht. Settlers &ho could face the vacuum as thou7h it &ere a friend and brother felt unfathomable terror if e8%ected to sense$ someho&$ the &histle of air %ast a vehicle &ithout 7round4su%%ort belo&. 2et air travel$ on occasion$ &as an obvious necessity on rythro. *i"e arth it &as a lar7e &orld$ and li"e arth it had a fairly dense 9and breathable: atmos%here. !here &ere reference boo"s on airfli7ht available on (otor$ and even several arth immi7rants &ith aeronautical e8%erience. So the 0ome o&ned t&o small aircraft$ some&hat clumsy$ some&hat %rimitive$ un7iven to lar7e bursts of s%eed$ or to headlon7 maneuverability44but serviceable. In fact$ (otor)s very i7norance of aeronautical en7ineerin7 hel%ed in one res%ect. !he 0ome)s aircraft &ere far more com%uteri;ed than any corres%ondin7 vessel on arth. In fact$ Siever +enarr li"ed to thin" of the vessels as intricate robots that ha%%ened to be built in the sha%e of aircraft. rythro)s &eather &as much milder than arth)s could %ossibly be$ since the lo& intensity of the radiation from Nemesis &as insufficient to %o&er lar7e and violent storms$ so that an aircraft4robot &as less li"ely to have to face an emer7ency. .ar less li"ely. As a result$ virtually anyone could fly the ra& and un%olished aircraft of the 0ome. 2ou sim%ly told the %lane &hat you &anted it to do and it &as done. If the messa7e &as unclear$ or seemed dan7erous to the robotic brain of the vessel$ it as"ed for clarification. +enarr &atched Marlene climb into the cabin of the %lane &ith a certain natural concern$ if not &ith the li%4bitin7 terror of u7enia Insi7na$ &ho stood &ell a&ay from the scene. 9?0on)t come any closer$@ he had ordered Insi7na sternly$ ?es%ecially if you)re 7oin7 to loo" as thou7h you &ere &itnessin7 the sure be7innin7 of calamity. 2ou)ll %anic the 7irl.@: It seemed to Insi7na that there &ere 7rounds for %anic. Marlene &as too youn7 to remember a &orld &here airfli7ht &as common. She had ta"en a roc"et calmly enou7h to come to rythro$ but ho& &ould she react to this unheard of fli7ht throu7h air1 And yet Marlene climbed into the cabin and too" her seat &ith a loo" of utter calm on her face. -as it %ossible she did not 7ras% the situation1 +enarr said$ ?Marlene$ dear$ you do "no& &hat &e)re 7oin7 to be doin7$ don)t you1@ ?2es$ 'ncle Siever. 2ou)re 7oin7 to sho& me rythro.@ ?.rom the air$ you "no&. 2ou)ll be flyin7 throu7h the air.@ ?2es. 2ou said so before.@ ?0oes the thou7ht of it bother you1@ ?No$ 'ncle Siever$ but it)s botherin7 you a lot.@ ?Only on your behalf$ dear.@ ?I)ll be %erfectly all ri7ht.@ She turned her calm face to&ard him as he climbed in after her and too" his seat. She said$ ?I can understand Mother bein7 concerned$ but you)re more concerned than she is. 2ou)re mana7in7 to sho& it less in any bi7 &ay$ but if you could see yourself lic"in7 your li%s$ you &ould be embarrassed. 2ou feel that if somethin7 bad ha%%ens$ it &ill be your fault$ and you 6ust can)t stand the thou7ht. =ust the same$ nothin7)s 7oin7 to ha%%en.@ ?Are you sure of that$ Marlene1@ ?Absolutely sure. Nothin7 &ill harm me on rythro.@ ?2ou said that about the Pla7ue$ but &e)re not tal"in7 about that no&.@ ?It doesn)t matter &hat &e)re tal"in7 about. Nothing &ill harm me on rythro.@ +enarr shoo" his head sli7htly in disbelief and uncertainty$ and then &ished he hadn)t$ for he "ne& she read that as easily as thou7h it &ere a%%earin7 in the lar7est bloc" letters on the com%uter screen. 3ut

&hat &as the difference1 If he had re%ressed it all and had acted as if he &ere made of cast bron;e$ she &ould still have seen it. #e said$ ?-e)ll 7o into an airloc" and stay there 6ust a &hile$ so that I can chec" the res%onsiveness of the vessel)s brain. !hen &e &ill 7o throu7h another door and the %lane &ill then move u% in the air. !here)ll be an acceleration effect$ and you)ll be %ressed bac"&ard$ and &e)ll be movin7 in the air$ &ith nothin7 beneath us. 2ou understand that$ I ho%e1@ ?I am not afraid$@ said Marlene >uietly. G0. !he aircraft remained on its steady course across a barren landsca%e of rollin7 hills. +enarr "ne& that rythro &as 7eolo7ically alive and "ne& also that &hat 7eolo7ical studies had been made of the &orld indicated that there had been %eriods in its history &hen it had been mountainous. And there &ere still mountains here and there on the cis4Me7an hemis%here$ the hemis%here in &hich the bloated circle of the %lanet Me7as$ around &hich rythro orbited$ hun7 almost motionless in the s"y. #ere on the trans4Me7an side$ ho&ever$ %lains and hills &ere the chief feature of the t&o lar7e continents. !o Marlene$ &ho had never seen a mountain in her life$ even the lo& hills &ere e8citin7. !here &ere rivulets on (otor$ of course$ and from the hei7ht at &hich they &ere vie&in7 rythro$ these rivers loo"ed no different. +enarr thou7ht, Marlene &ill be sur%rised &hen she sees them at a closer vie&. Marlene loo" curiously at Nemesis$ &hich had %assed its noon4mar" and had declined to&ard the &est. She said$ ?It)s not movin7$ is it$ 'ncle Siever1@ ?It)s movin7$@ said +enarr. ?Or$ at least rythro is turnin7 relative to Nemesis$ but it turns only once a day$ &hile (otor turns once every t&o minutes. In com%arison$ Nemesis$ as seen from here on rythro$ is movin7 less than 1LI00th as fast as it seems to be movin7 as seen from (otor. It seems to be standin7 still here$ by com%arison$ but it isn)t standin7 entirely still.@ !hen$ castin7 a >uic" 7lance at Nemesis$ he said$ ?2ou)ve never seen arth)s Sun$ the Sun of the Solar System$ you "no&A or$ if you have$ you don)t remember it$ havin7 been a baby at the time. !he Sun &as much smaller as seen from (otor)s %osition in the Solar System.@ ?Smaller1@ said Marlene in sur%rise. ?!he com%uter told me that it &as Nemesis that &as smaller.@ ?In reality$ yes. Still$ (otor is so much closer to Nemesis than it ever &as to the Sun in the old days that Nemesis seems lar7er.@ ?-e)re four million "ilometers from Nemesis$ aren)t &e1@ ?3ut &e &ere a hundred fifty million "ilometers from the Sun. If &e &ere that far from Nemesis$ &e)d 7et less than 1 %ercent of the li7ht and &armth &e 7et no&. If &e &ere as close to the Sun as &e are to Nemesis$ &e)d be va%ori;ed. !he Sun is much lar7er$ bri7hter$ and hotter than Nemesis.@ Marlene &asn)t loo"in7 at +enarr$ but a%%arently his tone of voice &as sufficient. ?.rom the &ay you tal"$ 'ncle Siever$ I thin" you &ish you &ere bac" near the Sun.@ ?I &as born there$ so I 7et homesic" sometimes.@ ?3ut the Sun is so hot and bri7ht. It must be dan7erous.@ ?-e didn)t loo" at it. And you shouldn)t loo" at Nemesis too lon7 either. *oo" a&ay$ dear.@ +enarr cast another >uic" 7lance at Nemesis$ ho&ever. It hun7 in the &estern s"y$ red and vast$ its a%%arent diameter at four de7rees of arc$ or ei7ht times that of the Sun as seen from (otor)s old %osition. It &as a >uiet red circle of li7ht$ but +enarr "ne& that$ on com%aratively rare occasions$ it &ould flare and$ for a fe& minutes$ there &ould be a &hite s%ot on that serene face that &ould be %ainful to loo" at. Mild suns%ots$ in dar"er red$ &ere more common$ but not as noticeable. #e murmured an order to the %lane$ &hich veered sufficiently to %ut Nemesis farther to the rear$ out of direct vie&. Marlene too" a last$ thou7htful 7lance at Nemsis$ then turned her eyes to rythro)s vista stretched out belo&. She said$ ?2ou 7et used to the %in" color of everythin7. It doesn)t loo" so %in" after a &hile.@ +enarr had noticed that himself. #is eyes cau7ht differences in tint and shade so that the &orld be7an to seem less monochromatic. !he rivers and small la"es &ere ruddier and dar"er than the land surface$ and the s"y &as dar". *ittle of the red li7ht of Nemesis &as scattered by rythro)s atmos%here.

!he most ho%eless thin7 about rythro$ ho&ever$ &as the barrenness of the land. (otor$ even on its tiny scale$ had 7reen fields$ yello& 7rain$ varicolored fruit$ noise4ma"in7 animals$ all the color and sound of human habitation and structures. #ere there &as only silence and inanimation. Marlene fro&ned. ?!here is life on rythro$ 'ncle Siever.@ +enarr couldn)t tell &hether Marlene &as ma"in7 a statement$ as"in7 a >uestion$ or ans&erin7 his thou7ht as revealed by his body lan7ua7e. -as she insistin7 on somethin7 or see"in7 reassurance1 #e said$ ?Certainly. *ots of life. It)s all4%ervasive. It)s not only in the &ater either. !here are %ro"aryotes livin7 in the &ater films about the soil %articles$ too.@ After a &hile$ the ocean made its a%%earance on the hori;on ahead$ first as sim%ly a dar" line$ then a thic"enin7 band as the air vehicle a%%roached it. +enarr cast careful sidelon7 7lances at Marlene$ &atchin7 her reaction. She had read about arth)s oceans$ of course$ and must have seen ima7es on holovision$ but nothin7 can %re%are anyone for the actual e8%erience. +enarr$ &ho had been on arth once 9once<: as a tourist$ had seen the ed7e of an ocean. #e had never been over one$ out of si7ht of land$ ho&ever$ and he &asn)t sure of his o&n reactions. It rolled bac" belo& them and no& the dry land shran" behind into a li7hter line and$ eventually$ it &as 7one. +enarr loo"ed do&n &ith a >ueer feelin7 in the %it of his stomach. #e remembered a %hrase from an archaic e%ic, ?the &ine4dar" sea.@ 3elo& them the ocean certainly did loo" li"e a vast rollin7 mass of red &ine$ &ith %in" froth here and there. !here &ere no mar"in7s to identify in that vast body of &ater$ and there &as no %lace to land. !he very essence of ?location@ &as 7one. 2et he "ne& that &hen he &anted to return$ he need do no more than direct the %lane to ta"e them bac" to land. !he %lane)s com%uter "e%t trac" of %osition in accurate rec"onin7 of s%eed and direction and &ould "no& &here land &as44even &here the 0ome &as. !hey %assed under a thic" cloud dec" and the ocean turned blac". A &ord from +enarr$ and the %lane lifted throu7h and above the clouds. Nemesis shone a7ain$ and the ocean could no lon7er be seen beneath them. !here &as$ instead$ a sea of %in" &ater dro%lets$ billo&in7 and risin7 here and there$ so that bits of fo7 moved$ occasionally$ %ast the &indo&. !hen the clouds seemed to %art and bet&een their ed7es$ 7lim%ses of the &ine4dar" sea could a7ain be seen. Marlene &atched$ her mouth %artly o%en$ her breath shallo&. She said in a &his%er$ ?!hat)s all &ater$ isn)t it$ 'ncle Siever1@ ?!housands of "ilometers in every direction$ Marlene44and ten "ilometers dee% in s%ots.@ ?If you fall into it$ I su%%ose you dro&n.@ ?2ou needn)t &orry about that. !his vehicle &on)t fall into the ocean. ? ?I "no& it &on)t$@ said Marlene matter4of4factly. !here &as another si7ht$ +enarr thou7ht$ to &hich Marlene could &ell be introduced. Marlene bro"e in on his thou7ht. ?2ou)re 7ettin7 nervous a7ain$ 'ncle Siever.@ +enarr felt amused at the manner in &hich he &as learnin7 to ta"e Marlene)s %enetration for 7ranted. #e said$ ?2ou)ve never seen Me7as$ and I &as &onderin7 if I ou7ht to sho& it to you. 2ou see$ only one side of rythro faces Me7as$ and the 0ome &as built on the side of rythro that doesn)t face it$ so that Me7as is never in our s"y. If &e continue to fly in this direction$ ho&ever$ &e)ll enter the cis4Me7as hemis%here and &e)ll see it rise above the hori;on.@ ?I &ould li"e to see that.@ ?2ou &ill$ then$ but be %re%ared. It)s lar7e. (eally lar7e. Nearly t&ice as &ide as Nemesis and it loo"s almost li"e it)s about to fall on us. Some %eo%le sim%ly can)t endure the si7ht. It &on)t fall$ thou7h. It can)t. !ry to remember that.@ !hey moved alon7 at a hi7her altitude and a hei7htened s%eed. !he ocean lay belo& in &rin"led sameness$ occasionally obscured by clouds. ventually$ +enarr said$ ?If you)ll loo" ahead and a little to the ri7ht$ you)ll see Me7as be7innin7 to sho& at the hori;on. -e)ll turn to&ard it.@ It loo"ed li"e a small %atch of li7ht alon7 the hori;on at first$ but 7re& li"e a slo& u%&ard s&ell. !hen the &idenin7 arc of a dee% red circle lifted itself above the hori;on. It &as distinctly dee%er than Nemesis$ &hich could still be seen to the ri7ht and in bac" of the %lane$ and some&hat lo&er in the s"y. As Me7as loomed lar7er$ it soon became a%%arent that &hat &as bein7 revealed &as not a full circle of li7ht$ a bit more than a semicircle. Marlene said &ith interest$ ?No& that&s &hat they mean by B%hases$) isn)t that ri7ht1@ ? 8actly ri7ht. -e only see the %art that)s lit by Nemesis. As rythro 7oes around Me7as$ Nemesis

seem to move closer to Me7as and &e see less and less of the lit half of the %lanet. !hen &hen Nemesis s"ims 6ust above or belo& Me7as$ &e 6ust see a thin curve of li7ht at Me7as) boundaryA that)s all &e see of its li7hted hemis%here. Sometimes Nemesis actually moves behind Me7as. Nemesis is then ecli%sed$ and all the dim stars of ni7ht come out$ not 6ust the bri7ht ones that sho& even &hen Nemesis is in the s"y. 0urin7 the ecli%se$ you can see a lar7e circle of dar"ness &ith no stars in it at all$ and that sho& you &here Me7as is. -hen Nemesis rea%%ears on the other side$ you be7an to see a thin curve of li7ht a7ain.@ ?#o& marvelous$@ said Marlene. ?It)s li"e a sho& in the s"y. And loo" at Me7as44all those movin7 stri%es.@ !hey stretched across the li7hted %ortion of the 7lobe$ thic" and reddish bro&n$ inters%ersed &ith oran7e$ and slo&ly &rithin7. ?!hey)re storm bands$@ said +enarr$ ?&ith terrific &inds that blo& this &ay and that. If you &atch closely$ you)ll see s%ots form and e8%and$ drift alon7$ then s%read out and vanish.@ ?It is li"e a holovision sho&$@ said Marlene ra%tly. ?-hy don)t %eo%le &atch it all the time1@ ?Astronomers do. !hey &atch it throu7h com%uteri;ed instruments located on this hemis%here. I)ve seen it myself in our Observatory. 2ou "no&$ &e had a %lanet li"e this bac" in the Solar System. It)s called =u%iter$ and it)s even lar7er than Me7as.@ 3y no&$ the %lanet had lifted entirely above the hori;on$ loo"in7 li"e a bloated balloon that had$ someho&$ %artially colla%sed alon7 its left half. Marlene said$ ?It)s lovely. If the 0ome &ere built on this side of rythro$ everyone could &atch it.@ ?Actually not$ Marlene. It doesn)t seem to &or" that &ay. Most %eo%le don)t li"e Me7as. I told you that some %eo%le 7et the im%ression that Me7as is fallin7 and it fri7htens them.@ Marlene said im%atiently$ ?Only a fe& %eo%le &ould have such a silly notion.@ ?Only a fe& to be7in &ith$ but silly notions can be conta7ious. .ears s%read$ and some %eo%le &ho &ouldn)t be afraid if left to themselves$ become afraid because their nei7hbor is. #aven)t you ever noticed that sort of thin71@ ?2es$ I have$@ she said &ith a touch of bitterness. ?If one boy thin"s a bimbo is %retty$ they all do. !hey start com%etin744@ She %aused$ as if in embarrassment. ?!he conta7ious fear is one reason &e built the 0ome on the other hemis%here. Another is that &ith Me7as al&ays in the s"y$ astronomic observations are more difficult to ma"e in this hemis%here. 3ut I thin" it)s time &e be7in our return. 2ou "no& your mother. She)ll be in a %anic.@ ?Call her and tell her &e)re all ri7ht.@ ?I don)t have to. !his shi% is sendin7 out si7nals continuously. She "no&s &e)re all ri7ht44 %hysically. 3ut that)s not &hat she)s &orried about$@ he said$ ta%%in7 his tem%le si7nificantly. Marlene slum%ed in her chair and a loo" of dee% discontent crossed her face. ?-hat a %ain. I "no& everyone &ill say$ BIt)s 6ust because she loves you$) but it)s such a bother. -hy can)t she 6ust ta"e my &ord for it that I)ll be all ri7ht1@ ?3ecause she loves you$@ said +enarr$ as he >uietly instructed the aircraft to return home$ ?6ust as you love rythro.@ Marlene)s face bri7htened at once. ?Oh$ I do.@ ?2es yes. It)s >uite visible in your every reaction to the &orld.@ And +enarr &ondered ho& u7enia Insi7na &ould react to that. G1. She reacted in fury. ?-hat do you mean$ she loves rythro1 #o& can she love a dead &orld1 Is it %ossible you brain&ashed her1 Is there some reason you)ve tal"ed her into lovin7 it1@ ? u7enia$ be reasonable. 0o you really believe it is %ossible to brain&ash Marlene into anythin71 #ave you ever succeeded in doin7 so1@ ?!hen &hat ha%%ened1@ ?Actually$ I tried to sub6ect her to situations that &ould dis%lease or fri7hten her. If anythin7$ I tried to Bbrain&ash) her into disliking rythro. I "no& from e8%erience that (otorians$ brou7ht u% in the ti7ht little &orld of a Settlement$ hate the endlessness of rythroA they don)t li"e the redness of the li7htA they don)t li"e that enormous %uddle of an oceanA they don)t li"e dar"enin7 cloudsA they don)t li"e NemesisA and$ most of all$ they don)t li"e Me7as. All these thin7s tend to de%ress and fri7hten them. And I

sho&ed all these thin7s to Marlene. I too" her out over the ocean and then$ far enou7h out to sho& her Me7as entirely above the hori;on.@ ?And1@ ?And nothin7 bothered her. She said she 7ot used to the red li7ht$ and it sto%%ed loo"in7 so terribly red. !he ocean didn)t in the least fri7hten her$ and$ most of all$ she found Me7as interestin7 and amusin7.@ ?I can)t believe it.@ ?2ou must. It)s true.@ Insi7na san" into thou7ht$ then said reluctantly$ ?Maybe it)s a si7n that she)s already infected &ith the44the44@ ?-ith the Pla7ue. I arran7ed for another brain scan as soon as &e 7ot bac". -e still haven)t 7ot the com%lete analysis$ but the %reliminary ins%ection sho&s no chan7e. !he mind %attern chan7es mar"edly and noticeably even in a li7ht case of the Pla7ue. Marlene sim%ly doesn)t have it. #o&ever$ an interestin7 thou7ht 6ust occurred to me. -e "no& that Marlene is %erce%tive$ that she can note all sorts of little thin7s. .eelin7s flo& from others to her. 3ut have you ever detected anythin7 that mi7ht seem the reverse1 0o feelin7s flo& from her to others1@ ?I don)t understand &hat you)re 7ettin7 at.@ ?She "no&s &hen I)m uncertain and a little an8ious$ no matter ho& I try to hide the fact$ or that I)m calm and unafraid. Is there any &ay$ thou7h$ that she can force me or encoura7e me to become uncertain and a little an8ious44or calm and unafraid1 If she detects$ can she also im%ose1@ Insi7na stared at him. ?I thin" that)s cra;y<@ she said$ her voice cho"ed in disbelief. ?Perha%s. 3ut have you ever noticed that sort of effect &ith Marlene1 !hin" about it.@ ?I don)t have to thin". I)ve never noticed any such thin7.@ ?No$@ muttered +enarr$ ?I su%%ose you haven)t. She &ould certainly love to ma"e you feel less nervous about herself$ and she certainly fails to brin7 that about. #o&ever44It is true$ thou7h$ if &e 6ust clin7 to Marlene)s %erce%tive ability$ that it has stren7thened since she has arrived on rythro. A7reed1@ ?2es. A7reed.@ ?3ut it)s more than that. She)s no& stron7ly intuitive. She knows that she is immune to the Pla7ue. She is certain that nothin7 on rythro &ill harm her. She stared do&n at the ocean in convinced "no&led7e that the aircraft &ouldn)t dro% into it and dro&n her. #as she had this "ind of attitude bac" on (otor1 #asn)t she felt uncertain and insecure on (otor &hen there &as reason to feel so$ 6ust as any other youn7ster mi7ht1@ ?2es< Certainly.@ ?3ut here she)s a ne& 7irl. !otally sure of herself. -hy1@ ?I don)t "no& &hy.@ ?Is rythro affectin7 her1 No no$ I mean nothin7 li"e the Pla7ue. Is there some other effect1 Somethin7 com%letely different1 I)ll tell you &hy I as". I felt it myself.@ ?.elt &hat yourself1@ ?A certain o%timism about rythro. I didn)t mind the desolation$ or anythin7 else. It)s not that I &as des%erately %ut off by it before$ that rythro made me seriously uneasy$ but I never liked the %lanet. On this tri% &ith Marlene$ ho&ever$ I came nearer to li"in7 it than ever before in my ten years of residence here. It &as %ossible$ I thou7ht$ that Marlene)s deli7ht &as conta7ious$ or that she mi7ht someho& be forcin7 it on me. Or else &hatever it is about rythro that is affectin7 her may be affectin7 me$ too44in her %resence.@ Insi7na said sarcastically$ ?I thin"$ Siever$ that you had better have a brain scan yourself.@ +enarr raised his eyebro&s. ?0o you thin" I haven)t1 I)ve under7one a chec" %eriodically ever since I)ve been here. !here)ve been no chan7es e8ce%t those inse%arable from the a7in7 %rocess. ? ?3ut have you chec"ed your mind %attern since 7ettin7 bac" from the %lane tri%1@ ?Of course. .irst thin7. I)m no fool. !he com%lete analysis isn)t bac" yet$ but the %reliminary &or" sho&s no chan7e.@ ?!hen &hat are you 7oin7 to do ne8t1@ ?!he lo7ical thin7. Marlene and I are 7oin7 out of the 0ome$ and out u%on rythro)s surface.@ ?No<@ ?-e)ll ta"e %recautions. I)ve been out there before.@ ?2ou$ %erha%s$@ said Insi7na stubbornly. ?Not she. Never she.@ +enarr si7hed. #e &hirled in his chair$ loo"in7 at the false &indo& in the &all of his office as thou7h he &ere tryin7 to %enetrate it and loo"

out u%on the redness beyond. !hen he loo"ed bac" at Insi7na. ?Out there is a hu7e brand4ne& &orld$@ he said$ ?one that belon7s to no one and nothin7 e8ce%t ourselves. -e can ta"e that &orld and develo% it &ith all the lessons &e)ve learned from our foolish mismana7ement of our ori7inal &orld. -e can build a 7ood &orld this time$ a clean &orld$ a decent &orld. -e can 7et used to the redness. -e can brin7 it to life &ith our o&n %lants and animals. -e can ma"e sea and land flourish and start the %lanet on its o&n course of evolution.@ ?And the Pla7ue1 -hat of that1@ ?-e mi7ht eliminate the Pla7ue$ and ma"e rythro ideal for us.@ ?If &e eliminate the heat and the 7ravity$ and alter the chemical com%osition$ &e can ma"e Me7as ideal for us$ too.@ ?2es$ u7enia$ but you must admit that the Pla7ue is in a different cate7ory from heat$ 7ravity$ and 7lobal chemistry.@ ?3ut the Pla7ue is 6ust as deadly in its o&n &ay.@ ? u7enia$ I thin" I)ve told you that Marlene is the most im%ortant %erson &e have.@ ?She certainly is to me.@ ?!o you$ she)s im%ortant sim%ly because she is your dau7hter. !o the rest of us$ she is im%ortant for &hat she can do.@ ?-hat can she do1 Inter%ret our body lan7ua7e1 Play tric"s1@ ?She is convinced she is immune to the Pla7ue. If she is$ that mi7ht teach us44@ I she is. It)s childish fantasy and you "no& it. 0on)t 7ras% at cob&ebs.@ ?!here)s a &orld out there$ and I &ant it.@ ?2ou sound li"e Pitt after all. .or that &orld$ &ill you ris" my dau7hter1@ ?In human history$ much more has been ris"ed for much less.@ ?More shame to human history. And in any case$ it)s u% to me to decide. She)s my dau7hter.@ And +enarr said in a lo& voice that seemed to contain infinite sorro&$ ?I love you$ u7enia$ but I lost you once. I have had this feeble dream of %erha%s tryin7 to undo that loss. 3ut no& I)m afraid I must lose you a7ain$ and %ermanently. 3ecause$ you see$ I)m 7oin7 to tell you that it)s not u% to you to decide. It is not even u% to me to decide. It is u% to Marlene. -hatever she decides$ she &ill do$ someho&. And because she may &ell have the ability to &in humanity a &orld$ I am 7oin7 to hel% her do &hat she &ants to do$ des%ite you. Please$ you must acce%t that$ u7enia.@

TWENTY-FOUR: DETECTOR
GD. Crile .isher studied the 'uperluminal &ith a fro;en e8%ression. It &as the first time he had seen it$ and a >uic" 7lance at !essa -endel made it >uite %lain that she &as smilin7 &ith &hat he could only thin" of as %ro%rietary %ride. It sat there in a hu7e cavern$ inside a tri%le &eb of security barriers. !here &ere human bein7s %resent$ but most of the &or" force consisted of carefully com%uteri;ed 9nonhumanoid: robots. .isher had seen many s%aceshi%s in his time$ and of a multi%licity of models used for a multi%licity of %ur%oses$ but he had never seen one li"e the 'uperluminal##never seen one as re%ulsive in a%%earance. #ad he seen it &ithout "no&in7 &hat it &as$ he mi7ht not have 7uessed$ even$ that it &as a s%aceshi%. -hat did he say then1 On the one hand$ he did not &ant to an7er -endel. On the other hand$ she &as clearly &aitin7 for his o%inion$ and she 6ust as clearly e8%ected %raise. And so he said in a some&hat subdued voice$ ?It has an eerie "ind of 7race44rather &as%li"e.@ She had smiled at the %hrase ?eerie "ind of 7race$@ and .isher felt he had chosen &ell. 3ut then she said$ ?-hat do you mean B&as%li"e$) Crile1@ ?It)s an insect I)m referrin7 to$@ said Crile. ?I "no& you)re not a&are of insects much on Adelia.@ ?-e "no& about insects$@ said -endel. ?-e may not have arth)s chaotic %rofusion44@ ?2ou %robably don)t have &as%s. Stin7in7 insects$ sha%ed rather li"e44@ #e %ointed to the 'uperluminal. ?!hey$ too$ have a lar7e bul7e in front$ another bul7e in bac"$ and a narro& connectin7 unit.@ ?(eally1@ She loo"ed at the 'uperluminal &ith a sudden s%ar"in7 of ne& interest. ?.ind me a %icture of a &as% &hen you can. I mi7ht understand the shi% desi7n better in the li7ht of the insect44or vice versa$ for that matter.@ .isher said$ ?-hy the sha%e$ then$ if it &asn)t ins%ired by the &as%1@ ?-e had to find a 7eometry that &ould ma8imi;e the chance of the entire shi% movin7 as a unit. !he hy%erfield has a tendency to e8tend out&ard cylindrically to infinity$ actually$ and you let it have its &ay$ to some e8tent. On the other hand$ you don)t &ant to 7ive in entirely. 2ou can)t$ in fact$ so you have to seal it off in the bul7es. !he field is 6ust &ithin the hull$ maintained and enclosed by an intense and alternatin7 electroma7netic field$ and44you don)t really &ant to hear all this$ do you1@ ?Not any more$ I thin"$@ said .isher$ smilin7 sli7htly. ?I)ve heard enou7h. 3ut since I)m finally allo&ed to see this44@ ?No& don)t be hurt$@ said -endel$ %uttin7 her arm around his &aist. ?It &as all strictly on a need4 to4"no& basis. !here &ere times &hen they hated havin7 me around. !hey "e%t mutterin7$ I ima7ine$ about this sus%icious Settler &ho &as entirely too nosy$ and &ishin7 that I hadn)t been the one &ho had desi7ned the hy%erfield$ so they could "ic" me out. No&$ ho&ever$ thin7s have li7htened to the %oint &here I could arran7e to have you come and see it. 2ou)ll be on it eventually$ after all$ and I &anted you to admire it.@ She hesitated$ then added$ ?And me.@ #e loo"ed across at her and said$ ?2ou "no& that I admire you$ !essa$ &ithout any need for anythin7 li"e this.@ And he %ut his arm around her shoulder. ?I)m continuin7 to 7et older$ Crile$@ she said. ?!he %rocess sim%ly &on)t sto%. And I)m also dismayin7ly satisfied &ith you. I)ve been &ith you seven years no&$ 7oin7 on ei7ht$ and I haven)t felt the old ur7e to see &hat other men mi7ht be li"e.@ .isher said$ ?Is that a tra7edy1 Perha%s it)s 6ust the fact that you)ve been so absorbed in the %ro6ect. No& that the shi% is com%leted$ you)ll %robably have a feelin7 of release$ and enou7h time to be7in huntin7 a7ain.@ ?No. I haven)t the ur7e. I 6ust haven)t. 3ut ho& about you1 I "no& I ne7lect you at times.@ ?It)s all ri7ht. -hen you ne7lect me for your &or"$ that suits me. I &ant the shi% as much as you do$ dear$ and one ni7htmare is that by the time it is finally ready$ you and I &ill be too old to be allo&ed on.@ #e smiled a7ain$ this time &ith distinct ruefulness. ?In your a&areness of oncomin7 a7e$ !essa$ don)t for7et that I$ too$ am no lon7er a lad. In less than t&o years$ I)ll be fifty. 3ut I have a >uestion I)m reluctant to as" for fear of disa%%ointment$ but I)m 7oin7 to$ any&ay.@

?As" a&ay.@ ?2ou arran7ed to have me see the shi%$ to be allo&ed into this holy of holies. Someho& I don)t thin" that 5oro%ats"y &ould have allo&ed this if the %ro6ect &eren)t near com%letion. #e)s almost as diseased on security as !anayama &as.@ ?2es$ as far as the hy%erfield is concerned$ the shi% is ready.@ ?#as it flo&n1@ ?Not yet. !here are still thin7s to do$ but they don)t involve the hy%erfield itself.@ ?!here have to be test fli7hts$ I su%%ose.@ ?-ith a cre& aboard$ of course. !here)s no &ay of doin7 it cre& less and still feel that the life4 su%%ort systems &ill &or". ven animals &on)t 7ive us the necessary assurance.@ ?-ho &ill 7o on the first tri%1@ ?Volunteers chosen from amon7 those on the %ro6ect &ho >ualify.@ ?#o& about you1@ ?I)m the only one &ho &on)t be a volunteer. I must 7o. I could trust no one else to ma"e decisions in an emer7ency.@ ?!hen I 7o$ too1@ said Crile. ?No$ not you.@ .isher)s face instantly 7re& dar" &ith an7er. ?!he arran7ement &as44@ ?Not on the test fli7hts$ Crile.@ ?-hen &ill they be over$ then1@ ?It)s hard to say. It de%ends on &hat troubles may develo%. If all 7oes as smoothly as %ossible$ then t&o or three fli7hts mi7ht suffice. A matter of months.@ ?-hen &ill the first test fli7ht be1@ ?!hat I don)t "no&$ Crile. -e)re still &or"in7 on the shi%.@ ?2ou said it &as ready to 7o.@ ?2es$ as far as the hy%erfield is concerned. 3ut &e)re installin7 the neuronic detectors.@ ?-hat are those1 I never heard you mention them.@ -endel did not ans&er directly. She loo"ed around$ >uietly and thou7htfully$ then said$ ?-e)re attractin7 attention$ Crile$ and I sus%ect that there are %eo%le here &ho feel nervous about your %resence. *et)s 7o home.@ .isher did not move. ?I ta"e it you refuse to discuss this &ith me. ven thou7h it ha%%ens to be vital to me.@ ?-e)ll discuss it44at home.@ GE. Crile .isher &as restless$ his fury increasin7. #e refused to sit do&n and to&ered over !essa -endel$ &ho had shru77ed and ta"en a seat on the &hite modular couch and &as no& loo"in7 u% at him$ fro&nin7. ?-hy are you an7ry$ Crile1@ .isher)s li%s &ere tremblin7. #e %ressed them to7ether and &aited before ans&erin7$ as thou7h forcin7 himself to remain calm by sheer muscular effort. #e said finally$ ?Once a cre& is made u% &ithout me$ it &ill be a %recedent. I &on)t ever 7et on. It must be understood from the be7innin7 that I am on the shi% every time until &e reach the Nei7hbor Star44 and (otor. I don)t &ant to be left out.@ -endel said$ ?-hy do you 6um% at conclusions1 2ou &on)t be omitted at the crucial time. !he shi% isn)t even ready to 7o yet.@ .isher said$ ?2ou said the shi% &as ready. -hat are these neuronic detectors you)re suddenly s%ea"in7 of1 It)s a device to "ee% me >uiet$ to "ee% me distracted$ and then snea" the shi% a&ay before I reali;e I)m left out. !hat)s &hat they)re doin7. And you)re %layin7 alon7 &ith it.@ ?Crile$ you)re mad. !he neuronic detector is my idea$ my insistence$ my desire.@ She stared at him$ unblin"in7$ darin7 him to do somethin7 about it. ?2our idea<@ he e8%loded. ?3ut...@ She held out her hand as if to silence him. ?It)s somethin7 &e)ve been &or"in7 on concurrently &ith the shi%. It)s not somethin7 that falls &ithin my e8%ertise$ but I have driven the neuro%hysicists on&ard rather mercilessly to have it. And the reason1 Precisely because I &ant you on the shi% &hen it leaves for the Nei7hbor Star. 0on)t you see1@ #e shoo" his head. ?.i7ure it out$ Crile. 2ou &ould if you &eren)t blind &ith ra7e for no sane

reason. It)s %erfectly strai7htfor&ard. It)s a Bneuronic detector.) It detects nerve activity at a distance. Com%le8 nerve activity. In short$ it detects the %resence of intelli7ence.@ .isher stared at her. ?2ou mean &hat doctors use in hos%itals.@ ?Of course. It)s a routine tool in medicine and in %sycholo7y to detect mental disorders early on44 but at meter distances. I need it at astronomical distances. It)s not somethin7 ne&. It)s somethin7 old &ith a vastly increased ran7e. Crile$ if Marlene)s alive$ she)ll be on the Settlement$ on (otor. (otor &ill be there$ some&here$ circlin7 the star. I told you that it &ould not be easy to s%ot. If &e don)t find it >uic"ly$ can &e be sure that it)s not there44and not that &e 6ust someho& missed it$ li"e missin7 an island in the ocean or an asteroid in s%ace1 0o &e 6ust continue searchin7 for months$ or years$ to ma"e sure that &e haven)t 6ust missed it$ that it)s really not there1@ ?And the neuronic detector44@ ?-ill find (otor for us.@ ?-on)t it be 6ust as hard to detect44@ ?No$ it &on)t. !he 'niverse is overrun &ith li7ht and radio &aves and all "inds of radiation$ and &e)ll have to distin7uish one source from a thousand others$ or from a million others. It can be done$ but it)s not easy$ and it may ta"e time. #o&ever$ to 7et the %recise electroma7netic radiation associated &ith neurons in com%le8 relationshi% is >uite uni>ue. -e are not li"ely to have more than one source e8actly li"e that44or if &e do$ it)s because (otor has built another Settlement. !here you have it. I am as intent on findin7 your dau7hter for you as you are for findin7 her for yourself. And &hy &ould I do that if I &eren)t intent on havin7 you on the fli7ht &ith us1 2ou)ll be there.@ .isher loo"ed over&helmed. ? And you forced the entire %ro6ect to do this1@ ?I have considerable %o&er over them$ Crile. And there)s more to it as &ell. !his is hi7hly confidentialA that)s &hy I couldn)t tell you at the shi%.@ ?Oh1 And &hat mi7ht that be1@ -endel said$ and there &as a softness in her voice$ ?Crile$ I s%end more time thin"in7 of you than you thin". 2ou don)t "no& ho& stron7ly I &ant to s%are you disa%%ointment. -hat if &e find nothin7 at the Nei7hbor Star1 -hat if a s&ee% of the s"ies tells us definitely that there are no livin7 intelli7ent life4forms any&here in its vicinity1 0o &e 7o strai7ht home and re%ort that &e found no si7n of (otor1 No&$ Crile$ don)t 7o into one of your moods. I)m not sayin7 that failure to find intelli7ence at the Nei7hbor Star &ill necessarily im%ly that (otor and its %eo%le have not survived.@ ?-hat else can it im%ly1@ ?!hey mi7ht have been so dissatisfied &ith the Nei7hbor Star that they decided to move on else&here. Perha%s they sto%%ed lon7 enou7h to mine some asteroids for ne& materials they &ould need for construction and for refurbishin7 the micro4fusion motors. !hen on they &ould 7o.@ ?And if that &ere so$ ho& can &e "no& &here they &ould be1@ ?!hey)ve been 7one almost fourteen years. -ith hy%er4assistance$ they can travel only at the s%eed of li7ht. If they have reached any star and settled in its nei7hborhood$ it &ould have to be at a star &ithin fourteen li7ht4years distance of us. !here are not very many of those. At su%erluminal velocity$ &e can visit each of those. -ith neuronic detectors$ &e can >uic"ly decide &hether (otor is in the nei7hborhood of any of them.@ ?!hey mi7ht be &anderin7 throu7h s%ace bet&een stars at this very moment. #o& &ould &e detect them then1@ ?-e &ouldn)t$ but at least &e increase our o&n chances 6ust a bit if &e investi7ate a do;en stars in si8 months &ith our neuronic detector$ instead of s%endin7 that much time investi7atin7 one star in a futile search. And if &e fail44and &e have to face the fact that &e mi7ht fail44then at least &e &ill return &ith considerable data on a do;en different stars$ a &hite d&arf$ a blue4&hite hot star$ a Solar loo"4ali"e$ a close binary$ and so on. -e)re not li"ely to ma"e more than one tri% in our lifetime$ so &hy not ma"e it a 7ood one$ and 7o do&n in history &ith a hu7e ban7$ eh$ Crile1@ Crile said thou7htfully$ ?I su%%ose you)re ri7ht$ !essa. !o comb a do;en stars and find nothin7 &ill be bad enou7h$ but to search a sin7le star vicinity and return thin"in7 that (otor mi7ht have been some&here else that &as reachable but that &e lac"ed the time to e8%lore &ould be much &orse.@ ? 8actly.@ ?I)ll try to remember that$@ said Crile sadly. ? Another thin7$@ said -endel. ?!he neuronic detector mi7ht detect intelli7ence not of arthly ori7in. -e &ouldn)t &ant to miss it.@ .isher loo"ed startled. ?3ut that)s not li"ely$ is it1@ ?Not at all li"ely$ but if it ha%%ens$ all the more reason not to miss it. s%ecially if it is &ithin

fourteen li7ht4years of arth. Nothin7 in the 'niverse can be as interestin7 as another intelli7ent life4form44 or as dan7erous. -e)d &ant to "no& about it.@ .isher said$ ?-hat are the chances of detectin7 it at all if it is not of arthly ori7in1 !he neuronic detectors are 7eared for human intelli7ence only. It seems to me that &e &ouldn)t even reco7ni;e a really odd life4form as bein7 alive$ let alone as bein7 intelli7ent.@ -endel said$ ?-e may not be able to reco7ni;e life$ but &e can)t %ossibly fail to reco7ni;e intelli7ence$ in my vie&$ and it)s not life but intelli7ence that &e)re after. -hatever intelli7ence mi7ht be$ ho&ever stran7e$ ho&ever unreco7ni;able$ it has to involve a com%le8 structure$ a very com%le8 structure44 at least as com%le8 as the human brain. -hat)s more$ it)s bound to involve the electroma7netic interaction. +ravitational attraction is too &ea"A the stron7 and &ea" nuclear interactions are too short4ran7e. And as for this ne& hy%erfield &e)re &or"in7 &ith in su%erluminal fli7ht$ it doesn)t e8ist in nature as far as any of us "no&s$ but e8ists only &hen it is devised by intelli7ence. ?!he neuronic detector can detect an elaborately com%le8 electroma7netic field that &ill si7nify intelli7ence no matter the form or chemistry into &hich that intelli7ence may be molded. And &e &ill be ready to either learn or run. As for unintelli7ent life$ that is not at all li"ely to be dan7erous to a technolo7ical civili;ation such as ourselves44thou7h any form of alien life$ even at the virus sta7e$ &ould be interestin7.@ ?And &hy must all this be "e%t secret1@ ?3ecause I sus%ect44in fact$ I know44that the +lobal Con7ress &ill &ant us bac" very >uic"ly so that they can be sure the %ro6ect is successful and so that they can learn to build better models of su%erluminal vessels based on our e8%erience &ith this %rototy%e. I$ on the other hand$ if thin7s 7o &ell$ &ould certainly &ant to see the 'niverse and let them &ait. I don)t say I)ll definitely do it$ but I &ant the o%tion held o%en. If they "ne& I &as %lannin7 that44even thin"in7 it 44I sus%ect they &ould try to cre& the shi% &ith others &hom they &ould consider more amenable to orders.@ .isher smiled &ea"ly. -endel said$ ?-hat)s &ron7$ Crile1 Su%%ose there)s no si7n of (otor or its %eo%le. -ould you then 6ust &ant to 7o bac" to arth in disa%%ointment1 !he 'niverse at your fin7erti%s$ but 7iven u%1@ ?No. I)m 6ust &onderin7 ho& lon7 &ill it ta"e to %ut in the detectors and all the other thin7s you mi7ht dream u%. In a little over t&o years$ I)ll be fifty. At fifty$ a7ents &or"in7 for the Office are routinely ta"en off field duty. !hey 7et des" 6obs on arth and are no lon7er allo&ed to ta"e s%acefli7hts.@ ?-ell1@ ?In a little over t&o years$ I &ill no lon7er >ualify for the fli7ht. !hey)ll tell me I)m too old$ and the 'niverse &on)t be at my fin7erti%s after all.@ ?Nonsense< !hey)re 7oin7 to let me 7o and I)m over fifty ri7ht no&.@ ?2ou)re a s%ecial case. It)s your shi%.@ ?2ou)re a s%ecial case$ too$ since I &ill insist on you. 3esides$ they &on)t find it so easy to 7et >ualified %eo%le to 7o on the 'uperluminal. It &ill be all &e can do to %ersuade anyone to volunteer. And they)ll have to volunteerA &e can)t ris" %lacin7 the tri% into the hands of un&illin7 and fri7htened draftees.@ ?-hy &ouldn)t they volunteer1@ ?3ecause they)re arthmen$ my 7ood Crile$ and to almost all arthmen$ s%ace is a horror. #y%ers%ace is a 7reater horror still and they)re 7oin7 to han7 bac". !here is 7oin7 to be you and me$ and &e)re 7oin7 to need three more volunteers and I tell you &e)ll have trouble 7ettin7 them. I)ve sounded out many$ and I have t&o 7ood %eo%le &ith a half&ay %romise, Chao4*i -u and #enry =arlo&. I haven)t 7ot my third yet. And even if$ a7ainst all li"elihood$ there are as many as a do;en volunteers$ they)re not 7oin7 to cut you out in favor of anyone else$ for I &ill insist on your 7oin7 &ith me as my ambassador to the (otorians44if that becomes necessary. And if even that is not enou7h$ I %romise you that the shi% &ill ta"e off before you)re fifty.@ And no& .isher smiled &ith honest relief and said$ ?!essa$ I love you. 2ou "no&$ I really do.@ ?No$@ said -endel$ ?I don)t "no& that you really do$ es%ecially &hen you say it in that tone of voice$ as thou7h the admission has cau7ht you by sur%rise. It)s very odd$ Crile$ but in the almost ei7ht years &e)ve "no&n each other$ and lived to7ether$ and made love to each other$ you)ve never once said that.@ ?#aven)t I1@ ?3elieve me$ I)ve listened. 0o you "no& &hat else is odd1 I)ve never said that I loved you$ and yet$ I love you. It didn)t start that &ay. -hat do you su%%ose ha%%ened1@ .isher said in a lo& voice$ ?It may be that &e)ve fallen in love &ith each other so 7radually that &e never noticed. !hat may ha%%en sometimes$ don)t you thin"1@

And they smiled at each other shyly$ as thou7h &onderin7 &hat they ou7ht to do about it.

TWENTY-FIVE: SURFACE
GF. u7enia Insi7na &as a%%rehensive. More than that. ?I tell you$ Siever$ I haven)t had a 7ood ni7ht)s slee% since you too" her out in the aircraft.@ #er voice de7enerated into &hat$ in a &oman of less firm character$ mi7ht almost have been described as a &hine. ?-asn)t the fli7ht throu7h air44off to the ocean and bac"$ and comin7 bac" after ni7htfall$ too44 &asn)t that enou7h for her1 -hy don)t you sto% her1@ ?-hy don)t I sto% her1@ said Siever +enarr slo&ly$ as thou7h he &ere tastin7 the >uestion. ?-hy don)t I sto% her? u7enia$ &e have 7otten %ast the sta7e of bein7 able to sto% Marlene.@ ?!hat)s ridiculous$ Siever. It)s almost co&ardly. 2ou)re hidin7 behind her$ %retendin7 she)s all4 %o&erful. ? ?Isn)t she1 2ou)re her mother. Order her to stay in the 0ome.@ Insi7na)s li%s com%ressed. ?She)s fifteen. I don)t li"e to be tyrannical.@ ?On the contrary. 2ou &ould love to be tyrannical. 3ut if you try$ she)ll loo" at you out of those clear e8traordinary eyes of hers and say somethin7 li"e$ BMother$ you feel 7uilty of havin7 de%rived me of my father$ so you feel that the 'niverse is cons%irin7 to de%rive you of me as %unishment$ and that)s a silly su%erstition.@ Insi7na fro&ned. ?Siever$ that is the stu%idest thin7 I)ve ever heard. I don)t feel any such thin7$ and couldn)t %ossibly.@ ?Of course you don)t. I &as 6ust ma"in7 somethin7 u%. 3ut Marlene &on)t be. She)ll "no&$ from the t&itchin7 of your thumb or the movement of your shoulder blade or something$ 6ust &hat is botherin7 you$ and she)ll tell you$ and it &ill be so true$ and so shameful$ I su%%ose$ that you &ill be too busy loo"in7 for &ays to defend yourself$ and you)ll 7ive in to her rather than have her "ee% %eelin7 a&ay the outer layers of your %syche.@ ?0on)t tell me that)s &hat)s ha%%ened to you.@ ?Not much because she)s fond of me$ and I)ve tried to be very di%lomatic &ith her. 3ut if I cross her$ I shudder to thin" &hat a shambles she)ll ma"e of me. *oo"$ I)ve mana7ed to delay her. +ive me credit for that. She &anted to 7o out immediately after the %lane tri%. And I held her off to the end of the month.@ ?#o& did you do that1@ ?Pure so%histry$ I assure you. It)s 0ecember. I told her that$ in three &ee"s$ the Ne& 2ear &ould be7in$ at least if &e 7o by arth Standard time$ and ho& best to celebrate the be7innin7 of DDEI$ I as"ed her$ than to be7in the ne& era of the e8%loration and settlement of rythro1 2ou "no&$ she vie&s her o&n %enetration of the %lanet in that li7ht44as the be7innin7 of a ne& a7e. -hich ma"es it &orse.@ ?-hy &orse1@ ?3ecause she doesn)t vie& it as a %ersonal ca%rice$ but as somethin7 of vital im%ortance to (otor$ or even to humanity$ %erha%s. !here)s nothin7 li"e satisfyin7 your %ersonal %leasure and callin7 it a noble contribution to the 7eneral &elfare. It e8cuses everythin7. I)ve done it myself$ so have you$ so has everyone. Pitt$ more than anyone else &hom I "no&$ does it. #e has %robably convinced himself that he breathes only to contribute carbon dio8ide to the %lant life of (otor.@ ?So$ by %layin7 on her me7alomania$ you had her &ait.@ ?2es$ and it still 7ives us one more &ee" to see if anythin7 &ill sto% her. I mi7ht say$ thou7h$ that my %lea didn)t fool her. She a7reed to &ait$ but she said$ B2ou thin" that if you delay me$ you &ill &in your &ay at least a little bit into the affections of my mother$ don)t you$ 'ncle Siever1 !here)s nothin7 about you that indicates you consider the comin7 of the ne& year of the sli7htest im%ortance.) ? ?#o& unbearably rude$ Siever.@ ?Merely unbearably correct$ u7enia. Same thin7$ %erha%s.@ Insi7na loo"ed a&ay. ?My affections1 -hat can I say44@ +enarr said >uic"ly$ ?-hy say anythin71 I)ve told you I loved you in the %ast$ and I find that 7ettin7 old44or 7ettin7 older44hasn)t much chan7ed it. 3ut that)s my %roblem. 2ou)ve never treated me unfairly. 2ou never 7ave me reason to ho%e. And if I)m fool enou7h not to be able to ta"e no for an ans&er$ &hat concern is that of yours1@

?It concerns me that you)re unha%%y for any reason.@ ?!hat counts for a lot ri7ht there.@ +enarr mana7ed a smile. ?It)s infinitely better than nothin7.@ Insi7na loo"ed a&ay and$ &ith obvious deliberation$ returned to the to%ic of Marlene. ?3ut$ Siever$ if Marlene sa& your motivation$ &hy did she a7ree to the delay1@ ?2ou &on)t li"e this$ but I)d better tell you the truth. Marlene said$ BI)ll &ait till the Ne& 2ear$ 'ncle Siever$ because %erha%s that will %lease Mother$ and I)m on your side.) ? ?She said that1@ ?Please don)t hold it a7ainst her. I have obviously fascinated her &ith my &it and charm and she thin"s she)s doin7 you a favor.@ ?She)s a matchma"er$@ said Insi7na$ obviously cau7ht bet&een annoyance and amusement. ?It did occur to me that if you could brin7 yourself to sho& an interest in me$ &e could use that to %ersuade her into all sorts of thin7s that she &ould thin" &ould further encoura7e the interest44e8ce%t that it &ould have to be real or she &ould see throu7h it. And if it &ere real$ she &ouldn)t feel it necessary to ma"e sacrifices to brin7 about &hat &as already so. 0o you understand1@ ?I understand$@ said Insi7na$ ?that if it &eren)t for Marlene)s %erce%tiveness$ you &ould be %ositively Machiavellian in your a%%roach to me.@ ?2ou)ve 7ot me dead to ri7hts$ u7enia.@ ?-ell$ &hy not do the obvious thin71 *oc" her u% and$ eventually$ carry her onto the roc"et bac" to (otor.@ ?3ound hand and foot$ I su%%ose. Aside from not thin"in7 &e could do such a thin7$ I)ve mana7ed to catch Marlene)s vision. I)m be7innin7 to thin" of coloni;in7 rythro44a &hole &orld for the ta"in7.@ ?And breathin7 their alien bacteria$ 7ettin7 them into our food and &ater.@ Insi7na)s face curled into a 7rimace. ?-hat of it1 -e breathe$ drin"$ and eat them44to an e8tent44ri7ht here. -e can)t "ee% them out of the 0ome alto7ether. .or that matter$ there are bacteria on (otor that &e breathe$ drin"$ and eat$ too.@ ?2es$ but &e)re ada%ted to (otor)s life. !hese are alien bits of life.@ ?All the safer. If &e)re not ada%ted to them$ neither are they to us. !here are no si7ns they can %ossibly %arasiti;e us. !hey &ould sim%ly be so many innocuous dust %articles.@ ?And the Pla7ue.@ ?!hat)s the real difficulty$ of course$ even in the case of somethin7 as sim%le as lettin7 Marlene 7o outside the 0ome. -e &ill$ of course$ ta"e %recautions.@ ?-hat "ind of %recautions1@ ?She &ould &ear a %rotective suit$ for one thin7. .or another$ I)ll 7o out &ith her. I)ll serve as her canary.@ ?-hat do you mean$ Bcanary)1@ ?It &as a device they had on arth some centuries bac". Miners carried canaries44you "no&$ little yello& birds44into mines. If the air &ent bad$ the canary died before the men &ere affected$ but the men$ "no&in7 there &as a %roblem$ &ould 7et out of the mine. In other &ords$ if I be7in to act >ueerly$ &e)ll both be brou7ht in at once.@ ?3ut &hat if it affects her before it affects you1@ ?I don)t thin" it &ill. Marlene feels immune. She)s said that so many times that I have be7un to believe her.@ GG. u7enia Insi7na had never before &atched the Ne& 2ear a%%roachin7 &ith such a %ainful concentration on the calendar. !here had never been reason before. .or that matter$ the calendar &as a vesti7ial han7over$ t&ice removed. On arth$ the year had be7un by mar"in7 the seasons$ and the holidays that related to the seasons44 midsummer$ mid&inter$ so&in7$ harvest44by &hatever names they &ere called. Crile 9Insi7na remembered: had e8%lained the intricacies of the calendar to her$ and had reveled in them in his dar" and solemn &ay$ as he did in everythin7 that reminded him of arth. She had listened to him &ith a mi8ture of ardor and a%%rehensionA ardently because she &ished to share his interest$ as that mi7ht dra& them closer to7etherA a%%rehensively because she feared his interest in arth mi7ht drive him a&ay from her$ as eventually it did.

Stran7e that she still felt the %an744but &as it dimmer no&1 It seemed to her that she could not actually remember Crile)s face$ that she remembered only the rememberin7 no&. -as it only the memory of a memory that stood bet&een her and Siever +enarr no&1 And yet it &as the memory of a memory that held (otor to the calendar no&. (otor had never had seasons. It had the year$ of course$ for it 9and all the Settlements in the arth4Moon system$ &hich left out only those fe& that circled Mars or that &ere bein7 built in the asteroid belt: accom%anied arth on its %ath around the Sun. Still$ &ithout seasons$ the year &as meanin7less. 2et it &as "e%t to7ether &ith months and &ee"s. (otor had the day$ too$ fi8ed artificially at t&enty4four hours durin7 &hich sunli7ht &as allo&ed to enter for half the time and bloc"ed off for the other half. It could have been fi8ed for any len7th of time$ but it &as fi8ed at the len7th of an arth day and divided into t&entyfour hours of si8ty minutes each$ &ith each minute consistin7 of si8ty seconds. 9!he days and ni7hts &ere at least uniformly t&elve hours lon7.: !here had been occasional movements amon7 the Settlements to ado%t a system of merely numberin7 days and 7rou%in7 them into tens and multi%les of tensA into de"adays$ hectodays$ "ilodays$ and$ in the other direction$ decidays$ centidays$ millidaysA but that &as really im%ossible. !he Settlements could not set u% each their o&n system for that &ould have reduced trade and communications to chaos. N or &as any unified system %ossible save that of arth$ &here KK %ercent of the human %o%ulation still lived$ and to &hich ties of tradition still held the remainin7 1 %ercent. Memory held (otor and all the Settlements to a calendar that &as intrinsically meanin7less for them. 3ut no& (otor had left the Solar System and &as a &orld that &as isolated and alone. No day$ or month$ or year in the arthly sense e8isted. It &as not even sunli7ht that mar"ed day from ni7ht$ for (otor 7leamed &ith artificial dayli7ht and dar"ened to a li7ht &his%er t&elve hours on and t&elve hours off. !he harsh %recision &as not even bro"en by the 7radual dimmin7 and bri7htenin7 at the boundaries that mi7ht simulate t&ili7ht and da&n. !here seemed to be no need. And &ithin this all4Settlement division$ individual homes "e%t their illumination on and off to suit their &hims or needs$ but counted the days by Settlement time44&hich &as arth time. ven here at the rythro 0ome$ &here there &as a natural day and ni7ht that &as casually used as such by those in occu%ation$ it &as the not4>uite4matchin7 Settlement day len7th$ still tied to that of arth 9the memory of a memory: that &as used in official calculations. !he movement &as no& stron7er to leave the day as the only basic measure of time. Insi7na "ne& for a fact that Pitt favored the decimali;ation of time measure$ and yet even he hesitated to su77est it officially$ for fear of rousin7 &ild o%%osition. 3ut %erha%s not forever. !he traditional disorderly units of &ee"s and months seemed less im%ortant. !he traditional holidays &ere more fre>uently i7nored. Insi7na$ in her astronomical &or"$ used days as the only si7nificant units. Someday the old calendar &ould die$ and$ in the far unseen future$ ne& methods of a7reed4u%on time mar"in7 &ould surely arise44a +alactic Standard calendar$ %erha%s. 3ut no& she found herself mar"in7 off the time to a Ne& 2ear that be7an arbitrarily. On arth$ at least$ the Ne& 2ear be7an at the time of a solstice44&inter in the northern hemis%here$ summer in the southern. It had a relationshi% to arth)s orbit around the Sun that only the astronomers on (otor remembered clearly. 3ut no&44even thou7h Insi7na &as an astronomer44the Ne& 2ear had to do only &ith Marlene)s venture onto the surface of rythro44a time chosen by Siever +enarr only because it involved a %lausible delay$ and acce%ted by Insi7na only because she &as officiously concernin7 herself &ith a teena7er)s notion of romance. Insi7na came out of her roamin7 throu7h the de%ths of thou7ht to find Marlene re7ardin7 her solemnly. 9-hen had she entered the room so silently$ or &as Insi7na so tied into an inner "not as to be una&are of footste%s1: Insi7na said in half a &his%er$ ?#ello$ Marlene.@ Marlene said solemnly$ ?2ou)re not ha%%y$ Mother.@ ?2ou don)t have to be su%er%erce%tive to see that$ Marlene. Are you still determined to ste% out on rythro1@ ?2es. ntirely. Com%letely.@ ?-hy$ Marlene$ &hy1 Can you e8%lain it so I can understand1@ ?No$ because you don)t &ant to understand. It)s callin7 me.@ ?What&s callin7 you1@ ? rythro is. It &ants me out there.@ Marlene)s ordinarily 7lum face seemed suffused &ith a furtive

ha%%iness. Insi7na sna%%ed$ ?-hen you tal" li"e that$ Marlene$ you sim%ly 7ive me the im%ression that you are already infected by the44the44@ ?!he Pla7ue1 I)m not. 'ncle Siever has 6ust had another brain scan ta"en of me. I told him he didn)t have to$ but he said &e had to have it for the record before &e left. I)m %erfectly normal.@ ?3rain scans can)t tell you everythin7$@ said Insi7na$ fro&nin7. Marlene said$ ?Neither can a mother)s fears.@ !hen$ more softly$ ?Mother$ %lease$ I "no& you &ant to delay this$ but I &on)t acce%t a delay. 'ncle Siever has %romised. ven if it rains$ even if it)s bad &eather$ I)m 7oin7 out. At this time of the year$ there are never real storms or tem%erature e8tremes. !here are almost never at any time of the year. It)s a wonder ul &orld.@ ?3ut it)s barren44dead. 8ce%t for germs$ ? Insi7na said s%itefully. ?3ut someday &e)ll %ut life of our o&n u%on it.@ Marlene loo"ed a&ay$ her eyes lost in dreamin7. ?I)m sure of it$@ she said. GH. ?!he 4suit is a sim%le suit$@ said Siever +enarr. ?It doesn)t have to &ithstand %ressure. It)s not a divin7 suit or a s%acesuit. It has a helmet$ and it has a com%ressed air su%%ly that can be re7enerated$ and a small heat4e8chan7e unit that "ee%s the tem%erature comfortable. And it)s airti7ht$ obviously.@ ?-ill it fit me1@ as"ed Marlene$ loo"in7 at the dis%lay of thic"ish %seudo4te8tile material &ith distaste. ?Not fashionably so$@ said +enarr$ his eyes t&in"lin7. ?It isn)t made for beauty$ but for use.@ Marlene said in a sli7htly e8as%erated tone$ ?I)m not interested in loo"in7 beautiful$ 'ncle Siever$ but I don)t &ant to be slo%%in7 around in it. If it ma"es &al"in7 hard$ it &on)t be &orth it.@ u7enia Insi7na interru%ted. She had been &atchin7$ a little &hite4faced and %inch4li%%ed. ?!he suit is necessary to %rotect you$ Marlene. I don)t care ho& slo%%y it is.@ ?3ut it doesn)t have to be uncomfortable$ Mother$ does it1 If it ha%%ens to fit$ it &ould %rotect me 6ust the same.@ ?!his &ill fit fairly &ell$ actually$@ said +enarr. ?It)s the best &e could find. After all$ &e only have them in adult si;es.@ #e turned his head to&ard Insi7na. ?-e don)t use them much these days. !here &as a time after the Pla7ue died do&n that &e did some e8%lorin7$ but by no& &e "no& the immediate surroundin7s >uite &ell$ and on the rare occasions &e do 7o out$ &e tend to use enclosed 4cars.@ ?I &ish you)d use an enclosed 4car no&.@ ?No$@ said Marlene$ obviously %ained at the su77estion. I)ve been out in a vehicle. I &ant to &al". I &ant to44feel the 7round.@ ?2ou)re mad$@ said Insi7na discontentedly. Marlene fired bac"$ ?-ill you sto% im%lyin744@ ?-here)s your %erce%tivity1 I &asn)t referrin7 to the Pla7ue. I mean 6ust %lain mad$ 6ust mad in the ordinary sense. I mean44Please$ Marlene$ you)re drivin7 me mad$ as &ell.@ She then said$ ?Siever$ if these are old 4suits$ ho& do you "no& they don)t lea"1@ ?3ecause &e)ve tested them$ u7enia. I assure you they)re in 7ood &or"in7 order. (emember$ I)m 7oin7 out &ith her$ and also in a suit.@ Insi7na &as clearly see"in7 ob6ections. ? And su%%ose you suddenly have to44@ She &aved her hand meanin7lessly. ?'rinate1 Is that &hat you mean1 !hat can be ta"en care of$ thou7h it)s not comfortable. Still$ it &on)t arise. -e)ve em%tied our bladders and &e)re 7ood for several hours44or should be. And &e)re not venturin7 far off$ so in case of emer7ency$ &e can come bac" to the 0ome. -e ou7ht to leave no&$ u7enia. Conditions are 7ood outside and &e should ta"e advanta7e of that. #ere$ Marlene$ let me hel% you &ith your suit.@ Insi7na said shar%ly$ ?0on)t sound so ha%%y.@ ?-hy not1 !o tell you the truth$ I &ould li"e to ste% out myself. !he 0ome can easily start to feel li"e a %rison$ you "no&. Maybe if &e all ste%%ed out more$ our %eo%le could endure lon7er shifts in the 0ome. !here you are$ Marlene$ &e only have to fit on the helmet$ no&.@ Marlene hesitated. ?=ust a minute$ 'ncle Siever.@ She &al"ed to&ard Insi7na$ holdin7 out her arm$ suited and bul"y. Insi7na 7a;ed at her mournfully.

?Mother$@ said Marlene. ?Once a7ain$ please be calm. I love you and I &ouldn)t do this and cause you such an8iety 6ust to %lease myself. I do it only because I "no& I &ill be fine and that you need not be an8ious. And I bet you &ant to 7et into an 4suit also$ so you can come out and never lose si7ht of me$ but you mustn)t.@ ?-hy mustn)t I$ Marlene1 #o& &ill I for7ive myself if somethin7 ha%%ens to you and I)m not there to hel% you1@ ?3ut nothin7 &ill ha%%en to me. And even if somethin7 does$ &hich it &on)t$ &hat could you do about it1 3esides$ you)re so afraid of rythro that your mind is %robably o%en to all "inds of abnormal effects. -hat if the Pla7ue should stri"e you rather than me1 #o& &ould you e8%ect me to live &ith that? ?She)s ri7ht$ u7enia$@ said +enarr. ?I)ll be out there &ith her$ and the best thin7 you can do is stay here and remain calm. All 4suits are e>ui%%ed &ith radios. Marlene and I &ill be able to hear each other$ and &e &ill be in communication &ith the 0ome. I %romise you$ if she behaves >ueerly in any &ay at all$ if there is even the sus%icion of oddness$ I)ll have her inside the 0ome at once. And if I feel in any &ay not >uite my o&n normal self$ I &ill come bac" at once$ brin7in7 Marlene &ith me.@ Insi7na shoo" her head and did not loo" comforted as she &atched the helmet bein7 fitted first over Marlene)s head$ and then over +enarr)s. !hey &ere near the 0ome)s main airloc" and Insi7na &atched its mani%ulation. She "ne& the loc" %rocedure %erfectly &ell44one could scarcely be a Settler other&ise. !here &as the delicate control of air %ressure to ma"e sure that there &ould be a 7entle transfer of air from the 0ome out&ard$ never from rythro in&ard. !here &ere com%uteri;ed chec"s at every moment to ma"e sure there &ere no lea"s. And then the inner door o%ened. +enarr ste%%ed into the airloc" and bec"oned Marlene in&ard. She follo&ed$ and the door closed. !he t&o &ere lost to immediate si7ht. Insi7na distinctly felt her heart miss a beat. She &atched the controls and "ne& e8actly &hen the outer door slid o%en and$ then$ &hen it closed a7ain. !he holoscreen s%ran7 to life and she could see the t&o suited fi7ures on it$ standin7 on the barren soil of rythro. One of the en7ineers handed a small ear%lu7 to Insi7na$ &ho inserted it into her ri7ht ear. An e>ually small micro%hone &as fitted over her head. A voice in her ear said$ ?(adio contact$@ and at once$ the familiar voice of Marlene sounded. ?Can you hear me$ Mother1@ ?2es$ dear$@ said Insi7na. #er voice sounded dry and abnormal in her o&n ear. ?-e)re out here and it)s &onderful. It couldn)t be nicer.@ ?2es$ dear $@ Insi7na re%eated$ feelin7 hollo& and lost and &onderin7 &hether she &ould ever see her dau7hter in her ri7ht mind a7ain. GI. Siever +enarr felt almost li7hthearted as he ste%%ed out u%on the surface of rythro. !he slo%in7 &all of the 0ome$ behind him$ reached u%&ard$ but he "e%t his bac" to it$ for a si7ht so un4 rythronian &ould have s%oiled the savor of the &orld. Savor1 It &as a >ueer &ord to use for rythro$ for at the moment it had no meanin7. #e lived behind the %rotection of his helmet$ breathin7 the air of the 0ome$ or at least the air that had been %urified and conditioned &ithin the 0ome. #e could not smell the %lanet$ or taste it$ &ithin that shelter. And yet there &as a feel to it that made him oddly ha%%y. #is boots crunched sli7htly u%on the 7round. Althou7h rythro)s surface &as not roc"y$ it &as rather 7ravelly and$ bet&een the bits of 7ravel$ there &as &hat he could only describe as soil. !here &as$ of course$ am%le &ater and air to brea" u% the %rimordial surface roc" and$ %erha%s$ the ubi>uitous %ro"aryotes had$ in their countless trillions$ added their o&n &or" %atiently over the billions of years. !he soil felt soft. It had rained the day before$ the soft and steady misty rain of rythro44or at least of this %ortion of rythro. !he soil still felt sli7htly dam% as a result$ and +enarr ima7ined the bits of soil$ the tiny scra%s of sand and loam and clay$ each &ith its coat of &ater film that had been refreshed and rene&ed. In that film$ %ro"aryotic cells lived ha%%ily$ bas"in7 in the ener7y of Nemesis$ buildin7 com%le8 %roteins out of sim%le ones$ &hile other %ro"aryotes$ indifferent to solar ener7y$ made use$ instead of the ener7y content of the remnants of those %ro"aryotes that$ in their countless trillions$ died durin7 each

moment of time. Marlene &as at his side. She &as loo"in7 u%&ard$ and +enarr said 7ently$ ?0on)t stare at Nemesis$ Marlene.@ Marlene)s voice sounded naturally in his ear. It contained no tension or a%%rehension. (ather$ her voice &as filled &ith >uiet 6oy. She said$ ?I)m loo"in7 at the clouds$ 'ncle Siever.@ +enarr loo"ed u% into the dar" s"y &here$ by s>uintin7 for a &hile$ one could detect a faint 7reenish4yello& 7leam. A7ainst it &ere the feathery fair4&eather clouds that cau7ht Nemesis) li7ht and reflected it in oran7e s%lendor. !here &as an eerie >uiet about rythro. !here &as nothin7 to ma"e a sound. No form of life san7$ roared$ 7ro&led$ bello&ed$ t&ittered$ stridulated$ or crea"ed. !here &ere no leaves to rustle$ no insects to hum. In the rare storms$ there mi7ht be the rumble of thunder$ or the &ind mi7ht si7h a7ainst the occasional boulder44if it ble& hard enou7h. On a %eaceful$ calm day$ ho&ever$ as this one &as$ it &as silent. +enarr s%o"e 6ust to ma"e sure that it was >uiet and that he had not suddenly been struc" deaf. 9#e couldn)t have been$ to be sure$ for he heard the faint ras% of his o&n breath.: ?Are you all ri7ht$ Marlene1@ ?I feel &onderful. !here)s a broo" u% there.@ And she hastened her ste%s into an almost shamblin7 run$ ham%ered as she &as by her 4suit. #e said$ ?-atch out$ Marlene. 2ou)ll sli%.@ ?I)ll be careful.@ #er voice &as not dimmed by increasin7 distance$ of course$ since it &as a radio beam that carried it. u7enia Insi7na)s voice sounded suddenly in +enarr)s ear. ?-hy is Marlene runnin7$ Siever1@ !hen$ almost at once$ she added$ ?-hy are you runnin7$ Marlene1@ Marlene did not bother to ans&er$ but +enarr said$ ?She 6ust &ants to loo" at some cree" or other u% ahead$ u7enia.@ ?Is she all ri7ht1@ ?Of course she is. It)s &eirdly beautiful out here. After a &hile$ it doesn)t even seem barren44more li"e an abstract %aintin7.@ ?Never mind the art criticism$ Siever. 0on)t let her 7et a&ay from you.@ ?0on)t &orry. I)m in constant contact &ith her. (i7ht no&$ she hears &hat you and I are sayin7$ and if she doesn)t ans&er$ it)s because she doesn)t &ant to be bothered by irrelevancies. u7enia$ rela8. Marlene is en6oyin7 herself. 0on)t s%oil it.@ +enarr &as indeed convinced that Marlene &as en6oyin7 herself. Someho& he &as$ too. Marlene &as runnin7 u%stream alon7 the broo")s ed7e. +enarr felt no 7reat ur7ency to follo& her. *et her en6oy herself$ he thou7ht. !he 0ome itself &as built on a roc"y outcro%%in7$ but the re7ion in this direction &as interlaced &ith small 7ently flo&in7 broo"s that all combined into a rather lar7e river some thirty "ilometers a&ay that$ in turn$ flo&ed into the sea. !he broo"s &ere &elcome$ of course. !hey su%%lied the 0ome &ith its natural &ater su%%ly$ once the %ro"aryote content &as removed 9actually$ ?"illed@ &as the better &ord:. !here had been some biolo7ists$ in the early days of the 0ome$ &ho had ob6ected to the "illin7 of the %ro"aryotes$ but that &as ridiculous. !he tiny s%ec"s of life &ere so incredibly numerous on the %lanet$ and could %roliferate so ra%idly to re%lace any shrin"a7e of their numbers$ that no amount of ordinary "illin7 in the %rocess of ensurin7 a &ater su%%ly could hurt them in any si7nificant &ay. !hen$ once the Pla7ue be7an$ a va7ue but stron7 hostility to rythro rose u%$ and$ after that$ no one cared &hat one did to the %ro"aryotes. Of course$ no& that the Pla7ue did not seem to be much of44a threat any lon7er$ humanitarian feelin7s 9+enarr %rivately felt that ?biotarian@ &as the better &ord: mi7ht rise a7ain. +enarr sym%athi;ed &ith those feelin7s$ but then &hat &ould the 0ome do for a &ater su%%ly1 *ost in thou7ht$ he &as no lon7er loo"in7 at Marlene$ and the shrie" sounded deafenin7ly in his ear. ?Marlene< Marlene< Siever$ &hat is she doing? No& he loo"ed u%$ and &as about to ans&er &ith automatic reassurance that nothin7 &as &ron7$ that all &as &ell$ &hen he cau7ht si7ht of Marlene. .or a moment$ he could not tell &hat she &as doin7. #e 6ust stared at her in the %in" li7ht of Nemesis. !hen he made it out. She &as unhitchin7 her helmet and &as ta"in7 it off. No& she &as &or"in7 at removin7 the rest of her 4suit. #e had to sto% this<

+enarr tried to call out to her$ but in the horror of the emer7ency$ he couldn)t find his voice. #e tried to run to her$ but his le7s felt leaden$ and barely res%onded to the ur7ency of his feelin7s. It &as as thou7h he found himself in a ni7htmare &here dreadful thin7s &ere ha%%enin7$ and he could do nothin7 to %revent them. Or$ %erha%s$ his mind$ under the stress of events$ &as dissociatin7 from his body. Is this the Pla7ue$ stri"in7 at me? +enarr &ondered in %anic. And$ if so$ &hat &ill ha%%en to Marlene no&$ as she is barin7 herself to the li7ht of N emesis and the air of rythro1

TWENTY-SIX: PLANET
GJ. Crile .isher had seen I7or 5oro%ats"y only t&ice in the three years since he had assumed the %ost formerly held by !anayama$ and had become the actual44if not the titular44head of the %ro6ect. #e had no trouble reco7ni;in7 him$ ho&ever$ &hen the %hotoentry had si7naled his ima7e. 5oro%ats"y &as still his %ortly$ out&ardly 7enial self. #e &as dressed &ell$ &ith a lar7e and fluffy cravat in the latest style. As for .isher$ he had been rela8in7 throu7h the mornin7 and &as scarcely %resentable$ but one did not refuse to receive 5oro%ats"y$ even &hen he came &ithout &arnin7. .isher si7naled the tactful ?#old@ ima7e$ the cartoon fi7ure of a &elcomin7 host 9or hostess$ for the se8 &as made conventionally ambi7uous: &ith a hand u%raised delicately in a 7esture that &as universally understood to mean ?=ust a minute@ &ithout the crassness of actually sayin7 so. .isher had a fe& moments to comb his hair and ad6ust his clothes. #e mi7ht have shaved$ but he felt that 5oro%ats"y &ould consider any further delay insultin7. !he door slid aside and 5oro%ats"y &al"ed in. #e smiled %leasantly and said$ ?+ood mornin7$ .isher. I intrude u%on you$ I "no&.@ ?No intrusion$ 0irector$@ said .isher$ ma"in7 an effort to sound sincere$ ?but if you &ish to see 0r. -endel$ she is$ I)m afraid$ at the shi%.@ 5oro%ats"y 7runted. ?2ou "no&$ I rather thou7ht she mi7ht be. I have no choice$ then$ but to tal" to you. May I sit do&n1@ ?2es$ of course$ 0irector$@ said .isher$ cha7rined at not havin7 offered 5oro%ats"y a seat before the re>uest &as made. ?-ould you care for refreshment1@ ?No.@ 5oro%ats"y %atted his abdomen. ?I &ei7h myself every mornin7 and that alone is sufficient to cost me my a%%etite44almost. .isher$ I have never had a chance to tal" to you$ man to man. I have &anted to.@ ?It is my %leasure$ 0irector$@ mumbled .isher$ be7innin7 to 7ro& uneasy. -hat &as this all about1 ?Our %lanet is in debt to you.@ ?If you say so$ 0irector$@ said .isher. ?2ou &ere on (otor before it left.@ ?!hat &as fourteen years a7o$ 0irector.@ ?I "no& it &as. 2ou &ere married on (otor and had a child.@ ?2es$ 0irector$@ said .isher in a lo& voice. ?3ut you returned to arth 6ust before (otor left the Solar System.@ ?2es$ 0irector.@ ?It &as from somethin7 that &as said to you44and that you re%eated here44%lus another su77estion you made that led to arth)s discovery of the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?2es$ 0irector.@ ?And it &as you &ho brou7ht 0r. !essa -endel from Adelia to arth.@ ?2es$ 0irector.@ ?And you have made it %ossible for her to &or" here for over ei7ht years$ and "e%t her ha%%y$ eh1@ #e chuc"led dee%ly and .isher felt that had 5oro%ats"y been closer he &ould have du7 his elbo& into .isher)s side in a man4to4man fashion. .isher said cautiously$ ?-e 7et alon7 &ell$ 0irector.@ ?3ut you have never married.@ ?I am already married$ 0irector.@ ?And se%arated fourteen years. A divorce could be >uic"ly arran7ed.@ ?I also have a dau7hter.@ ?-ho &ould remain your dau7hter$ even if you married a7ain.@ ?It &ould be a meanin7less formality$ surely.@ ?-ell$ %erha%s.@ 5oro%ats"y nodded. ? And %erha%s it even &or"s better this &ay. 2ou "no& the su%erluminal shi% is ready to move. -e ho%e to launch it at the be7innin7 of DDEI.@ ?So I have been told by 0r. -endel$ 0irector.@

?!he neuronic detectors are installed and &or" &ell.@ ?I have been told that$ too$ 0irector.@ 5oro%ats"y held one hand in the other in his la% and nodded his lar7e head %onderously. !hen he loo"ed u% >uic"ly at .isher and said$ ?0o you "no& ho& it &or"s1@ .isher shoo" his head. ?No$ sir. I "no& nothin7 about the actual &or"in7s of the shi%.@ 5oro%ats"y nodded his head a7ain. ?Nor I. -e have to acce%t the &ord of 0r. -endel and our en7ineers. One thin7 is still lac"in7$ thou7h.@ ?Oh1@ 9Cold an8iety s&e%t over .isher. More delay1: ?-hat is lac"in7$ 0irector1@ ?Communications. I &ould thin" that if there is a device that can ma"e a shi% move much faster than li7ht$ there should also be a device that &ould send &aves$ or some other form of messa7e4carryin7 device$ faster than li7ht$ too. It seems to me it &ould be easier to send a su%erluminal messa7e than drive a su%erluminal shi%.@ ?I can)t say$ 0irector.@ ?2et 0r. -endel assures me that the reverse is trueA that$ as yet$ there is no method of efficient su%erluminal communication. ventually$ there &ill be$ she says$ but not no&$ and she doesn)t &ant to &ait for such communication$ &hich$ she says$ may ta"e a lon7 time.@ ?I don)t &ant to &ait either$ 0irector.@ ?2es$ I)m an8ious for %ro7ress and success. -e)ve been &aitin7 years already$ and I am ea7er to see the shi% leave and return. 3ut it does mean that once the shi% leaves$ &e &ill be out of contact.@ #e nodded thou7htfully$ and .isher maintained a discreet silence. 9-hat &as all this about1 -hat &as the old bear 7ettin7 at1: 5oro%ats"y loo"ed u% at .isher. ?2ou "no& that the Nei7hbor Star is headin7 in our direction1@ ?2es$ 0irector$ I)ve heard of that$ but it seems to be the common feelin7 that it &ill %ass us at a 7reat enou7h distance to leave us unaffected.@ ?!hat)s the feelin7 &e &ant %eo%le to have. No& the truth is$ .isher$ that the Nei7hbor Star &ill %ass closely enou7h to disturb arth)s orbital motion substantially.@ .isher %aused for a moment in shoc". ? And destroy the %lanet1@ ?Not %hysically. !he climate &ill be sufficiently chan7ed$ ho&ever$ so that arth &ill no lon7er be habitable.@ ?Is that certain1@ said .isher$ reluctant to believe it. ?I don)t "no& that scientists are ever really certain. 3ut they seem sufficiently close to certain to ma"e it necessary for us to be7in to ta"e measures. -e have five thousand years$ and &e are develo%in7 su%erluminal fli7ht44assumin7 the shi% &or"s.@ ?If 0r. -endel says it &ill &or"$ 0irector$ I)m convinced it &ill.@ ?*et)s ho%e your confidence is not mis%laced. Nevertheless$ even five thousand years &ith su%erluminal fli7ht leaves us in a bad s%ot. -e &ould have to build a hundred and thirty thousand Settlements li"e (otor to carry off arth)s ei7ht billion %eo%le %lus enou7h %lants and animals to set u% viable &orlds. !hat)s t&enty4si8 Noah)s Ar"s a year$ startin7 ri7ht no&. !hat)s assumin7 there)s no increase in %o%ulation over the ne8t five thousand years.@ ?Perha%s$@ said .isher cautiously$ ?&e can handle an avera7e of t&enty4si8 a year. Our e8%erience and e8%ertise should increase &ith the centuries$ and our %o%ulation control has &or"ed for decades.@ ?Very &ell. No& tell me this, If &e do lift arth)s %o%ulation into s%ace in one hundred and thirty thousand Settlements$ ma"in7 use of arth)s full resources$ %lus those of the Moon$ Mars$ and the asteroids$ and abandon the Solar System to the 7ravitational mercies of the Nei7hbor Star$ &here do all these Settlements 7o1@ ?I don)t "no&$ 0irector$@ said .isher. ?-e &ill have to find %lanets sufficiently arth4li"e to acce%t our vast %o%ulation &ithout %rohibitive re>uirements for terraformin7. -e must thin" of that$ too$ and &e must thin" of it now$ not five thousand years from no&.@ ? ven if &e don)t find suitable %lanets$ &e can %ut the Settlements into orbit about suitable stars.@ Inevitably$ .isher made circular movements &ith his fin7er. ?My dear man$ that &ouldn)t &or".@ ?-ith all res%ect$ 0irector$ it does &or" ri7ht here in the Solar System.@ ?Not at all. !here)s a %lanet here in the Solar System that even today$ des%ite all the Settlements$ contains KK %ercent of the human s%ecies. We are still humanity$ and the Settlements are 6ust a "ind of fluff that surrounds us. Could the fluff e8ist by itself1 -e have no %roof that they can$ and I thin" not.@ ?2ou may be ri7ht$ 0irector$@ said .isher. )ay be1 !here)s no doubt about it$@ said 5oro%ats"y heatedly. !he Settlers affect to des%ise us$ but &e fill their thou7hts. -e)re their history. -e)re their model.

-e)re the teemin7 source to &hich they return a7ain and a7ain for re4invi7oration. *eft to themselves$ they &ould &ither.@ ?2ou may be ri7ht$ 0irector$ but the e8%eriment has never been tried. -e have never had a situation in &hich Settlements tried to e8ist &ithout a %lanet44@ ?3ut &e have had such a situation$ at least in analo7y. In arth)s early history$ human bein7s settled islands and &ere isolated from the mainstream. !he Irish settled IcelandA the Norse settled +reenlandA the mutineers settled Pitcairn IslandA the Polynesians settled aster Island. (esult1 !he colonists &ithered$ sometimes disa%%eared entirely. Al&ays sta7nation. No civili;ation ever develo%ed e8ce%t in a continental area$ or in islands in close %ro8imity to a continental area. #umanity needs s%ace$ si;e$ variety$ a hori;on$ a frontier. 2ou see1@ .isher said$ ?2es$ 0irector.@ 9Past a certain %oint$ &hy ar7ue1: ?So that@44and 5oro%ats"y %ut his ri7ht forefin7er on his left %alm$ didactically44@&e must find a %lanet$ at least one %lanet to be7in &ith. -hich brin7s us to (otor.@ .isher raised his eyebro&s in sur%rise. ?!o (otor$ 0irector1@ ?2es. In the fourteen years since they)ve left$ &hat)s ha%%ened to them1@ ?0r. -endel is of the o%inion that they may not have survived.@ 9#e felt a %an7 sayin7 it. #e al&ays felt a %an7 &hen he thou7ht about it.: ?I "no& she does. I)ve tal"ed to her$ and I)ve acce%ted &hat she has said &ithout discussion. 3ut I)d li"e your o%inion.@ ?I don)t have one$ 0irector. I have only the earnest ho%e that they have survived. I have a dau7hter on (otor.@ .erhaps you still have. !hin"< -hat &as there to have destroyed them1 A malfunctionin7 %art. (otor is not a shi%$ but a Settlement that for fifty years had had no serious malfunction. It traveled throu7h em%ty s%ace bet&een here and the Nei7hbor Star and &hat can be more harmless than em%ty s%ace1@ ?A mini4blac" hole$ an undetected asteroidal body44@ ?-hat evidence1 !hose are 6ust 7uesses and of almost ;ero %robability$ the astronomers tell me. Is it somethin7 about the inherent %ro%erties of hy%ers%ace that may have destroyed (otor1 -e)ve been e8%erimentin7 &ith hy%ers%ace for years no& and there is nothin7 inherently dan7erous in it that &e can find. So &e can su%%ose that (otor reached the Nei7hbor Star safely44if that)s &here they &ent$ and all seem to a7ree that it ma"es no sense to su%%ose they &ent any&here else.@ ?I &ould li"e to thin" that they arrived safely.@ ?3ut then the >uestion arises, If (otor is safe at the Nei7hbor Star$ &hat is it doin7 there1@ ? 8istin7.@ 9It &as half&ay bet&een a statement and a >uestion.: ?3ut ho&1 Circlin7 the Nei7hbor Star1 A sin7le Settlement on an endless$ lonely 6ourney about a red d&arf star1 I don)t thin" so. !hey &ould &ither$ and it &ould not ta"e them lon7 to reali;e that. I am sure they &ould &ither fast.@ ?And die1 Is that your conclusion$ 0irector1@ ?No. !hey &ould 7ive u% and come home. !hey &ould ac"no&led7e defeat and come bac" to safety. #o&ever$ they have not done so$ and do you "no& &hat I)ve been thin"in71 I)ve been thin"in7 they)ve found a habitable %lanet at the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?3ut there can)t be a habitable %lanet circlin7 a red d&arf star$ 0irector. !here)s a shorta7e of ener7y$ unless you 7et so close that there)s too much tidal effect.@ #e %aused and muttered$ shamefaced$ ?0r. -endel e8%lained that to me.@ ?2es$ astronomers have e8%lained it to me$ too. 3ut@44he shoo" his head44@e8%erience has tau7ht me that no matter ho& sure scientists thin" they are$ nature has a &ay of sur%risin7 them. Any&ay$ do you understand &hy &e are lettin7 you 7o on this voya7e1@ ?2es$ 0irector. 2our %redecessor %romised I &ould 7o in return for services rendered.@ ?I have a better reason than that. My %redecessor$ &ho &as a 7reat man$ an admirable man$ &as also a sic" old man at the end. #is enemies thou7ht that he had become %aranoid. #e believed (otor "ne& of arth)s dan7er and had left &ithout &arnin7 us because they &anted arth destroyed$ and that (otor must therefore be %unished. #o&ever$ he is 7one$ and I am here. I am not old$ or sic"$ or %aranoid. Assumin7 (otor is safe and is at the Nei7hbor Star$ it is not our intention to harm them.@ ?I)m 7lad of that$ but isn)t this somethin7 you ou7ht to discuss &ith 0r. -endel$ 0irector1 She is to be the ca%tain of the shi%.@ ?0r. -endel is a Settler. 2ou are a loyal arthman.@ ?0r. -endel has &or"ed loyally for years on the su%erluminal %ro6ect.@ ?!hat she has been loyal to the %ro6ect is beyond >uestion. 3ut is she loyal to arth1 Can &e count

on her to carry out the letter and the s%irit of arth)s intentions to&ard (otor1@ ?May I as"$ 0irector$ 6ust &hat arth)s intentions are to&ard (otor1 I ta"e it that there is no lon7er the intention of %unishin7 the Settlement for its failure to &arn us.@ ?!hat is correct. -hat &e &ant no& is association$ human brotherhood$ only the "indliest of feelin7s. -ith friendshi% established$ there must be a >uic" return &ith as much information as %ossible about (otor and its %lanet.@ ?Surely if 0r. -endel is told this44if she has this e8%lained to her44she &ill carry it out.@ 5oro%ats"y chuc"led. ?One &ould thin" so$ but you "no& ho& it is. She is a &oman &ho is not in the first bloom of youth. A fine &oman44I have no fault to find44but she is in her fifties.@ ?-hat of that1@ 9.isher found himself offended.: ?She must "no& that &hen she comes bac"$ &ith the vital e8%erience of a successful su%erluminal fli7ht$ she &ill be more valuable to us than everA that she &ill be needed to desi7n ne&er$ better$ more advanced su%erluminal vesselsA that she &ill have to train youn7 %eo%le as su%erluminal %ilots. She &ill be >uite sure that she &ill never be allo&ed to venture out throu7h hy%ers%ace a7ain$ for she &ill sim%ly be too valuable to ris". !herefore$ before comin7 bac"$ she may be tem%ted to e8%lore further. She may not &ish to abandon the thrill of seein7 ne& stars and %enetratin7 ne& hori;ons. 3ut &e cannot have her ta"e one ris" more than she must ta"e to reach (otor$ 7ain the information$ and return. -e cannot afford the time lost either. 0o you understand? #is voice had become hard. .isher s&allo&ed. ?Surely you have no real reason44@ ?I have every reason. 0r. -endel has al&ays been in a delicate %osition here44as a Settler. 2ou understand$ I ho%e. Of all the %eo%le on arth$ she is the one &e de%end on most$ and she is a Settler. She has had to be the sub6ect of a detailed %sycholo7ical %rofile. She has been e8tensively studied$ &ith and &ithout her "no&led7e$ and &e are >uite certain that$ 7iven the chance$ she &ill 7o off e8%lorin7. And she &ill be out of communication &ith us. -e &on)t "no& &here she is$ &hat she is doin7. -e &on)t even "no& if she is alive.@ ?And &hy are you tellin7 me all this$ 0irector1@ ?3ecause &e "no& you have 7reat influence over her. She can be 7uided by you44if you are firm.@ ?I thin"$ %erha%s$ you overestimate my influence$ 0irector.@ ?I am sure &e don)t. 2ou$ too$ have been much studied$ and &e "no& e8actly ho& bound the 7ood doctor is to you44%erha%s more than you yourself reali;e. -e "no&$ also$ that you are a loyal son of arth. 2ou mi7ht have left &ith (otor$ stayed &ith your &ife and dau7hter$ but you returned to arth at the cost of losin7 them. 2ou did that$ moreover$ "no&in7 that my %redecessor$ 0irector !anayama$ &ould consider you a failure for failin7 to brin7 information bac" concernin7 hy%er4assistance$ and that your career mi7ht &ell be ruined. !hat satisfies me that I can count on you to see to it that 0r. -endel is "e%t under firm control and is brou7ht bac" to us >uic"ly and that you &ill$ this time##this time44brin7 bac" the information &e need.@ ?I)ll try$ 0irector$@ said .isher. ?2ou say that dubiously$@ said 5oro%ats"y. ?Please understand the im%ortance of &hat I am as"in7 you to do. -e must "no& 6ust &hat they)re doin7$ ho& stron7 they are$ and &hat the %lanet is li"e. Once &e "no& all that$ &e &ill "no& &hat we must do$ and ho& stron7 we must be$ and for &hat "ind of a life we must be %re%ared. 3ecause$ .isher$ &e must have a %lanet$ and &e must have it no&. And &e have no choice but to ta"e (otor)s %lanet.@ ?If it e8ists$@ said .isher hoarsely. ?It had better e8ist$@ said 5oro%ats"y. ? arth)s survival de%ends u%on it.@

TWENTY-SEVEN: LIFE
GK. Siever +enarr o%ened his eyes slo&ly and blin"ed at the li7ht. #e had a little trouble focusin7 at first and couldn)t >uite ma"e out &hatever filled his vision. !he ima7e shar%ened slo&ly and soon +enarr reco7ni;ed (anay 0) Aubisson$ Chief Neuro%hysicist of the 0ome. +enarr said in a &ea" voice$ ?Marlene1@ 0) Aubisson loo"ed 7rim. ?She seems &ell. It)s you I)m concerned about ri7ht no&.@ A %an7 of a%%rehension made its &ay throu7h +enarr)s vitals and he tried to dro&n it &ith his sense of blac" humor. #e said$ ?I must be &orse off than I thou7ht if the An7el of the Pla7ue is here.@ !hen$ as 0) Aubisson said nothin7$ +enarr as"ed shar%ly$ ? Am I1@ She seemed to come to life. !all and an7ular$ she bent over him$ the fine &rin"les about her %iercin7 blue eyes becomin7 more %rominent as she s>uinted at him. ?#o& do you feel1@ she as"ed$ ans&erin7 no >uestions. ?!ired. Very tired. All ri7ht$ other&ise. I thin"1@ !he risin7 inflection serve to re%eat his earlier >uestion. She said$ ?2ou)ve been slee%in7 for five hours.@ She &as still not ans&erin7. +enarr 7roaned. ?I)m tired any&ay. +nd I have to 7o to the bathroom.@ #e be7an to stru77le into a sittin7 %osition. At 0) Aubisson)s si7nal a youn7 man a%%roached ra%idly. (es%ectfully$ he %laced his hand under +enarr)s elbo& and &as indi7nantly sha"en off. 0) Aubisson said$ ?Please let yourself be hel%ed. -e have made no dia7nosis yet.@ -hen +enarr &as bac" in bed ten minutes later$ he said ruefully$ ?No dia7nosis. #ave you made a brain scan1@ ?2es$ of course. Instantly.@ ?-ell1@ She shru77ed. ?-e found nothin7 of im%ortance$ but you &ere aslee%. -e &ill ta"e another &hen you)re a&a"e. And you must be observed in other &ays.@ ?-hy1 Isn)t the brain scan enou7h1@ #er 7ray eyebro&s rose. ?0o you thin" it is1@ ?No 7ames. -hat are you 7ettin7 at1 Say it strai7ht out. I)m not a child.@ 0) Aubisson si7hed. ?!he cases of the Pla7ue &e have had sho&ed interestin7 features on brain scan$ but &e &ere never able to com%are it &ith the %re4Pla7ue standard because none of the sufferers had been scanned %rior to onset. 3y the time &e set u% a routine and universal brain scannin7 %ro7ram for all %eo%le in the 0ome$ there &ere no lon7er any unmista"able cases of the Pla7ue. 0id you "no& this1@ ?0on)t lay tra%s for me$@ said +enarr %ettishly. ?Of course I "ne& of it. 0o you thin" my memory is 7one1 I deduce$ then44I can still deduce$ too$ you "no&44that althou7h you have my scan of earlier days and can com%are it &ith the scan you 6ust too"$ you found nothin7 of si7nificance. Is that it1@ ?2ou obviously do not have anythin7 remar"ably &ron7$ but &e mi7ht have somethin7 &e &ould consider a subclinical situation.@ ?If you find nothing? ?-e mi7ht not notice a subtle chan7e if &e)re not s%ecifically loo"in7 for it. After all$ you colla%sed and you are not ordinarily 7iven to colla%sin7$ Commander.@ ?!a"e another scan no& that I)m a&a"e$ then$ and if it)s somethin7 so subtle it esca%es you$ then I)ll live &ith it. 3ut tell me about Marlene. Are you sure she)s &ell1@ ?I said she seems &ell$ Commander. 'nli"e you$ she sho&ed no abormality of behavior. She did not colla%se.@ ?And is she safely inside the 0ome1@ ?2es$ she brou7ht you in herself$ 6ust before you fell unconscious. 0on)t you remember1@ +enarr flushed$ and mumbled somethin7. 0) Aubisson)s loo" 7re& sardonic. ?Su%%ose you tell us e8actly &hat you do remember$

Commander. !ell us everythin7. Any of it may be im%ortant.@ +enarr)s discomfort increased as he tried to remember. It seemed a lon7 time a7o and the ed7es &ere blurred$ very much as thou7h it &ere a dream he &as tryin7 to recall. ?Marlene &as ta"in7 off her 4suit.@ !hen$ &ea"ly$ ?-asn)t she1@ ?Cuite. She came in &ithout it and &e had to send someone out there to retrieve it.@ ?-ell$ I tried to sto% her$ of course$ &hen I noticed &hat she &as doin7. 0r. Insi7na called out$ I remember$ and that alerted me. Marlene &as a distance a&ay from me$ by the stream. I tried to call out$ but$ in the shoc" of the situation I couldn)t mana7e to ma"e a sound 6ust at first. I tried to 7et to her >uic"ly$ to44 to44@ ?(un to her$@ %ut in 0) Aubisson. ?2es$ but44but44@ ?3ut you found you couldn)t run. 2ou &ere almost in a state of %aralysis. Am I correct1@ +enarr nodded. ?2es. (ather. I tried to run$ but44did you ever have one of those ni7htmares &here you are %ursued and someho& you can)t mana7e to ma"e yourself run1@ ?2es. -e all have those. It usually comes &hen &e have mana7ed to tan7le our arms or le7s in the bedclothes.@ ?It felt li"e a dream. I mana7ed to 7et my voice$ at last$ and shouted at her$ but &ithout the 4suit$ she couldn)t hear me$ I)m sure.@ ?0id you feel faint1@ ?Not really. =ust hel%less and confused. At thou7h it &ere not even any use in tryin7 to run. !hen Marlene sa& me and ran to&ard me. She must someho& have reco7ni;ed I &as in trouble.@ ?She didn)t seem to have any trouble runnin7. Is that ri7ht1@ ?I &asn)t a&are that she &as. She seemed to reach me. !hen &e)ll be honest$ (anay. I don)t remember after that.@ ?2ou came into the 0ome to7ether$@ said 0) Aubisson calmly. ?She &as hel%in7 you$ holdin7 you u%. And once in the 0ome$ you colla%sed and no&44here you are.@ ?And you thin" I have the Pla7ue.@ ?I thin" you e8%erienced somethin7 abnormal$ but I can find nothin7 in your brain scan$ and I am %u;;led. !here you have it.@ ?It &as the shoc" of seein7 Marlene in dan7er. -hy should she be ta"in7 off her 4suit if she &eren)t44@ #e sto%%ed abru%tly. ?If she &eren)t succumbin7 to the Pla7ue. Is that it1@ ?!he thou7ht crossed my mind.@ ?3ut she seems fine. -ould you li"e to slee% some more1@ ?No. I)m a&a"e. !a"e another brain scan and see to it that it comes out ne7ative because I feel much better no& that I have the story off my chest. And then I)m 7oin7 about my business$ you har%y.@ ? ven if the brain scan is a%%arently normal$ Commander$ you)ll stay in bed for at least t&enty4 four hours. .or observation$ you understand.@ +enarr 7roaned theatrically. ?2ou can)t do that. I can)t lie here and stare at the ceilin7 for t&enty4 four hours.@ ?2ou &on)t have to. -e can set u% a vie&in7 stand for you$ so that you can read a boo" or en6oy holovision. 2ou can even have a visitor or t&o.@ ?I su%%ose the visitors &ill be observin7 me$ too.@ ?It)s conceivable they may be >uestioned on the matter. And no& &e)ll set u% the brain scan e>ui%ment a7ain.@ She turned a&ay$ then turned bac" &ith a smile that softened sli7htly at the ed7es. ?It)s very %ossible you)re all ri7ht$ Commander. 2our reactions seem normal to me. 3ut &e must be sure$ mustn)t &e1@ +enarr 7runted$ and &hen 0) Aubisson turned a7ain and &al"ed a&ay$ he made a face at her strai7ht bac". !hat$ he decided$ &as a normal reaction$ too. H0. -hen +enarr o%ened his eyes a7ain$ it &as to see u7enia Insi7na 7a;in7 at him sadly. #e loo"ed sur%rised and be7an to sit u%. ? u7enia<@ She smiled at him$ but that did not ma"e her face loo" less sad. She said$ ?!hey said I could come in$ Siever. !hey said you &ere all ri7ht.@

+enarr felt a &ave of relief. #e knew he &as all ri7ht$ but it &as nice to hear that his o%inion &as confirmed. #e said &ith bravado$ ?Of course I am. 3rain scan normal$ aslee%. 3rain scan normal$ a&a"e. 3rain scan normal$ forever. 3ut ho&)s Marlene1@ ?#er brain scan is %erfectly normal$ too.@ ven that did not li7hten her mood. ?As you see$@ said +enarr$ ?I &as Marlene)s canary$ as I had %romised. I &as affected by &hatever it &as before she &as.@ And then his mood chan7ed. It &as no time for banter. #e said$ ? u7enia$ ho& can I e8cuse myself to you1 I &asn)t &atchin7 Marlene to be7in &ith$ and I &as too %araly;ed &ith horror to do anythin7 after&ard. I failed com%letely$ and did so after my tellin7 you &ith such confidence that I &ould ta"e care of her. #onestly$ I have no e8cuse.@ Insi7na &as sha"in7 her head. ?No$ Siever. It &as in no &ay your fault. I)m so 7lad she brou7ht you in.@ ?Not my fault1@ +enarr felt dumbfounded. Of course it &as his fault. ?Not at all. !here)s somethin7 much &orse than Marlene foolishly removin7 her suit$ or you bein7 unable to act >uic"ly. Much &orse. I)m sure of it.@ +enarr felt himself turnin7 cold. -hat)s much &orse1 he thou7ht. ?-hat are you tryin7 to tell me1@ #e s&un7 himself out of bed and suddenly became a&are of his bare le7s and of the totally inade>uate 7o&n he &as &earin7. #e hastily dra%ed the li7ht blan"et around himself. #e said$ ?Please sit do&n and tell me. Is Marlene all ri7ht1 Are you hidin7 somethin7 about her1@ Insi7na sat do&n and loo"ed solemnly at +enarr. ?!hey say she)s all ri7ht. !he brain scan is entirely normal. !hose &ho "no& about the Pla7ue say she sho&s no sym%toms.@ ?-ell then$ &hy are you sittin7 there as thou7h it)s the end of the &orld1@ ?I thin" it is$ Siever. Of this one.@ ?-hat does that mean1@ ?I can)t e8%lain. I can)t reason it out. 2ou have to tal" to Marlene to understand. She)s 7oin7 her o&n &ay$ Siever. She)s not u%set over &hat she did. She insists that she cannot %ro%erly e8%lore rythro44 e"perience rythro is the %hrase she uses44&ith the 4suit on and she has no intention of &earin7 one any lon7er.@ ?In that case$ she &on)t 7o out.@ ?Oh$ but Marlene says she &ill. Cuite confidently. -henever she &ishes$ she says. And alone. She blames herself for havin7 let you come &ith her. She)s not callous over &hat ha%%ened to you$ you see. Over that$ she is u%set. And she &as 7lad she reached you in time. (eally$ there &ere tears in her eyes &hen she tal"ed about &hat mi7ht have ha%%ened if she hadn)t &al"ed you into the 0ome in time.@ ?0oesn)t that ma"e her feel insecure.@ ?No. !hat)s the oddest %art of it. She)s no& sure that you &ere in dan7er$ that anyone &ould have been in dan7er. 3ut not she. She is so positive$ Siever$ I could44@ She shoo" her head$ then muttered$ ?I don)t "no& &hat to do.@ ?She)s a %ositive 7irl by nature$ u7enia. 2ou must "no& that better than I do.@ ?Not this %ositive. It)s as thou7h she "no&s &e can)t sto% her.@ ?Perha%s &e can. I)ll tal" to her and if she %ulls any of this B2ou can)t sto% me$) &hen she tal"s to me$ I)ll 6ust send her bac" to (otor44and at once. I &as on her side$ but after &hat ha%%ened to me outside the 0ome$ I)m afraid I)m 7oin7 to have to be tou7h.@ ?3ut you &on)t.@ ?-hy not1 3ecause of Pitt1@ ?No. I mean you 6ust &on)t.@ +enarr stared at her$ then lau7hed uneasily. ?Oh come$ I)m not that much under her s%ell. I may feel li"e a "indly uncle$ u7enia$ but I)m not so "indly I)ll let her &al" into dan7er. !here are limits$ and you)ll find that I "no& ho& to set them.@ #e %aused$ and said ruefully$ ?-e seem to have chan7ed sides$ you and I. 3efore today it &as you &ho insisted on sto%%in7 her and I &ho said it couldn)t be done. No& it)s the other &ay around.@ ?!hat)s because the incident outside has fri7htened you$ and the e8%erience since then has fri7htened me.@ ?-hat e8%erience since then$ u7enia1@ I tried to set the limits$ after she &as bac" in the 0ome. I said to her$ B2oun7 lady$ don)t you dare s%ea" to me li"e that or$ far from not bein7 able to leave the 0ome$ you &on)t be able to leave your room.

2ou)ll be loc"ed in$ tied u% if necessary$ and bac" to (otor &e)ll 7o on the first roc"et.) 2ou see$ I &as &ild enou7h to threaten her all the &ay.@ ?-ell$ &hat did she do1 I)m &illin7 to bet a lar7e sum she didn)t burst into tears. I sus%ect she 7ritted her teeth and defied you. (i7ht1@ ?No. I hadn)t even 7otten half the &ords out &hen my teeth started chatterin7 and I couldn)t s%ea". A &ave of nausea s&e%t over me.@ +enarr said$ fro&nin7$ ? Are you about to tell me that you thin" Marlene has some stran7e hy%notic %o&er that can %revent us from o%%osin7 her1 Surely that)s im%ossible. #ave you ever noticed anythin7 li"e that in her before this1@ ?No$ of course I haven)t. I don)t even see this in her no&. She has nothin7 to do &ith it. I must have loo"ed >uite ill at the moment I &as threatenin7 her and that clearly fri7htened her. She &as very concerned. She couldn)t %ossibly have caused it and then reacted so. And &hen you t&o &ere outside the 0ome and she &as ta"in7 off her 4suit$ she &asn)t even loo"in7 at you. She had her bac" to you. I &as &atchin7 and I "no& that. 2et you found you couldn)t do anythin7 to interfere &ith her and &hen she reali;ed you &ere in trouble$ she fle& to your assistance. She couldn)t have deliberately done that to you and reacted in that fashion.@ ?3ut then44@ ?I)m not throu7h. After I had threatened her$ or$ rather$ after I had failed to threaten her$ I scarcely dared say anythin7 to her that &asn)t %erfectly su%erficial$ but you can be sure I "e%t my eye on her and tried not to let her see I &as doin7 that. At one %oint$ she tal"ed to one of your 7uards44you have them all over the %lace.@ ?In theory$@ muttered +enarr$ ?the 0ome is a military %ost. !he 7uards merely maintain order$ hel% out &hen needed44@ ?2es$ I dare say$@ said Insi7na &ith a touch of contem%t. ?!hat)s =anus Pitt ma"in7 sure he has a &ay of "ee%in7 you all under observation and under control$ but never mind. Marlene and the 7uard tal"ed for >uite a &hile$ seemed to be ar7uin7. I &ent to the 7uard after&ard$ after Marlene &as 7one$ and as"ed him &hat Marlene had tal"ed to him about. #e &as reluctant to say$ but I s>uee;ed it out of him. #e said she &anted to arran7e some sort of %ass that &ould allo& her to leave and re4enter the 0ome freely. ?I said to him$ B-hat did you tell her1) ?#e said$ BI told her that &ould have to be arran7ed at the Commander)s office$ but that I &ould try to hel% her.) ?I &as indi7nant. B-hat do you mean you &ould hel% her1) I said. B#o& could you offer to do that1) ?#e said$ BI had to do somethin7$ ma)am. very time I tried to tell her it couldn)t be done$ I felt sic".) @ +enarr listened to all of this stonily. ?Are you tellin7 me that this is somethin7 Marlene does unconsciously$ that anyone &ho dares contradict her is made ill$ and that she doesn)t even "no& that she is res%onsible for it1@ ?No$ of course not. I don)t see ho& she can be doin7 anythin7 at all. If this &ere an unconscious ability of hers$ it &ould have made its a%%earance on (otor$ and it never ha%%ened there. And it isn)t 6ust any contradiction. She tried for a second hel%in7 of dessert at dinner last ni7ht$ and >uite for7ettin7 that I didn)t dare cross her$ I said shar%ly$ *No$ Marlene.) She loo"ed terribly rebellious$ but subsided$ and I felt in %erfect health$ I can tell you. No$ I thin" it)s only in connection &ith rythro that one can)t contradict her.@ ?3ut &hy do you su%%ose that should be$ u7enia1 2ou seem to have some notion or other about this. If I &ere Marlene$ I &ould read you li"e a boo" and tell you &hat that notion is$ but since I am not$ you must tell me.@ ?I don)t thin" it)s Marlene at all &ho)s doin7 this. It)s44it)s the %lanet itself.@ ?!he %lanet<@ ?2es$ rythro< !he %lanet. It)s controllin7 Marlene. -hy else should she be so confident that she is immune to the Pla7ue$ and that she &ill come to no harm1 It controls the rest of us$ too. 2ou came to harm &hen you tried to sto% her. I did. !he 7uard did. Many %eo%le came to harm in the early days of the 0ome because the %lanet felt it &as bein7 invaded$ so it %roduced the Pla7ue. !hen$ &hen it seemed you &ere all content to remain &ithin the 0ome$ it let 7o$ and the Pla7ue sto%%ed. See ho& it all fits in1@ ?0o you thin"$ then$ that the %lanet &ants Marlene out u%on its surface1@ ?A%%arently.@ ?3ut &hy1@

?I don)t "no&. I don)t %retend to understand it. I)m 6ust tellin7 you ho& it must be.@ +enarr)s voice softened. ? u7enia$ surely you "no& that the %lanet can)t do anythin7. It)s a lum% of roc" and metal. 2ou)re bein7 mystical.@ ?I am not. Siever$ don)t sli% into this tric" of %retendin7 that I)m a silly &oman. I)m a first4class scientist and there)s nothin7 mystical about my thin"in7. -hen I say the %lanet$ I don)t mean the roc" and metal. I mean that there)s some %o&erful %ermeatin7 life4form u%on the %lanet.@ ?It &ould have to be invisible$ then. !his is a barren &orld &ith no si7n of life above the %ro"aryote$ let alone intelli7ence.@ ?-hat do you "no& about this barren &orld$ as you call it1 #as it been %ro%erly e8%lored1 #as it been searched throu7h and throu7h1@ Slo&ly$ +enarr shoo" his head. #e said &ith a %leadin7 note in his voice$ ? u7enia$ you)re driftin7 off into hysteria.@ ?Am I$ Siever1 !hin" it out yourself and tell me if you can find an alternate e8%lanation. I tell you the life on the %lanet44&hatever it is 44&ill not have us. -e)re doomed. And &hat it &ants &ith Marlene@ 44her voice >uavered44@I can)t ima7ine.@

TWENTY-EIGHT: TAKEOFF
H1. Officially$ it had a very elaborate name$ but it &as s%o"en of as Station .our by those fe& arth%eo%le &ho had occasion to mention it. .rom the name it &as at once a%%arent there had been three such ob6ects earlier44none of &hich &ere any lon7er in use$ havin7 been cannibali;ed$ in %oint of fact. !here &as also a Station .ive that had never been finished and had become derelict. It is doubtful if the vast ma6ority of arth)s %o%ulation ever thou7ht of the e8istence of Station .our$ &hich drifted slo&ly around arth in an orbit &ell beyond that of the Moon. !he early stations had been arth)s launchin7 %ads for the construction of the first Settlements$ and then$ &hen the Settlers themselves too" over the 6ob of buildin7 Settlements$ Station .our &as used for arth)s fli7hts to Mars. One such Martian fli7ht &as all that too" %lace$ ho&ever$ for it turned out that the Settlers &ere far better suited$ %sycholo7ically$ to lon7 fli7hts 9livin7$ as they did in &orlds that &ere lar7e enclosed s%aceshi%s:$ and arth left it to them &ith a si7h of relief. Station .our &as no& rarely used for any %ur%ose and &as maintained only as arth)s foothold in s%ace$ as a symbol that the Settlers &ere not the sole o&ners of the vastness beyond arth)s atmos%here. 3ut no& Station .our had a use. A lar7e car7o shi% had lumbered out in its direction$ carryin7 &ith it the rumor 9amon7 the Settlements: that another attem%t44the first in the t&enty4third century44&ould be made to %lace an arth team on Mars. Some said it &as merely for e8%loration$ some for the establishment of an arth colony on Mars in order to by%ass the fe& Settlements in orbit around the %lanetA and some for the %ur%ose$ eventually$ of establishin7 an out%ost on some si;able asteroid that no Settlement had yet claimed. -hat the shi% actually carried in its car7o hold &as the 'uperluminal and the cre& that &as to %ro%el her to the stars. !essa -endel$ even thou7h she had been %lanet4bound for ei7ht years$ too" the s%ace e8%erience calmly$ as any Settler by birth &ould naturally do. S%aceshi%s &ere far more li"e Settlements in %rinci%le than they &ere li"e the %lanet arth. And because of that$ Crile .isher$ thou7h he had been on many a s%acefli7ht before$ &as a bit uneasy. !his time somethin7 more than the unnaturalness of s%ace contributed to the tension on board the car7o shi%. .isher said$ ?I can)t endure the &aitin7$ !essa. It)s ta"en us years to reach this %oint and the 'uperluminal is ready and &e still &ait.@ -endel re7arded him thou7htfully. She had never intended to 7et this involved &ith him. She had &anted moments of rela8ation to rest a mind overcome &ith the com%le8ity of the %ro6ect$ so that it mi7ht return to &or" refreshed and "eener. !hat &as &hat she had intended% &hat she had ended u% &ith &as somethin7 much more. No& she found herself hel%lessly tied to him$ so that his %roblems had become hers. !he years of his &aitin7 &ould surely come to nothin7$ and she &orried about the des%air that &ould follo& his inevitable disa%%ointment. She had tried to dash cold &ater on his dreams 6udiciously$ tried to cool do&n his overheated antici%ation of a reunion &ith his dau7hter$ but she had not succeeded. If anythin7$ over this %ast year$ he had 7ro&n more o%timistic about the %ossibility for no obvious reason44at least$ none he &ould e8%lain to her. !essa &as finally satisfied 9and relieved: that it &as not his &ife Crile &as loo"in7 for$ but only his dau7hter. !o be sure$ she had never understood this lon7in7 for a dau7hter he had last seen as an infant$ but he had volunteered no e8%lanation and she had not &anted to %robe the matter. -hat &as the use1 She &as certain that his dau7hter &as not alive$ that nothin7 on (otor &as alive. If (otor &as there near the Nei7hbor Star$ it &as a 7iant tomb driftin7 in s%ace$ &anderin7 forever44and undetectable e8ce%t by incredible coincidence. Crile .isher &ould have to be "e%t steady and functionin7 once that inevitable %ros%ect became clearly a%%arent reality. !essa said ca6olin7ly$ ?!here)s only a t&o4month &ait left44at most. Since &e)ve &aited for years$ another t&o months &on)t hurt.@ ?It)s the &aitin7 for years that ma"es even t&o months more unbearable$@ muttered .isher.

?!ell yourself other&ise$ Crile$@ said -endel. ?*earn to bo& to necessity. !he +lobal Con7ress sim%ly &on)t allo& us to 7o any sooner. !he Settlements have their eyes on us$ and there)s no &ay of bein7 sure that they all acce%t the notion that &e)re headin7 for Mars. It &ould be stran7e if they did$ considerin7 arth)s %oor record in s%ace. If &e do nothin7 for t&o months$ they &ill assume &e)re havin7 trouble44 somethin7 they &ould readily believe$ and find satisfaction in44and &ithdra& their attention.@ .isher shoo" his head an7rily. ?-ho cares if they "no& &hat &e)re doin71 -e)ll be off and 7one and they &on)t du%licate su%erluminal fli7ht for years44and by that time &e)ll have a fleet of su%erluminal vessels and be movin7 ra%idly for&ard to&ard o%enin7 u% the +ala8y.@ ?0on)t ta"e that for 7ranted. It)s easier to imitate and overta"e than it is to ori7inate. And arth)s 7overnment$ considerin7 its dismal record in s%ace after the Settlements reached maturity$ is obviously an8ious to establish unmista"able %riority for %sycholo7ical reasons.@ She shru77ed. ?3esides$ &e need the time to carry out more tests on the 'uperluminal under lo&47ravity conditions.@ ?!here)s never any end to tests$ is there1@ ?0on)t be im%atient. !his is so ne& and untried a techni>ue$ and so unli"e anythin7 humanity has ever had$ that it is all too easy to thin" of ne& tests$ es%ecially since &e are a little uncertain as to the manner in &hich movin7 into and out of hy%ers%ace is affected by the level of intensity of a 7ravitational field. Seriously$ Crile$ you can)t blame us for bein7 cautious. After all$ as recently as a decade a7o$ su%erluminal fli7ht &as considered theoretically im%ossible.@ ? ven caution can be overdone.@ ?Possibly. ventually$ I &ill decide that &e)ve done all &e can reasonably be e8%ected to do$ and then &e)ll ta"e off. I %romise you$ Crile$ &e &on)t &ait unreasonably. I &on)t overdo caution.@ ?I ho%e not.@ -endel loo"ed at him doubtfully. She had to as". She said$ ?2ou "no&$ Crile$ you)re not yourself lately. .or the last t&o months you)ve seemed to be burnin7 u% &ith im%atience. .or a &hile there you had cooled do&n$ and then you suddenly 7ained e8citement a7ain. #as somethin7 ha%%ened that I don)t "no& about1@ .isher calmed suddenly. ?Nothin7)s ha%%ened. -hat can %ossibly have ha%%ened1@ !o -endel$ it seemed he had calmed do&n too >uic"ly$ had &renched himself into a most sus%icious affectation of normality. She said$ ?I)m as"in7 you &hat can %ossibly have ha%%ened. I)ve tried to &arn you$ Crile$ that &e are not li"ely to find (otor a functionin7 &orld$ or find it at all. -e &ill not find your44&e are not li"ely to find any of its inhabitants alive.@ She &aited throu7h his stubborn silence then said$ ?#aven)t I &arned you of that44%ossibility1@ ?Often ? said .isher $ ?2et you sound$ no&$ as thou7h you can hardly &ait for &hat is sure to be a ha%%y reunion. It is dan7erous to have ho%es that are not li"ely to be fulfilled$ to %in everythin7 u%on them. -hat has suddenly %roduced this ne& attitude1 #ave you been tal"in7 to someone &ho &as un6ustifiably o%timistic1@ .isher flushed. ?-hy do I have to have been tal"in7 to someone1 -hy couldn)t I have come to an inde%endent conclusion concernin7 this$ or any other matter1 =ust because I don)t understand the theoretical %hysics that you do understand doesn)t mean I)m subnormal or brainless.@ -endel said$ ?No$ Crile. I never thou7ht anythin7 of the sort about you$ nor did I mean to im%ly it. !ell me &hat you thin" about (otor.@ ?Nothin7 terribly dee% or subtle. It 6ust seemed to me that there &as nothin7 in em%ty s%ace that is very li"ely to have destroyed (otor. It)s easy to say that there mi7ht only be the dead hul" of a Settlement at (otor$ if it reached the Nei7hbor Star at all$ but &hat is it that &ould have destroyed them either on the &ay or once they &ere there1 I defy you to 7ive me a s%ecific scenario of destruction44collisions44alien intelli7ences44&hatever.@ -endel said earnestly$ ?Crile$ I can)t. I have no mystical visions of somethin7 havin7 ha%%ened. It)s 6ust hy%er4assistance itself. It)s a tric"y techni>ue$ Crile. !a"e my &ord for it. It doesn)t use either s%ace or hy%ers%ace in a steady &ay$ but s"ids alon7 at the interface$ &obblin7 to one side or another for short %eriods$ and movin7 from s%ace to hy%ers%ace and then from hy%ers%ace bac" to s%ace several times a minute$ %erha%s. !he %assa7e from one to the other may therefore have ta"en %lace a million times or more in the course of the tri% from here to the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?And so1@ ?And so$ it ha%%ens that the transition is far more dan7erous than is level fli7ht in either s%ace or hy%ers%ace. I don)t "no& ho& thorou7hly the (otorians had established hy%ers%atial theory$ but the chances are that they had done so in only a rudimentary fashion$ or they &ould have surely develo%ed true su%erluminal fli7ht. In our %ro6ect$ &hich has &or"ed out hy%ers%atial theory in 7reat detail$ &e)ve

mana7ed to establish the effect on material ob6ects of %assin7 from s%ace to hy%ers%ace and vice versa. ?If an ob6ect is a %oint$ there is no strain on it durin7 the transition. If an ob6ect is not a %oint$ ho&ever44if it is an e8tended bit of matter$ as any shi% &ould be44then there is al&ays a finite %eriod of time durin7 &hich %art of it is in s%ace and %art is in hy%ers%ace. !his creates a strain44the amount of strain de%endin7 on the si;e of the ob6ect$ its %hysical ma"eu%$ its s%eed of transition$ and so on. ven for an ob6ect the si;e of (otor$ the dan7er involved in a sin7le transition44or a do;en$ for that matter44is so small that it can reasonably be i7nored. ?-hen the 'uperluminal &ill travel$ su%erluminously$ to the Nei7hbor Star$ &e are liable to ma"e a do;en transitions$ or %ossibly only as fe& as t&o. !he fli7ht &ill be a safe one. In a fli7ht &ith hy%er4 assistance only$ on the other hand$ there may be a million transitions in the course of the same tri%$ you see$ and the chances of fatal strain mount u%.@ .isher loo"ed a%%alled. ?Is the chance of fatal strain certain1@ ?No$ nothin7 is certain. It)s a statistical matter. A shi% mi7ht under7o a million transitions44or a billion44&ith nothin7 ha%%enin7. It mi7ht be destroyed$ on the other hand$ on the very first transition. !he chances$ ho&ever$ increase ra%idly &ith the number of transitions. ?I sus%ect$ then$ that (otor embar"ed on its tri% understandin7 very little about the dan7ers of transition. #ad they "no&n more$ they &ould never have left. !here is a very 7ood chance$ then$ that they e8%erienced some sort of strain that mi7ht have been &ea" enou7h to allo& them to Blim%) to the Nei7hbor Star or one that &as stron7 enou7h to blo& them com%letely out of e8istence. !herefore$ &e mi7ht find a hul"$ or &e mi7ht find nothin7 at all.@ ?Or &e mi7ht find a Settlement that has survived$@ said .isher rebelliously. ?Admitted$@ said -endel. ?Or &e mi7ht ourselves be strained a7ainst the odds$ be destroyed$ and$ for that reason$ find nothin7. I as" you not to be %re%ared for certainties but for %robabilities. And remember that those &ho thin" about the matter$ &ithout some accurate "no&led7e of hy%ers%atial theory$ are not li"ely to come to reasonable conclusions.@ .isher fell into a %rofound and clearly de%ressed silence$ &hile -endel &atched him uneasily. HD. !essa -endel found Station .our a &eird environment. It &as as thou7h someone had built a small Settlement$ but fitted it out to be a combination of nothin7 more than a laboratory$ an observatory$ and a launchin7 %latform. It had no farms$ no homes$ none of the a%%urtenances of a Settlement$ ho&ever small. It &as not even e>ui%%ed &ith a s%in that &ould set u% an ade>uate %seudo47ravitational field. It &as$ in fact$ nothin7 but a s%aceshi% &ith acrome7aly. It &as clear that$ althou7h it could be %ermanently occu%ied$ %rovided there &as a continuous dri;;le of food$ air$ and &ater su%%lies 9there &as some recyclin7$ but it &asn)t efficient:$ no sin7le individual could remain there for very lon7. Crile .isher made the &ry comment that Station .our &as li"e an old4fashioned s%ace station from the early days of the S%ace A7e that had unaccountably survived into the t&enty4third century. In one res%ect$ thou7h$ it &as uni>ue. It %resented a %anoramic vie& of the arth4Moon system. .rom the Settlements that orbited arth$ the t&o bodies could rarely be seen in their true relationshi%. .rom Station .our$ ho&ever$ arth and Moon &ere never more than fifteen de7rees a%art$ and as Station .our revolved around the center of 7ravity of that system 9rou7hly e>uivalent to revolvin7 about the arth:$ the chan7in7 %attern of the t&o &orlds$ both in %osition and %hase$ and the chan7in7 si;e of the Moon 9de%endin7 on &hether it &as on the Station)s o&n side of arth$ or on the o%%osite side: &as a never4 endin7 &onder. !he Sun &as bloc"ed out automatically by the Artec device 9-endel had to as" to find out that that stood for ? Artificial cli%se@ device: and only &hen the Sun moved too near either arth or Moon in the station)s s"y &as the vie& s%oiled. -endel)s Settlement bac"7round sho&ed u% no&$ for she en6oyed &atchin7 the arth4Moon inter%lay$ mostly 9she e8%lained: because it made it clear she &as no lon7er on arth. She said as much to .isher$ &ho smiled dourly. #e had noticed her >uic" 7lance to ri7ht and left as she said it. #e said$ ?I see you don)t mind tellin7 me that$ even thou7h I)m an arthman and mi7ht resent it. 3ut$ never fear$ I &on)t %ass it alon7.@ ?I)d trust you &ith anythin7$ Crile.@ She smiled at him ha%%ily. #e had chan7ed considerably

since that crucial conversation &hen they had first reached Station .our. #e &as somber$ yes$ but sooner that than the feverish e8%ectation of &hat could not be. #e said$ ?0o you really thin" they resent your bein7 a Settler at this sta7e of the 7ame1@ ?Of course they do. !hey never for7et. !hey)re as narro&4minded as I am$ and I never for7et they)re arth%eo%le.@ ?2ou obviously for7et I)m an arthman.@ ?!hat)s because you)re Crile$ and fall into no cate7ory other than Crile. And I)m !essa. And that ends it.@ .isher said thou7htfully$ ?0oes it ever bother you$ !essa$ that you have &or"ed out su%erluminal fli7ht for arth$ rather than for your o&n Settlement$ Adelia1@ ?3ut I haven)t done it for arth$ and I &ouldn)t have done it for Adelia in other circumstances. In both cases$ I)m doin7 it for myself. I had a %roblem to solve$ and I com%leted the 6ob successfully. No& I)m 7oin7 do&n in history as the inventor of su%erluminal fli7ht and that)s &hat I)ve done for myself. And it may sound %retentious$ but I)m doin7 it for humanity$ too. It doesn)t matter on &hich &orld the discovery is made$ you "no&. Some %erson or %ersons on (otor invented hy%er4assistance$ but &e have it no& and so do all the settlements. In the end$ the Settlements &ill all have su%erluminal fli7ht$ too. -herever an advance ta"es %lace$ ultimately all humanity is hel%ed.@ ? arth needs it more than the Settlements do$ thou7h.@ ?2ou mean because of the a%%roach of the Nei7hbor Star$ &hich the Settlements can easily evade by leavin7$ if necessary$ but &hich arth can)t. -ell$ I)ll leave that as a %roblem for arth)s leaders. I)ve su%%lied the tool and they can &or" out methods for usin7 it to their best advanta7e.@ Crile said$ ?I understand &e)re ta"in7 off tomorro&.@ ?2es$ finally. !hey)ll be ta"in7 holo7ra%hic recordin7s and 7ive us the full treatment. !here)s no &ay of tellin7$ thou7h$ &hen they)ll be able to release them to the 7eneral %ublic and the Settlements.@ ?It can)t be till after our return$@ said .isher. ?!here)d be no sense in %uttin7 them on dis%lay if they can)t be certain &e)ll ever come bac". It)s 7oin7 to be an a7oni;in7 &ait for them$ too$ since they)ll have no contact &ith us at all. -hen the astronauts first landed on the Moon$ they &ere in touch &ith the arth all the &ay.@ ?!rue$@ said -endel$ ?but &hen Columbus sailed off into the Atlantic$ the S%anish monarchs never heard from him a7ain till he returned seven months later.@ .isher said$ ? arth$ no&$ has far more at sta"e than S%ain had seven and a half centuries a7o. It is really a 7reat %ity &e can)t have su%erluminal communication$ since &e have su%erluminal fli7ht.@ ?I thin" so$ too. As does 5oro%ats"y$ &ho has been hammerin7 at me to &or" out telecommunication. 3ut$ as I told him$ I am not a marvelous su%ernatural force &ho can cran" out everythin7 anyone needs. It is one thin7 to %ush mass throu7h hy%ers%ace and >uite another to %ush some sort of radiation throu7h hy%ers%ace. !hey follo& different rules even in ordinary s%ace so that Ma8&ell didn)t &or" out his electroma7netic e>uations until t&o centuries after Ne&ton &or"ed out his 7ravitational e>uation. -ell$ mass and radiation follo& different rules in hy%ers%ace$ too$ and the rules for radiation still defeat us. Someday &e)ll &or" out su%erluminal communication$ but &e haven)t yet.@ ?It)s too bad$@ said .isher thou7htfully. ?It)s %ossible that &ithout su%erluminal communication$ su%erluminal fli7ht &on)t be %ractical.@ ?-hy not1@ ?!he lac" of su%erluminal communication cuts the umbilical cord. Could Settlements live far from arth44far from the rest of humanity 44and survive1@ -endel fro&ned. ?-hat)s this ne& line of %hiloso%hy you)ve be7un to trac" do&n1@ ?=ust a thou7ht. 3ein7 a Settler$ !essa$ and bein7 accustomed to it$ it may not occur to you that livin7 on a Settlement is not truly natural to human bein7s.@ ?(eally1 It never seemed unnatural to me.@ ?!hat)s because you &eren)t really livin7 on one. 2ou &ere livin7 in a &hole system of Settlements amon7 &hich one &as a lar7e %lanet &ith billions of %eo%le on it. Mi7ht not the (otorians$ once they reach the Nei7hbor Star$ find that livin7 on an isolated Settlement &as unsatisfactory1 In that case$ they &ould surely return to arth$ but they haven)t. Mi7ht that not be because they have found a %lanet to live on1@ ?A habitable %lanet circlin7 a red d&arf star1 Most unli"ely.@ ?Nature has a &ay of foolin7 us and u%settin7 su%%osed certainties. Su%%ose there is a habitable %lanet there. Shouldn)t it be carefully studied1@

-endel said$ ?Ah$ I)m be7innin7 to 7et &hat you)re drivin7 at. 2ou feel that the shi% may come to the Nei7hbor Star$ and find that there is some sort of %lanet there. -e &ould then ma"e a note of it$ decide from a distance that it is uninhabited$ and 7o on about our tas" of further e8%loration. 2ou &ould &ant us to land and ma"e a much more thorou7h search$ so that &e can at least try to find your dau7hter. 3ut &hat if our neuronic detector finds no trace of intelli7ence any&here &ithin any %lanetary system the Nei7hbor Star may have1 Must &e still search the individual %lanets1@ .isher hesitated. ?2es. If they sho& any si7ns of bein7 habitable$ &e must study them$ it seems to me. -e must "no& all &e can about any such %lanet. -e may have to be7in evacuatin7 arth soon$ and &e must "no& &here to ta"e our %eo%le. It)s all very &ell for you to overloo" that$ since Settlements can 6ust drift off &ithout the necessity of evacua44@ ?Crile< 0on)t start treatin7 me as the enemy< 0on)t start suddenly thin"in7 of me as a Settler. I)m !essa. If there is a %lanet$ &e)ll investi7ate it as much as &e can$ I %romise you. 3ut if there is and if the (otorians are occu%yin7 it$ then44-ell$ you s%ent some years on (otor$ Crile. 2ou must "no& =anus Pitt.@ ?I "no& o him. I never met him$ but my &i44my e84&ife &or"ed &ith him. Accordin7 to her$ he &as a very ca%able man$ very intelli7ent$ very forceful.@ 3ery forceful. -e "ne& of him on other Settlements$ too. And &e &ere not 7enerally fond of him. If it &as his %lan to find a %lace for (otor that &as hidden from the rest of humanity$ he could do no better than to 7o to the Nei7hbor Star$ since it &as so close and since its e8istence &as not "no&n by anyone outside (otor at the time. And if$ for any reason$ he &anted a system all to himself$ he &ould$ bein7 =anus Pitt$ fear the %ossibility of bein7 follo&ed and havin7 his mono%oly u%set. If he ha%%ened to find a useful %lanet that could be used by (otor$ he &ould be even more resentful of intrusion.@ ?-hat are you 7ettin7 at1@ as"ed .isher$ &ho loo"ed %erturbed$ as thou7h he "ne& &hat she &as 7ettin7 at. ?-hy$ tomorro& &e ta"e off$ and in not too lon7 a time$ &e)ll be at the Nei7hbor Star. And if it does have a %lanet$ as you seem to thin" it mi7ht$ and if &e find the (otorians are occu%yin7 it$ it)s not 7oin7 to be a matter of 6ust 7oin7 do&n to the surface and sayin7$ B#ello< Sur%rise<) I)m afraid that at the first si7ht of us$ he &ould 7ive us his version of a B#ello) and blast us into oblivion.@

TWENTY-NINE: ENEMY
HE. (anay 0) Aubisson$ li"e all the inhabitants of the rythro 0ome durin7 their %eriod of habitation$ visited (otor %eriodically. It &as necessary44a touch of home$ a return to the roots$ a 7atherin7 of rene&ed stren7th. !his time$ ho&ever$ 0) Aubisson$ had ?moved u%&ard@ 9the usual %hrase for %assin7 from rythro to (otor: a bit earlier than her schedule had called for. She had$ indeed$ been summoned by Commissioner Pitt. She sat in =anus Pitt)s office$ notin7 &ith her s"illed eyes the small si7ns of a7in7 that had accumulated since she had last seen him several years before. She did not$ in the ordinary course of her &or"$ have fre>uent occasions to see him$ of course. #is voice$ ho&ever$ &as as stron7 as ever$ his eyes as shar%$ and she noted no decline in mental vi7or. Pitt said$ ?I have received your re%ort on the incident outside the 0ome$ and I reco7ni;e the caution &ith &hich you a%%roached your dia7nosis of the situation. 3ut no&$ off the record and unofficially$ e8actly &hat ha%%ened to +enarr1 !his room is shielded and you can tal" freely.@ 0) Aubisson said dryly$ ?I)m afraid that my re%ort$ cautious as it &as$ ha%%ens to be truthful and com%lete. -e don)t really "no& &hat ha%%ened to Commander +enarr. !he brain scan sho&ed chan7es$ but these &ere e8traordinarily small and did not corres%ond to anythin7 in our %ast e8%erience. And they &ere reversible$ since they did$ in fact$ >uic"ly reverse.@ ?3ut somethin7 did ha%%en to him1@ ?Oh yes$ but that)s the %oint. -e can)t say anythin7 more than Bsomethin7.) ? ?Some form of the Pla7ue$ %erha%s1@ ?None of the sym%toms that have been detected in the %ast &ere found in this case.@ ?3ut in the old days of the Pla7ue$ brain scannin7 &as still com%aratively %rimitive. 2ou &ould not have detected the sym%toms you have detected no& in the %ast$ so it mi7ht still be a mild form of the Pla7ue$ mi7ht it not1@ ?-e could say so$ but &e could not %resent real evidence to that effect$ and$ in any case$ +enarr is no& normal.@ ?#e seems normal$ I su%%ose$ but &e don)t really "no& if there mi7ht not be a rela%se.@ ?Neither is there any reason to su%%ose there mi7ht be.@ A fleetin7 loo" of im%atience crossed the Commissioner)s face. ?2ou)re s%arrin7 &ith me$ 0) Aubisson. 2ou "no& %erfectly &ell that +enarr)s %osition is one of considerable im%ortance. !he situation in the 0ome is al&ays %recarious$ since &e never "no& if and &hen the Pla7ue &ill stri"e a7ain. +enarr)s value &as that he seemed immune to it$ but &e can scarcely consider him immune no&. Somethin7 ha%%ened$ and &e must be %re%ared to re%lace him.@ ?!hat is your decision to ma"e$ Commissioner. I am not su77estin7 re%lacement as a medical necessity.@ ?3ut you)ll "ee% him under close observation$ and you)ll "ee% the %ossibility of such a necessity in mind$ I ho%e.@ ?I &ould consider that %art of my medical duties.@ ?+ood. s%ecially since if there is to be a re%lacement$ I have been considerin7 you.@ ?Considerin7 me? A small flash of e8citement crossed her face before she could su%%ress it. ?2es$ &hy not1 It)s &ell "no&n that I)ve never been enthusiastic about the %ro6ect of coloni;in7 rythro. I have al&ays felt it necessary to retain the mobility of humanity and not to allo& ourselves to be tra%%ed into slavery to a lar7e %lanet a7ain. Nevertheless$ it &ould be &ise if &e could coloni;e the %lanet not as a %lace intended %rimarily for %o%ulation but as a vast resource44rather as &e treated the Moon in the old Solar System. 3ut &e can)t do that if the Pla7ue han7s over our heads$ can &e1@ ?No$ &e can)t$ Commissioner.@ ?So our real tas"$ to be7in &ith$ is to solve that %roblem. -e never have. !he Pla7ue 6ust died do&n and &e have acce%ted that44but this latest incident sho&s us that the dan7er is not yet 7one. -hether

+enarr suffered a touch of the Pla7ue or not$ he certainly suffered somethin7$ and I &ant the matter no& 7iven to% %riority. 2ou &ould be the natural %erson to head that %ro6ect.@ ?I)d be 7lad to acce%t the res%onsibility. It &ould mean doin7 &hat I am$ in any case$ tryin7 to do$ but &ith 7reater authority. I hesitate at su%%osin7 that I ou7ht to be the rythro 0ome Commander.@ ?As you said$ that)s for me to decide. I ta"e it you &ould not refuse the %ost if it &ere offered to you1@ ?No$ Commissioner. I &ould be 7reatly honored.@ ?2es$ I)m sure$@ said Pitt dryly. ? And &hat ha%%ened to the 7irl1@ .or a moment$ 0) Aubisson seemed ta"en abac" by the sudden chan7e in sub6ect. She all but stammered as she re%eated$ ?!he 7irl1@ ?2es$ the 7irl &ho &as outside the 0ome &ith +enarr$ the one &ho removed her %rotective suit.@ ?Marlene .isher1@ ?2es$ that)s her name. -hat ha%%ened to her1@ 0) Aubisson hesitated. ?-hy$ nothin7$ Commissioner.@ ?So it says in the re%ort. 3ut I&m as"in7 you no&. Nothing? Nothin7 detectable by brain scan or in any other &ay.@ ?2ou mean that at the same time that +enarr$ &earin7 an 4suit$ &as struc" do&n$ the 7irl$ this Marlene .isher$ &ithout an 4suit$ suffered nothin71@ 0) Aubisson shru77ed. ?Nothin7 at all$ as far as &e could tell.@ ?0on)t you consider that stran7e1@ ?She)s a stran7e youn7 &oman. #er brain scan44@ ?I "no& about her brain scan. I "no& also that she has %eculiar abilities. #ave you noted that1@ ?Oh yes. I have indeed.@ ?And ho& do her abilities stri"e you1 Mind readin7$ by any chance1@ ?No$ Commissioner. !hat)s im%ossible. !he conce%t of tele%athy is a mere fantasy. I &ish it &ere mind readin7$ in fact$ since that &ould not be so dan7erous. !hou7hts can be %laced under control.@ ?-hat is it about her that is more dan7erous1@ ?A%%arently$ she reads body lan7ua7e and &e can)t control that. very motion s%ea"s.@ She said it &ith a touch of bitterness that Pitt did not fail to note. #e said$ ?0id you have a %ersonal e8%erience of that1@ ?Certainly.@ 0) Aubisson loo"ed 7rim. ?It is im%ossible to be near the youn7 &oman &ithout e8%eriencin7 some of the inconvenience of her habit of %erce%tion.@ ?2es$ but &hat ha%%ened1@ ?Nothin7 of tremendous im%ortance$ but it &as annoyin7.@ 0) Aubisson flushed and$ for a moment$ her li%s %ressed to7ether as thou7h she &ere thin"in7 of defyin7 her interro7ator. 3ut that moment %assed. She said$ almost in a &his%er$ ? After I had e8amined 0ome Commander +enarr$ Marlene as"ed me ho& he &as. I told her that he &as not seriously harmed and that there &as every ho%e that he &ould recover com%letely. ?She said$ B-hy does that disa%%oint you1) ?I &as ta"en abac" and said$ BI)m not disa%%ointed. I)m %leased.) ?She said$ B3ut you are disa%%ointed. !hat is >uite clear. 2ou)re im%atient.) ?It &as the first time I had encountered that sort of thin7 directly$ thou7h I had heard about it from others$ and I couldn)t thin" of anythin7 to do but challen7e her. B-hy should I be im%atient1 .or &hat1) ?She loo"ed at me solemnly &ith her lar7e$ dar"$ and unsettlin7 eyes. !hen she said$ BIt seems to be about 'ncle Siever44) @ Pitt interru%ted. ?'ncle Siever1 Is there a relationshi%1@ ?No. I thin" it)s only a term of affection. She said$ BIt seems to be about 'ncle Siever and I &onder if you &ant to re%lace him as 0ome Commander.) ?At that$ I 6ust turned and &al"ed a&ay.@ Pitt said$ ?#o& did you feel &hen she told you this1@ ?I &as furious. Naturally.@ ?3ecause she had mali7ned you1 Or because she &as correct1@ ?-ell$ in a &ay44@ ?No no. 0on)t hed7e$ 0octor. -as she &ron7 or &as she ri7ht1 -ere you sufficiently disa%%ointed at +enarr)s recovery for the 7irl to notice$ or &as the &hole thin7 a stro"e of her %eculiar ima7ination1@ !he &ords seemed to force themselves out of 0) Aubisson)s li%s. ?She sensed somethin7 that &as really there.@ She stared at Pitt defiantly. ?I)m only human$ and I have my im%ulses. And you yourself have

no& indicated that I mi7ht be offered the %ost$ &hich &ould seem to mean you consider me >ualified for it.@ ?I)m sure you are mali7ned in s%irit44if not in fact$@ said Pitt$ &ithout any si7n of humor. ?3ut no& consider442ou have this youn7 &oman$ &ho is %eculiar$ &ho is very stran7e$ both as sho&n by the brain scan and by her behavior44and$ in addition$ she seems unaffected by the Pla7ue. Clearly$ there may be a connection bet&een her neuronic %attern and her Pla7ue resistance. Mi7ht she not be a useful tool for studyin7 the Pla7ue1@ ?I can)t say. I su%%ose it)s conceivable.@ ?Shouldn)t it be tested1@ ?Perha%s$ but ho&1@ Pitt said >uietly$ ?*et her be e8%osed to the influence of rythro as much as %ossible.@ 0) Aubisson said thou7htfully$ ?!hat is &hat she &ants to do$ as it ha%%ens$ and Commander +enarr seems to be &illin7 to let her.@ ?+ood. !hen you &ill su%%ly the medical bac"in7.@ ?I understand. And if the youn7 &oman 7ets the Pla7ue1@ ?-e must remember that the solution of the %roblem is more im%ortant than the &elfare of a sin7le individual. -e have a &orld to &in$ and for that &e mi7ht have to %ay a sad but necessary %rice.@ ?And if Marlene is destroyed and that does not hel% us understand or counteract the Pla7ue1@ Pitt said$ ?!hat ris" must be faced. After all$ it mi7ht also be that she &ill remain untouched and that that untouchability$ carefully studied$ may 7ive us the means of a brea"throu7h in understandin7 the Pla7ue. In that case$ &e &in &ithout loss.@ It &as only after&ard$ &hen 0) Aubisson had left for her (otorian a%artment$ that Pitt)s iron resolution %ermitted him to thin" of himself as Marlene .isher)s confirmed enemy. !rue victory &ould be to have Marlene destroyed and the Pla7ue remain unsolved. At a stro"e he &ould be rid of an inconvenient 7irl &ho mi7ht other&ise$ someday$ %roduce youn7 li"e herselfA and of an inconvenient &orld that mi7ht other&ise$ someday$ %roduce a %o%ulation as undesirable$ as de%endent$ and as immobile as arth)s %o%ulation had been. HF. !he three of them sat to7ether in the rythro 0ome44Siever +enarr &atchful$ u7enia Insi7na dee%ly concerned$ and Marlene .isher clearly im%atient. Insi7na said$ ?No&$ remember$ Marlene$ do not stare at Nemesis. I "no& you)ve been &arned about the infrared$ but it)s also a fact that Nemesis is a mild flare star. very once in a &hile there)s an e8%losion on its surface and a burst of &hite li7ht. It 6ust lasts a minute or t&o$ but that &ill be enou7h to shoc" your retinas$ and you can)t tell &hen it)s 7oin7 to ha%%en.@ +enarr said$ ?Can astronomers tell &hen it)s 7oin7 to ha%%en1@ ?Not so far. It)s one of the many chaotic as%ects of nature. -e have not yet &or"ed out the rules underlyin7 stellar turbulence and there are some amon7 us &ho thin" the rules can never be &or"ed out entirely. !hey are sim%ly too com%le8.@ ?Interestin7$@ said +enarr. ?It)s not that &e)re not 7rateful to the flares. !hree %ercent of the ener7y reachin7 rythro from Nemesis is the result of those flares.@ ?!hat doesn)t sound li"e much.@ ?It is$ thou7h. -ithout the flares$ rythro &ould be an icy &orld and much less easy to live on. !he flares do ma"e %roblems for (otor$ &hich has to ad6ust its use of sunli7ht >uic"ly &henever there)s a flare$ and stren7then its %article4absor%tion field.@ Marlene &as loo"in7 from one to the other as they s%o"e$ and she finally bro"e in &ith a small note of e8as%eration$ ?#o& lon7 are you t&o 7oin7 to "ee% this u%1 It)s 6ust to "ee% me sittin7 here. I can tell that very easily.@ Insi7na said hastily$ ?-here &ill you 7o &hen you)re out there.@ ?=ust around. !o the little river$ or cree"$ or &hatever it is.@ ?-hy1@ ?3ecause it)s interestin7. =ust flo&in7 &ater in the o%en$ and you can)t see the ends$ and you "no& it)s not bein7 %um%ed bac" to the be7innin7.@

?3ut it is$@ said Insi7na$ ?by the heat of Nemesis.@ ?!hat doesn)t count. I mean human bein7s aren)t doin7 it. 3esides$ I 6ust &ant to stand there and &atch it.@ ?0on)t drin" from it$@ said Insi7na severely. ?I don)t intend to. I can last an hour &ithout drin"in7. If I 7et hun7ry$ or thirsty44or anythin7 else44 I)ll come bac". 2ou)re ma"in7 such a fuss over nothin7.@ +enarr smiled. ?I su%%ose you &ant to recycle everythin7 ri7ht here in the 0ome.@ ?2es$ of course. -ouldn)t anyone1@ +enarr)s smile broadened. #e said$ ?2ou "no&$ u7enia$ I)m >uite certain that livin7 in Settlements has chan7ed humanity %ermanently. !he necessity of cyclin7 is no& in7rained in us. On arth$ you 6ust thre& thin7s a&ay$ assumin7 it &ould recycle naturally$ and$ of course$ sometimes it didn)t.@ ?+enarr$@ said Insi7na$ ?you)re a dreamer. It may be %ossible for human bein7s to learn 7ood habits under %ressure$ but relieve the %ressure and the bad habits are bac" at once. 0o&nhill is easier than u%hill. It)s called the second la& of thermodynamics$ and if &e ever do coloni;e rythro$ I %redict that &e &ill litter it from end to end in no time at all.@ ?No$ &e &on)t$@ said Marlene. +enarr said in a tone of %olite in>uiry$ ?-hy not$ dear1@ And Marlene said &ith im%atient force$ ?3ecause &e &on)t. No& can I 7o out1@ +enarr loo"ed at Insi7na and said$ ?-e mi7ht as &ell let her 7o$ u7enia. -e can)t hold her bac" forever. 3esides$ for &hat it)s &orth$ (anay 0) Aubisson$ &ho 6ust 7ot bac" from (otor$ &ent over all the records from the start and told me yesterday that Marlene)s brain scan seems so stable that she is convinced that Marlene &ill come to no harm on rythro.@ Marlene$ &ho had turned to&ard the door$ as thou7h ready to &al" to the airloc"$ no& turned bac". ?-ait$ 'ncle Siever$ I almost for7ot. 2ou must be careful of 0r. 0) Aubisson.@ ?-hy1 She)s an e8cellent neuro%hysicist.@ ?!hat)s not &hat I mean. She &as %leased &hen you &ere in trouble after your tri% outside and %retty disa%%ointed &hen you 7ot better.@ Insi7na loo"ed sur%rised and said automatically$ ?-hat ma"es you say that1@ ?3ecause I know. ? ?3ut I don)t understand that. Siever$ don)t you 7et alon7 &ith 0) Aubisson1@ ?Certainly$ I do. -e 7et alon7 very &ell. Never a cross &ord. 3ut if Marlene says44@ ?Mi7htn)t Marlene be &ron71@ Marlene said at once$ ?3ut I)m not.@ +enarr said$ ?I)m sure you)re ri7ht$ Marlene.@ !hen$ to Insi7na$ ?0) Aubisson is an ambitious &oman. If anythin7 ha%%ens to me$ she)s the lo7ical choice as my successor. She)s had a 7reat deal of e8%erience do&n here and she)s surely the best %erson to deal &ith the Pla7ue if it lifts its head a7ain. -hat)s more$ she)s older than I am and may not feel there)s much time to &aste. I couldn)t blame her if she &as an8ious to succeed me$ and if her heart lifted a bit &hen I &as ill. !he chances are she)s not even consciously a&are of these feelin7s.@ ?2es$ she is$@ said Marlene ominously. ?She "no&s all about it. 2ou &atch out$ 'ncle Siever.@ ?-ell$ I &ill. Are you ready no&1@ ?Of course I)m ready.@ ?!hen let me &al" you to the airloc". 2ou come &ith us$ u7enia$ and try not to loo" so tra7ic.@ And so it &as that Marlene ste%%ed out onto the surface of rythro$ alone and un%rotected$ for the first time. It &as$ by arth Standard time$ K,D0 P.M.$ =anuary 1G$ DDEI. 3y rythro time$ it &as midmornin7.

THIRTY: TRANSITION
HG. Crile .isher tried to su%%ress his e8citement$ tried to maintain the same calm e8%ressions that the others &ere &earin7. #e didn)t "no& &here !essa -endel &as at the moment. She couldn)t be far$ since the 'uperluminal &as reasonably small44thou7h bro"en u% so that someone in one bay mi7ht &ell be out of si7ht to someone in another. !he other three cre& members &ere 6ust %airs of hands to .isher. !hey each had somethin7 to do and they &ere doin7 it. Only .isher himself had nothin7 s%ecific to do$ e8ce%t %erha%s to be careful to stay out of the &ay of the others. #e loo"ed at the other three 9t&o men and one &oman: almost furtively. #e "ne& them to tal" to$ and had tal"ed to them fre>uently. !hey &ere all youn7. !he oldest &as Chao4*i -u$ &ho &as thirty4ei7ht and a hy%ers%acialist. !hen there &as #enry =arlo&$ &ho &as thirty4five$ and Merry 3lan"o&it;$ the baby of the team$ t&enty4seven years old and &ith the in" still dam% on her doctor)s di%loma. -endel$ at fifty4five$ &as ancient by com%arison$ but she &as the inventor$ the desi7ner$ the demi7oddess of the fli7ht. It &as .isher &ho &as odd man out. #e &ould be fifty on his ne8t birthday$ &hich &as not so far off$ and he had no s%eciali;ed trainin7. #e had no ri7ht to be on the shi% if either youth or "no&led7e &ere considered. 3ut he had been on (otor once. !hat counted. And -endel &anted him &ith her$ and that counted even more. So did !anayama and 5oro%ats"y$ &hich counted most of all. !he shi% &as ma"in7 its &ay$ lumberin7 throu7h s%ace. .isher could tell that$ even thou7h there &as no %hysical indication that this &as so. #e could feel it &ith the tendrils of his intestines44if they had any. #e thou7ht fiercely, I)ve been in s%ace far lon7er than all the others %ut to7ether$ far more times on far more shi%s. I can tell there is nothin7 slee" about this shi% 6ust by the feel of it. !hey can)t. !he 'uperluminal had to lac" slee"ness. !he normal %o&er sources that "e%t ordinary s%aceshi%s movin7 throu7h the vacuum &ere cram%ed and cut do&n in the 'uperluminal. !hey had to be$ for most of the shi% &as 7iven over to the hy%ers%atial motors. It &as li"e a seabird that &addled clumsily on land because it &as desi7ned for the &ater. -endel suddenly a%%eared. #er hair &as some&hat disheveled and she &as %ers%irin7 a bit. .isher said$ ?Is everythin7 all ri7ht$ !essa1@ ?Oh yes$ %erfectly.@ She rested her rear end a7ainst one of the convenient &all de%ressions 9very useful$ considerin7 the li7ht %seudo47rav maintained on the shi%:. ?No %roblems.@ ?-hen do &e ma"e the move into hy%ers%ace1@ ?In a fe& hours. -e &ant to 7et into the %ro%er coordinates &ith all a%%ro%riate 7ravitational sources t&istin7 s%ace %recisely as calculated.@ ?So &e can allo& for it e8actly1@ ?!hat)s ri7ht.@ .isher said$ ?!hat doesn)t ma"e hy%ers%atial fli7ht sound very %ractical. -hat if you don)t "no& &here everythin7 is1 -hat if you)re in a hurry and can)t &ait to calculate every 7ravitational t&itch1@ -endel loo"ed u% at .isher &ith a sudden smile. ?2ou)ve never as"ed anythin7 li"e this before1 -hy do you as" it no&1@ ?I)ve never actually been on a hy%ers%atial fli7ht before. !he >uestion %resents itself to me &ith 7reater ur7ency under these conditions$ you see.@ ?!his and many other such >uestions have %resented themselves to me &ith the 7reatest %ossible ur7ency for years. -elcome to the club.@ ?3ut ans&er me.@ ?+ladly. In the first %lace$ there are devices that measure overall 7ravitational intensity$ in both scalar and tensor as%ects$ at any %oint in s%ace$ &hether you "no& the nei7hborhood or not. !he result is not >uite as accurate as it &ould be if you %ainsta"in7ly measured each 7ravitational source and added them to7ether$ but it is close enou7h44if time is %recious. And if time is still more %recious and you have to %ush

the hy%ers%atial button$ so to s%ea"$ and trust to 7ood fortune that 7ravitation is not very si7nificant and should ha%%en to be sli7htly &ron7$ then the transition &ould be accom%anied by somethin7 rou7hly e>uivalent to a 6ar4li"e crossin7 a threshold and catchin7 the toe of your shoe on the sill. If &e can avoid that$ fine$ but if &e don)t it)s not necessarily fatal. Naturally$ in the first transition %oint$ &e &ould li"e it to be as smooth as %ossible for our %sycholo7ical %eace of mind44if nothin7 else.@ ?-hat if you)re in a hurry$ feel that 7ravitation is ne7li7ible$ and it isn)t1@ ?2ou have to ho%e that that doesn)t ha%%en.@ ?2ou tal"ed about strains durin7 transition. !hat means our very first transition mi7ht be fatal$ even if 7ravity is allo&ed for.@ )ight be$ but the odds a7ainst a fatal accident at any 7iven transmission are enormous. ? ? ven if it isn)t fatal$ mi7ht it not be un%leasant1@ ?!hat)s harder to say because it re>uires a sub6ective 6ud7ment. 'nderstand that there)s no acceleration involved. In hy%er4assistance$ a shi% has to &or" its &ay u% to li7ht s%eed$ and even a little beyond at intervals$ by use of a lo&4ener7y hy%ers%atial field. fficiency is lo&$ s%eeds are hi7h$ ris"s are 7reat$ and$ fran"ly$ I don)t "no& &hat the discomforts may$ or may not$ be. ?In our "ind of su%erluminal fli7ht$ usin7 a hi7h4ener7y hy%ers%atial field$ &e ma"e the transition at normal s%eeds. -e may be at a s%eed of a thousand "ilometers %er second at one instant$ and at the ne8t &e are 7oin7 a thousand million "ilometers %er second &ithout acceleration. And since there is no acceleration$ &e don)t feel it.@ ?#o& can there be no acceleration &hen you increase the s%eed a million4fold in an instant1@ ?3ecause the transition is the mathematical e>uivalent of acceleration. #o&ever$ &hereas your body res%onds to acceleration$ it does not to transition.@ ?3ut ho& can you tell1@ ?3y sendin7 animals throu7h hy%ers%ace from one %oint to another. !hey are in hy%ers%ace for only a brief fraction of a microsecond$ but it)s the transition bet&een s%ace and hy%ers%ace that &e &orry about$ and there is one in either direction in even the briefest %ossible %assa7e throu7h hy%ers%ace.@ ?And animals &ere sent1@ ?Of course. Once they had reached the rece%tion %oint$ they couldn)t very &ell tell us ho& thin7s &ere$ but there they &ere$ totally unhurt and calm. It &as clear they hadn)t been harmed in any &ay. -e tried it on do;ens of animals of all "inds. -e even tried it on mon"eys$ all of &hich survived %erfectly44 e8ce%t in one case.@ ?Ah. And &hat ha%%ened in that one case1@ ?!he animal &as dead$ 7rotes>uely mutilated$ but that &as caused by a mista"e in the %ro7rammin7. It &asn)t the transition at all. And somethin7 li"e that can ha%%en to us. It)s not li"ely$ but it can. It &ould be e>uivalent to ste%%in7 over a threshold$ catchin7 the toe of your shoe on the sill$ tri%%in7$ fallin7 for&ard$ and brea"in7 your nec". Such thin7s have$ indeed$ ha%%ened$ but &e don)t e8%ect it to ha%%en every time &e cross a threshold. All ri7ht1@ ?I 7uess I don)t have a choice$@ said .isher 7rimly. ? All ri7ht.@ !&o hours and t&enty4seven minutes later$ the shi% crossed safely into hy%ers%ace$ &ith no sensation &hatever for anyone on board$ and the first su%erluminal fli7ht at s%eeds far beyond that of li7ht too" %lace. !he transition$ by arth Standard time$ &as at K,D0 P.M.$ =anuary 1G$DDEI.

THIRTY-ONE: NAME
HH. Silence< Marlene reveled in it44all the more so because she could brea" it if she &ished. She stoo%ed to %ic" u% a %ebble and tossed it a7ainst a roc". It made a small thun"$ then fell to the 7round and &as still. #avin7 left the 0ome &ith no more clothes than she &ould have &orn on (otor$ she felt %erfectly free. She had &al"ed strai7ht a&ay from the 0ome to&ard the cree"$ &ithout even &atchin7 to chec" the landmar"s. #er mother)s last &ords had been a rather &ea" %lea. ?Please$ Marlene$ remember you said you &ould stay in si7ht of the 0ome.@ She had smiled briefly$ but had %aid no attention. She mi7ht stay in si7ht$ but %erha%s not. She did not intend to be hemmed in$ re7ardless of &hat %romises she had been forced to ma"e to "ee% the %eace. After all$ she &as carryin7 a &ave4emitter. At any time$ she could be located. She herself could use the receivin7 end of it to sense the direction of the 0ome)s emitter. If she had an accident of some sort44if she fell or &as someho& hurt44they could come 7et her. If a meteor struc" her44&ell$ she)d be dead. !here &ould be nothin7 anyone could do about that$ even if she &ere in si7ht of the 0ome. ven allo&in7 for the disturbin7 thou7ht of meteors$ it &as all so %eaceful and &onderful on rythro. On (otor it &as al&ays noisy. -herever you &ent$ the air >uivered and shoo" and battered your tired ears &ith sound &aves. It must be even &orse on arth$ &ith its ei7ht billion %eo%le$ and trillions of animals$ and its thunderstorms and &ild sur7es of &ater from the sea and s"y. She had once tried to listen to a recordin7 entitled ?Noises of arth$@ had &inced at it$ and had >uic"ly had enou7h. 3ut here on rythro$ there &as a &onderful silence. Marlene came to the cree"$ and the &ater moved %ast her &ith a soft bubbly sound. She %ic"ed u% a 6a77ed %ebble and tossed it into the &ater and there &as a small s%lash. Sounds &ere not forbidden on rythroA they &ere merely doled out as occasional adornments that served to ma"e the surroundin7 silence more %recious. She stam%ed her foot on the soft clay at the cree")s ed7e. She heard a small dull thum%$ and there &as the va7ue im%ression of a foot%rint. She bent do&n$ cu%%ed some &ater in her hand$ and tossed it over the soil in front of her. It moistened and dar"ened in s%ots$ crimson sho&in7 a7ainst %in". She added more &ater and finally %laced her ri7ht shoe on the dar" s%ot$ %ressin7 do&n. -hen she lifted her shoe$ there &as a dee%er foot%rint there. !here &ere occasional roc"s in the cree" bed and she used them as ste%%in74stones to cross the &ater. Marlene "e%t on$ &al"in7 vi7orously$ s&in7in7 her arms$ ta"in7 in dee% breaths of air. She "ne& very &ell that the o8y7en %ercenta7e &as some&hat lo&er than it &as on (otor. If she ran$ she &ould >uic"ly 7ro& tired$ but she lac"ed the im%ulse to run. If she ran$ she &ould use u% her &orld more ra%idly. She &anted to loo" at everythin7< She loo"ed bac" and the mound of the 0ome &as visible$ es%ecially the bubble that housed the astronomical instruments. !hat irritated her. She &anted to be far enou7h a&ay so that she could turn around and see the hori;on as a %erfect44if irre7ular44circle$ &ith no intrusion of any si7n of humanity 9e8ce%t herself: any&here. 9Should she call the 0ome1 Should she tell her mother she &ould be out of si7ht for a little &hile1 No$ they &ould 6ust ar7ue. !hey could receive her carrier &ave. !hey &ould be able to tell that she &as alive$ &ell$ and movin7 around. If they called her$ she decided$ she &ould i7nore them. (eally< !hey must leave her to herself.: #er eyes &ere ad6ustin7 to the %in"ness of Nemesis and of the land around her in every direction. It &as not merely %in"A it &as all in dar"s and li7hts$ in %ur%les and oran7es$ almost yello&s in some %laces. It time$ it &ould become a &hole ne& %alette of colors to her hei7htened senses$ as varie7ated as (otor$ but more soothin7. -hat &ould ha%%en if someday %eo%le settled on rythro$ introduced life$ built cities1 -ould they s%oil it1 Or &ould they have learned from arth and &ould they 7o about it in a different &ay$ ta"in7 this

ne& untouched &orld and ma"in7 it into somethin7 close to their heart)s desire1 -hose heart)s desire1 !hat &as the %roblem. 0ifferent %eo%le &ould have different ideas$ and they &ould >uarrel &ith each other and %ursue irreconcilable ends. -ould it be better to leave rythro em%ty1 -ould that be ri7ht &hen %eo%le mi7ht en6oy it so1 Marlene "ne& &ell that she didn)t &ant to leave it. It &armed her$ bein7 on this &orld. She didn)t "no& >uite &hy$ but it felt more li"e home than (otor ever had. -as it some dim atavistic memory of arth1 -as there a feelin7 for a hu7e endless &orld in her 7enesA a lon7in7 that a small$ artificial$ turnin7 city4in4s%ace could not fulfill1 #o& could that be1 arth &as surely different from rythro in every %ossible &ay but the similarity of si;e. And if arth &ere in her 7enes$ &hy &ouldn)t it be in the 7enes of every human bein71 3ut there must be some e8%lanation. Marlene shoo" her head as thou7h to clear it and &hirled around and around as if she &ere in the midst of endless s%ace. Stran7e that rythro didn)t seem barren. On (otor$ you could see acres of 7rain and orchards of fruit trees$ and a ha;e of 7reen and amber$ and the strai7ht4line irre7ularity of human structures. #ere on rythro$ ho&ever$ you sa& only the rollin7 7round$ inters%ersed &ith roc"s of all si;es$ as thou7h stre&n carelessly by some 7iant hand4stran7e$ broodin7 silent sha%es$ &ith rivulets of &ater$ here and there$ flo&in7 around and amon7 them. And no life at all if you didn)t count the myriads of tiny 7erm4li"e cells that "e%t the atmos%here full of o8y7en$ than"s to the ener7y su%%ly of Nemesis) red li7ht. And Nemesis$ li"e any red d&arf$ &ould continue to %our out its careful su%%ly of ener7y for a cou%le of hundred billion years$ hoardin7 its ener7y and seein7 to it that rythro and its tiny %ro"aryotes &ere &arm and comfortable throu7h all that time. *on7 after arth)s Sun had died and other bri7ht stars$ born still later$ had also died$ N emesis &ould shine on unchan7ed$ and rythro &ould roll about Me7as unchan7ed$ and the %ro"aryotes &ould live and die$ also essentially unchan7ed. Surely human bein7s &ould have no ri7ht to come to this unchan7in7 &orld and chan7e it. 2et if she &ere alone on rythro$ she &ould need food44and com%anionshi%. She mi7ht return to the 0ome no& and then for su%%lies$ or to refresh a need to see other %eo%le$ but she could still s%end most of her time alone &ith rythro. 3ut &ould not others follo&1 #o& could she %revent them1 And &ith others$ no matter ho& fe&$ &ould not den inevitably be ruined1 -asn)t it bein7 ruined because she herself had entered den44only she? ?No<@ She shouted it. She shouted it loudly in a sudden ea7er e8%eriment to see if she could ma"e the alien atmos%here tremble and force it to carry &ords to her ears. She heard her o&n voice$ but in the flat terrain there &ere no echoes. #er shout &as 7one as soon as it sounded. She &hirled a7ain. !he 0ome &as 6ust a thin shado& on the hori;on. It could almost be i7nored$ but not >uite. She &ished it &as not visible at all. She &anted nothin7 in vie& but herself and rythro. She heard the faint si7h of the &ind$ and "ne& it had %ic"ed u% s%eed. It &as not stron7 enou7h to feel$ and the tem%erature hadn)t dro%%ed$ nor &as it un%leasant. It &as 6ust a faint ? Ah4h4h4h.@ She imitated it cheerfully, ? Ah4h4h4h4h.@ Marlene stared u% at the s"y curiously. !he &eather forecasters had said it &ould be clear that day. -as it %ossible for storms to blo& u% suddenly and un%redictably on rythro1 -ould the &ind rise and become uncomfortable1 -ould clouds &hi% across the s"y and rain be7in to fall before she could 7et bac" to the 0ome1 !hat &as silly$ as silly as the meteors. Of course it rained on rythro$ but ri7ht no& there &ere only a fe& &is%y %in" clouds above. !hey moved la;ily a7ainst the dar" and unobstructed s"y. !here didn)t seem to be any si7n of a storm. ?Ah4h4h4h4h$@ &his%ered the &ind. ?Ah4h4h4h4h ay4y4y4y.@ It &as a double sound$ and Marlene fro&ned. -hat could be ma"in7 that sound1 Surely the &ind could not ma"e the sound by itself. It &ould have to %ass some obstruction and &histle as it did so. 3ut there &as nothin7 of the sort &ithin si7ht. ?Ah4h4h4h4h ay4y4y4y4y uh4h4h4h4h.@ It &as a tri%le sound no&$ &ith the stress on the second sound. Marlene loo"ed around$ &onderin7. She couldn)t tell &here it &as comin7 from. !o ma"e the sound$ somethin7 had to be vibratin7$ but she sa& nothin7$ felt nothin7. rythro looked em%ty and silent. It could ma"e no sound. ? Ah4h4h4h ay4y4y4y uh4h4h4h.@ A7ain. Clearer than before. It &as as thou7h it &ere in her o&n head$ and$ at that thou7ht$ her heart seemed to contract and she shivered. She felt the 7ooseflesh rise on her armsA she didn)t have to loo". Nothin7 could be &ron7 &ith her head. Nothin7<

She &as &aitin7 to hear it a7ain$ and it came. *ouder. Still clearer. Suddenly there &as a rin7 of authority to it$ as thou7h it &ere %racticin7 and 7ro&in7 better. Practicin71 Practicin7 &hat1 And un&illin7ly$ entirely un&illin7ly$ she thou7ht, It)s as thou7h someone &ho can)t sound consonants is tryin7 to say my name. As thou7h that &ere a si7nal$ or her thou7ht had released another s%asm of %o&er$ or had %erha%s shar%ened her ima7ination$ she heard ?Mah4h4h lay4y4y nuh4h4h.@ Automatically$ &ithout "no&in7 she &as doin7 it$ she lifted her hands and covered her ears. Marlene$ she thou7ht44soundlessly. And then came the sound$ mimic"in7$ ?Mahr4lay4nuh.@ It came a7ain$ almost easily$ almost naturally. ?Marlene.@ She shuddered$ and reco7ni;ed the voice. It &as Aurinel$ Aurinel of (otor$ &hom she hadn)t seen since the day on (otor &hen she told him that the arth &ould be destroyed. She had thou7ht of him hardly at all since then44but al&ays achin7ly$ &hen she did. -hy &as she hearin7 his voice &here he &as not44or hearin7 any voice &here all &as not1 ?Marlene.@ And she 7ave u%. It &as the rythro Pla7ue that she had been so certain &ould not touch her. She &as runnin7 blindly$ blindly$ to&ard the 0ome$ not %ausin7 to tell &here it &as. She did not "no& that she &as screamin7. HI. !hey had brou7ht her in. !hey had sensed her sudden a%%roach$ at a run. !&o 7uards in 4suits and helmets had moved out at once and they had heard her screamin7. 3ut the screamin7 had sto%%ed before they had reached her. !he runnin7 had slo&ed and sto%%ed$ tooA and that &as before she seemed a&are of their a%%roach. -hen they reached her$ she loo"ed at them >uietly and ama;ed them by as"in7$ ?-hat)s &ron71@ No one had ans&ered. A hand reached out for her elbo& and she &hi%%ed a&ay. ?0on)t touch me$@ she said. ?I)ll 7o to the 0ome$ if that)s &hat you &ant$ but I can &al".@ And she had &al"ed >uietly bac" &ith them. She &as >uite self4%ossessed. HJ. u7enia Insi7na$ li%s dry and %ale$ &as tryin7 not to seem distrau7ht. ?-hat ha%%ened out there$ Marlene1@ Marlene said$ her dar" eyes &ide and unfathomable$ ?Nothin7. Nothin7 at all.@ ?0on)t say that. 2ou &ere runnin7 and screamin7.@ ?I may have been for a little &hile$ but 6ust for a little &hile. 2ou see$ it &as >uiet$ so >uiet$ that after a &hile I felt as thou7h I must be deaf. =ust silence$ you "no&. So I stam%ed my feet and ran 6ust to hear the noise$ and I screamed44@ ?=ust to hear the noise of it1@ as"ed Insi7na$ fro&nin7. ?2es$ Mother.@ ?0o you e8%ect me to believe that$ Marlene1 3ecause I don)t. -e %ic"ed u% the screams and those &ere not the screams of ma"in7 noise. !hose &ere screams of terror. Somethin7 had fri7htened you.@ ?I told you. !he silence. !he %ossibility of deafness.@ Insi7na turned to 0) Aubisson. ?Isn)t it %ossible$ 0octor$ that if you don)t hear anythin7$ anythin7 at all$ and if you)re used to hearin7 thin7s all the time$ then your ears mi7ht 6ust ima7ine they)re hearin7 somethin7 so they can feel useful1@ 0) Aubisson forced a thin smile. ?!hat)s a colorful &ay of %uttin7 it$ but it is true that sensory de%rivation can %roduce hallucinations.@ ?!hat disturbed me$ I su%%ose. 3ut after I heard my o&n voice and my o&n footste%s$ I >uieted do&n. As" the t&o 7uards &ho came to 7et me. I &as %erfectly calm &hen they arrived$ and I follo&ed them into the 0ome &ith no trouble. As" them$ 'ncle Siever.@ +enarr nodded. ?!hey)ve told me this. And &e &atched it ha%%en$ besides. Very &ell$ then. !hat)s it.@

?!hat)s not it at all$@ said Insi7na$ her face still &hite44from fri7ht or an7er or both. ?She)s not 7oin7 out any more. !he e8%eriment is finished.@ ?No$ Mother$@ said Marlene$ outra7ed. 0) Aubisson raised her voice$ as thou7h to forestall any an7ry clash of &ills bet&een mother and dau7hter. She said$ ?!he e8%eriment is not finished$ 0r. Insi7na. -hether she 7oes out a7ain or not is beside the %oint. -e still have to deal &ith the conse>uences of &hat has ha%%ened.@ ?-hat do you mean1@ demanded Insi7na. ?I mean$ it)s all very &ell to tal" about ima7inin7 voices because the ear is not accustomed to silence$ but surely another %ossible reason for ima7ined voices is the onset of a certain mental instability.@ Insi7na loo"ed stric"en. Marlene said loudly$ ?0o you mean the rythro Pla7ue1@ ?I don)t mean that %articularly$ Marlene$@ said 0) Aubisson. ?-e don)t have any evidenceA only a %ossibility. So &e need another brain scan. It)s for your o&n 7ood.@ ?No$@ said Marlene. ?0on)t say no$@ said 0) Aubisson. ?It)s a must. -e have no choice. It)s somethin7 &e)ll have to do.@ Marlene loo"ed at 0) Aubisson out of her dar" and broodin7 eyes. She said$ ?2ou)re hoping I have the Pla7ue. 2ou want me to have the Pla7ue.@ 0) Aubisson stiffened$ and her voice crac"ed. ?!hat)s ridiculous. #o& dare you say such a thin71@ 3ut it &as +enarr$ no&$ &ho &as starin7 at 0) Aubisson. #e said$ ?(anay$ &e)ve discussed this little %oint about Marlene$ and if she says you &ant her to have the Pla7ue$ you must have 7iven yourself a&ay in some &ay. !hat is$ if Marlene is serious and isn)t 6ust sayin7 it out of fri7ht or an7er.@ ?I)m serious$@ said Marlene. ?She &as 6ust bubblin7 &ith ho%eful e8citement.@ ?-ell$ (anay $@ said +enarr a little more coldly. ? Are you1@ ?I see &hat the 7irl means$@ said 0) Aubisson$ fro&nin7. ?I have not studied a fresh case of advanced Pla7ue in years. And in the days &hen I did$ &hen the 0ome &as %rimitive and had 6ust been established$ I had had virtually no a%%ro%riate devices &ith &hich to study it. Professionally$ I &ould 7reatly &elcome a chance to ma"e a thorou7h study of a case of the Pla7ue &ith modern techni>ues and instrumentation$ to find out$ %erha%s$ the true cause$ the true cure$ the true %revention. It)s a reason for e8citement$ yes. It is a %rofessional e8citement that this youn7 &oman$ unable to read minds$ and &ithout e8%erience in such thin7s$ inter%rets as sim%le 6oy. It isn)t sim%le.@ ?It may not be sim%le$@ said Marlene$ ?but it)s malevolent. I)m not mista"en in that.@ ?2ou are mista"en. !he brain scan must and &ill ta"e %lace.@ ?It &ill not$ ? said Marlene$ %ractically shoutin7. ?2ou)ll have to force me or sedate me$ and then it &on)t be valid.@ Insi7na said$ her voice sha"in7$ ?I don)t &ant anythin7 done a7ainst her &ill.@ ?!his is somethin7 that 7oes beyond &hat she &ills or does not &ill44@ be7an 0) Aubisson$ and then sta77ered bac" &ith her hand to her abdomen. +enarr said automatically$ ?-hat)s the matter1@ !hen$ &ithout &aitin7 for an ans&er$ leavin7 it to Insi7na to lead 0) Aubisson to the nearest sofa and to %ersuade her to lie do&n$ he turned to Marlene and said hurriedly$ ?Marlene$ a7ree to the test.@ ?I don)t &ant to. She)ll say I have the Pla7ue.@ ?She &on)t. I 7uarantee that. Not unless you really do.@ ?I don)t.@ ?I)m sure you don)t$ and the brain scan &ill %rove it. !rust me$ Marlene. Please.@ Marlene loo"ed from +enarr to 0) Aubisson and bac" a7ain. ? And I can 7o bac" out on rythro a7ain1@ ?Of course. As often as you &ish. If you)re normal44and you)re sure you)re normal$ aren)t you1@ ?Sure as anythin7.@ ?!hen the brain scan &ill %rove it. ? ?2es$ but she)ll say I can)t 7o out a7ain.@ ?2our mother1@ ?And the doctor.@ ?No$ they &on)t dare sto% you. No&$ 6ust say you)ll allo& the brain scan.@ ?All ri7ht. She can have it.@ (anay 0) Aubisson stru77led to her feet.

HK. 0) Aubisson studied the com%uteri;ed analysis of the brain scan carefully &hile Siever +enarr &atched. ?A curious scan$@ muttered 0) Aubisson. ?-e "ne& that to be7in &ith$@ said +enarr. ?She)s a stran7e youn7 &oman. !he %oint is there)s no chan7e1@ ?None$@ said 0) Aubisson. ?2ou sound disa%%ointed.@ ?0on)t start that a7ain$ Commander. !here)s a certain %rofessional disa%%ointment. I &ould li"e to study the condition.@ ?#o& do you feel1@ ?I 6ust told 2ou.@ ?I mean$ %hysically. !hat &as a stran7e colla%se you had yesterday.@ ?It &asn)t a colla%se. It &as nervous tension. I)m not often accused of wanting someone to be seriously ill44and of havin7 it a%%arently believed. ? ?-hat ha%%ened1 An attac" of indi7estion1@ ?Could be. Abdominal %ains$ in any case. And di;;iness.@ ?0oes that often ha%%en to you$ (anay1@ ?No$ it doesn)t$@ she said shar%ly. ?Neither am I accused of un%rofessional behavior often.@ ?=ust an e8citable youn7 &oman. -hy did you ta"e it so seriously1@ ?0o you mind if &e chan7e the sub6ect1 She does not have any si7ns of brain scan chan7e. If she &as normal before$ then she is still normal.@ ?In that case$ is it your %rofessional o%inion that she may continue to e8%lore rythro1@ ?Since she has not been affected$ a%%arently$ I have no 7rounds on &hich to forbid her.@ ?Are you &illin7 to 7o beyond that and send her out1@ 0) Aubisson)s attitude 7re& hostile. ?2ou "no& that I)ve been to see Commissioner Pitt.@ It did not sound li"e a >uestion. ?2es$ I "no&$@ said +enarr >uietly. ?#e has as"ed me to head a ne& %ro6ect desi7ned to study the rythro Pla7ue$ and there &ill be a 7enerous a%%ro%riation to&ard that study.@ ?I thin" that is a 7ood idea and that you are a thorou7hly 7ood choice to head the study.@ ?!han" you. #o&ever$ he did not a%%oint me Commander in your %lace. !herefore$ it is u% to you$ Commander$ to decide &hether Marlene .isher can be allo&ed to 7o out on rythro. I &ill confine myself to 7ivin7 her a brain scan if si7ns of abnormality sho& u%.@ ?I intend to 7ive Marlene %ermission to e8%lore rythro freely &henever she &ishes. May I have your concurrence in that1@ ?Since you have my medical o%inion that she does not have the Pla7ue$ I &ill ma"e no attem%t to sto% you$ but the order to do so &ill have to be yours alone. If anythin7 must be %ut into &ritin7$ you &ill have to si7n it yourself.@ ?3ut you &on)t try to sto% me.@ ?I have no reason to.@ I0. 0inner &as over and soft music %layed in the bac"7round. Siever +enarr$ &ho had carefully tal"ed of other thin7s to an uneasy u7enia Insi7na$ finally said$ ?!he &ords are the &ords of (anay 0) Aubisson$ but the force behind them is that of =anus Pitt.@ Insi7na)s loo" of uneasiness dee%ened. ?0o you really thin" that1@ ?2es$ I do44and you should. 2ou "no& =anus better than I do$ I thin". It)s too bad. (anay is a com%etent doctor$ has a %rofound mind$ and is a 7ood %erson$ but she)s ambitious44as &e all are$ one &ay or another44and she can therefore be corru%ted. She really &ants to 7o do&n in history as the one &ho defeated the rythro Pla7ue.@ And she &ould be &illin7 to ris" Marlene to do it1@ ?Not &illin7 in the sense that she &ants to$ or is ea7er to$ but &illin7 in the sense of44&ell$ if

there)s no other &ay.@ ?3ut there must be other &ays. !o send Marlene into dan7er$ as an e8%erimental device$ is monstrous.@ ?Not from her stand%oint$ and certainly not from Pitt)s. One mind is &ell lost if it rescues a &orld and ma"es it a fit human habitation for millions. It)s a hard4hearted &ay of loo"in7 at it$ but future 7enerations mi7ht ma"e a heroine out of (anay for bein7 hard4hearted$ and a7ree &ith her that one mind &as &ell lost$ or a thousand44if that)s &hat it &ould ta"e.@ ?2es$ if it)s not their minds.@ ?Of course. All throu7h history$ human bein7s have been ready to ma"e sacrifices at the e8%ense of other %eo%le. Certainly$ Pitt &ould. Or don)t you a7ree1@ ?About Pitt. 2es$ I do$@ said Insi7na ener7etically. ?!o thin" that I &or"ed &ith him all those years.@ ?!hen you "no& that he &ould vie& this in a very moralistic sense. B!he 7reatest 7ood for the 7reatest number$) he &ould say. (anay admits that she tal"ed to him on her recent visit to (otor$ and I)m as %ositive that that)s &hat he said to her$ in one form of &ords or another$ as that I am sittin7 in this chair.@ ?And &hat &ould he say$@ said Insi7na bitterly$ ?if Marlene &ere e8%osed44and destroyed44and the Pla7ue remained untouched1 -hat &ould he say if my dau7hter)s life &ere uselessly reduced to vacuity1 And &hat &ould 0r. 0) Aubisson say1@ ?!he doctor &ould feel unha%%y. I)m sure of that.@ ?3ecause she &ouldn)t 7ain the credit for the cure1@ ?Of course$ but she &ould also feel unha%%y about Marlene44and$ I dare say$ 7uilty. She)s not a monster. As for Pitt44@ ?#e is a monster.@ ?I &ouldn)t even say that$ but he has tunnel vision. #e sees only his %lan for the future of (otor. If anythin7 7oes &ron7$ from our stand%oint$ he &ill undoubtedly tell himself that Marlene &ould$ in any case$ have interfered &ith his %lans$ and he &ill consider all to have ha%%ened for the 7ood of (otor. It &ill not han7 heavily on his conscience.@ Insi7na shoo" her head sli7htly. ?I &ish &e &ere ma"in7 a mista"e$ that Pitt and 0) Aubisson &ere not 7uilty of such thin7s.@ ?I$ too$ &ish that$ but I am &illin7 to trust Marlene and her body lan7ua7e insi7hts. She said that (anay &as happy at the %ossibility that she &ould have a chance to study the Pla7ue. I acce%t Marlene)s 6ud7ment in this.@ ?0) Aubisson said she &as ha%%y for %rofessional reasons$@ Insi7na said. ? Actually$ I can believe that$ in a &ay. After all$ I)m a scientist$ too.@ ?Of course you are$@ said +enarr$ his homely face crin"lin7 into a smile. ?2ou &ere &illin7 to leave the Solar System and 7o on an untried tri% across the li7ht4years to 7ain astronomical "no&led7e$ even thou7h you "ne& it mi7ht mean the death of every %erson on (otor.@ ?A very small chance$ it seemed to me.@ ?Small enou7h to ris" your one4year4old child. 2ou mi7ht have left her &ith your stay4at4home husband and made sure of her safety$ even thou7h it &ould have meant you &ould never see her a7ain. Instead$ you ris"ed her life$ not even for the 7reater 7ood of (otor$ but for the 7reater 7ood of yourself.@ Insi7na said$ ?Sto% it$ Siever. !hat)s so cruel.@ ?I)m 6ust tryin7 to sho& you that almost everythin7 can be loo"ed at from t&o o%%osin7 sets of vie&s$ 7iven sufficient in7enuity. 2es$ 0) Aubisson calls it %rofessional %leasure at bein7 able to study the disease$ but Marlene said the doctor &as bein7 malevolent$ and a7ain I trust Marlene)s choice of &ords.@ ?!hen I su%%ose$@ said Insi7na$ the corners of her mouth curvin7 do&n&ard$ ?that she is an8ious to have Marlene 7o out on rythro a7ain.@ ?I sus%ect she does$ but she is cautious enou7h to insist that I 7ive the order and even su77ests I %ut it in &ritin7. She &ants to ma"e sure that it is I$ not she$ &ho 7ets the blame if somethin7 7oes &ron7. She)s be7innin7 to thin" li"e Pitt. Our friend =anus is conta7ious.@ ?In that case$ Siever$ you mustn)t send Marlene out. -hy %lay into Pitt)s hands1@ ?On the contrary$ u7enia. It)s not sim%le at all. -e must send her out1@ What? ?!here)s no choice$ u7enia. And no dan7er to her. 2ou see$ I no& believe you &ere ri7ht &hen you su77ested there &as some %ermeatin7 life4form on the %lanet that could e8ert some sort of %o&er over us. 2ou %ointed out that I &as deleteriously affected$ and you &ere$ and the 7uard &as$ and al&ays &hen

Marlene &as in any &ay o%%osed. And I 6ust sa& %recisely that ha%%en to (anay. -hen (anay tried to force a brain scan on Marlene$ she doubled u%. -hen I %ersuaded Marlene to acce%t the brain scan$ (anay immediately im%roved.@ ?-ell$ there you are$ then$ Siever. If there)s a malevolent life4form on the %lanet44@ ?No&$ &ait$ u7enia. I didn)t say it &as malevolent. ven if this life4form$ &hatever it mi7ht be$ caused the Pla7ue as you su77ested it did$ that sto%%ed. 2ou said it &as because &e seemed to be content to remain in the 0ome$ but if the life4form &ere truly malevolent$ it &ould have &i%ed us out and it &ould not have settled for &hat seems to me to have been a civili;ed com%romise.@ ?I don)t thin" it)s safe to try to consider the actions of a totally alien life4form and deduce from that its emotions or intentions. -hat it thin" mi7ht &ell be totally beyond our understandin7.@ ?I a7ree$ u7enia$ but it)s not harmin7 Marlene. verythin7 it has done has served to protect Marlene$ to shield her from interference.@ ?If that)s so$@ said Insi7na$ ?then &hy &as she fri7htened$ &hy did she be7in to run to 0ome$ screamin71 Not for one moment do I believe her tale that the silence made her nervous and she &as 6ust tryin7 to ma"e some noise to brea" that silence.@ ?!hat is hard to believe. !he %oint is$ thou7h$ that the %anic subsided >uic"ly. 3y the time her &ould4be4rescuers reached her$ she seem %erfectly normal. I &ould 7uess that somethin7 the life4form had done had fri7htened Marlene44I &ould ima7ine it &as as unli"ely to understand our emotions$ as &e are to understand its44but$ seein7 &hat it had done$ it %roceeded to soothe her >uic"ly. !hat &ould e8%lain &hat ha%%ened and &ould demonstrate$ once a7ain$ the humane nature of the life4form.@ Insi7na &as fro&nin7. ?!he trouble &ith you$ Siever$ is that you have this terrible com%ulsion to thin" 7ood of everyone44and everythin7. I can)t trust your inter%retation.@ ?!rust or not$ you &ill find &e can in no &ay o%%ose Marlene. -hatever she &ants to do$ she &ill do$ and the o%%osition &ill be left behind$ 7as%in7 in %ain or flat4out unconscious.@ Insi7na said$ ?3ut &hat is this life4form1@ ?I don)t "no&$ u7enia.@ ?And &hat fri7htens me more than anythin7$ no&$ is, -hat does it &ant &ith Marlene1@ +enarr shoo" his head. ?I don)t "no&$ u7enia.@ And they stared at each other hel%lessly.

THIRTY-TWO: LOST
I1. Crile .isher &atched the bri7ht star thou7htfully. At first$ it had been too bri7ht to &atch in the ordinary sense. #e had 7lanced at it every once in a &hile and &ould see a bri7ht afterima7e. !essa -endel$ &ho &as in a state of des%air over develo%ments$ had scolded and s%o"en of retinal dama7e$ so he had o%acified the vie&%ort and had brou7ht the bri7htness of the star do&n to 6ust bearable levels. !hat dimmed the other stars to a do&ncast$ tarnished 7litter. !he bri7ht star &as the Sun$ of course. It &as farther a&ay than any human bein7 had ever seen it 9e8ce%t for the %eo%le of (otor on their 6ourney a&ay from the Solar System:. It &as t&ice as far a&ay as one &ould see it from Pluto at its farthest$ so that it sho&ed no orb and shone &ith the a%%earance of a star. Nevertheless$ it &as still a hundred times the bri7htness of the full Moon as seen from arth$ and that hundredfold bri7htness &as condensed and com%acted into one brilliant %oint. No &onder one still couldn)t bear to turn a direct and unflinchin7 7a;e u%on it throu7h an un4o%acified 7lass. It made thin7s different. !he Sun$ ordinarily$ &as nothin7 to &onder at. It &as too bri7ht to loo" at$ too unrivaled in its %osition. !he minor %ortion of its li7ht that &as scattered into blueness by the atmos%here &as sufficient to blan" out the other stars alto7ether$ and even &here the stars &ere not blan"ed out 9as on the Moon$ for instance: they &ere so overridden by the Sun that there &as no thou7ht of com%arison. #ere$ so far out in s%ace$ the Sun had dimmed at least to the %oint &here com%arison &as %ossible. -endel had said that from this vanta7e %oint$ the Sun &as one hundred and si8ty thousand times as bri7ht as Sirius$ &hich &as the ne8t bri7htest ob6ect in the s"y. It &as %erha%s t&enty million times as bri7ht as the dimmest stars he could see by eye. It made the Sun seem more marvelous by com%arison than &hen it shone$ uncom%ared$ in arth)s s"y. Nor did he have much more to do than &atch the s"y$ for the 'uperluminal &as merely driftin7. It had been doin7 that for t&o days 44t&o days of driftin7 throu7h s%ace at mere roc"et velocities. At this s%eed it &ould ta"e thirty4five thousand years to reach the Nei7hbor Star44if they had been headin7 in the ri7ht direction. And they &eren)t. It &as this that had turned -endel$ t&o days earlier$ into a %icture of &hite4faced des%air. 'ntil then$ there had been no trouble. -hen they &ere due to enter hy%ers%ace$ .isher had tensed himself$ fearin7 the %ossible %ain$ the %iercin7 flash of a7ony$ the sudden sur7e of eternal dar"ness. None of that had ha%%ened. It had all been too fast to e8%erience. !hey had entered into and emer7ed from hy%ers%ace in the same instant. !he stars had sim%ly blin"ed into a different %attern &ith no %erce%tible moment in &hich they had lost their first %attern$ yet not 7ained their second. It &as relief in a double sense. Not only &as he still alive$ but he reali;ed that if somethin7 had 7one &ron7 and he had died$ then death &ould have come in such a no4time &ay that he could not %ossibly have e8%erienced death. #e &ould sim%ly have been dead. !he relief &as so "een that he &as scarcely a&are that !essa had let out a 7as% of disturbance and %ain$ and dashed out to the en7ine room &ith an outcry. She came bac" loo"in7 disheveled44not a hair out of %lace$ but loo"in7 internally disheveled. #er eyes &ere &ild and she stared at .isher as thou7h she did not really reco7ni;e him. She said$ ?!he %attern should not have chan7ed.@ ?Shouldn)t it1@ ?-e haven)t moved far enou7h. Or shouldn)t have. Only one and a third milli4li7ht4years. !hat &ould not have been enou7h to alter the star %attern to the unaided eye. #o&ever@44she dre& a dee%$ shudderin7 breath44@it)s not as bad as it mi7ht have been. I thou7ht &e had sli%%ed and moved out thousands of li7ht4years.@ ?-ould that have been %ossible$ !essa1@ ?Of course it &ould have been %ossible. If our %assa7e throu7h hy%ers%ace &eren)t ti7htly controlled$ a thousand li7ht4years is as easy as one.@ ?In that case$ &e can as easily 6ust 7o44@ -endel antici%ated the conclusion. ?No$ &e couldn)t 6ust 7o bac". If our controls &ere that

sli%shod$ every %ass &e &ould ma"e &ould be uncontrolled travel$ endin7 at some random %oint$ and &e)d never find our &ay bac".@ .isher fro&ned. !he eu%horia of havin7 %assed throu7h hy%ers%ace and bac"44and stayed alive44 be7an to lea" a&ay. ?3ut &hen you sent out test ob6ects$ you brou7ht them bac" safely.@ ?!hey &ere far less massive and &ere sent out throu7h far shorter distance. 3ut$ as I said$ it)s not too bad. It turns out &e &ent the correct distance. !he stars are in the correct %attern.@ ?3ut they chan7ed. I sa& them chan7e.@ ?3ecause &e)re oriented differently. !he lon7 a8is of the shi% has veered throu7h an an7le of better than t&enty4ei7ht de7rees. In short$ &e follo&ed a curved %ath rather than a strai7ht one for some reason.@ !he stars$ as seen throu7h the vie&%ort$ &ere movin7 no&$ slo&ly$ steadily. -endel said$ ?-e)re turnin7 to face the Nei7hbor Star a7ain$ 6ust for the %sycholo7ical value of facin7 in the ri7ht direction$ but then &e must find out &hy &e curved in %assa7e.@ !he bri7ht star$ the beacon star$ the star of brilliance entered the vie&%ort and moved across it. .isher blin"ed. ?!hat)s the Sun$@ said -endel$ ans&erin7 .isher)s loo" of astonishment. .isher said$ ? Are there any reasonable e8%lanations &hy the shi% curved in %assa7e1 If (otor also curved$ &ho "no&s &here they ended1@ ?Or &here &e &ill end either. 3ecause I don)t have any reasonable e8%lanation. Not ri7ht no&.@ She loo"ed at him$ clearly troubled. ?If our assum%tions &ere correct$ then &e should have chan7ed %osition but not direction. -e should have moved in a strai7ht line$ a uclidean strai7ht line$ des%ite the relativistic curve of s%ace4time$ because &e &eren)t in s%ace4time$ you see. !here may be a mista"e in the %ro7rammin7 of the com%uter44or a mista"e in our assum%tions. I ho%e the former. !hat can be corrected easily.@ .ive hours %assed. -endel came in$ rubbin7 her eyes. .isher loo"ed u% uncomfortably. #e had been vie&in7 a film$ but had lost interest. #e had then &atched the stars$ allo&in7 the %atterns to hy%noti;e him$ li"e anesthesia. #e said$ ?-ell$ !essa1@ ?Nothin7 &ron7 &ith the %ro7rammin7$ Crile.@ ?!hen the assum%tions must be &ron71@ ?2es$ but in &hat &ay1 !here are an infinite number of assum%tions &e mi7ht ma"e. -hich are correct1 -e can)t try them one after another. -e)d never finish$ and &e)d be ho%elessly lost.@ Silence fell bet&een them for a &hile and then -endel said$ ?If it had been the %ro7rammin7$ it &ould have been a stu%id mista"e. -e &ould have corrected it$ &ithout learnin7 anythin7$ but &e)d have been safe. 3ut no&$ if &e must 7o bac" to fundamentals$ &e have a chance of discoverin7 somethin7 really im%ortant$ but if &e fail$ &e may never find our &ay bac".@ She snatched at .isher)s hand. ?0o you understand$ Crile1 Somethin7 is &ron7 and if &e don)t find out &hat$ there)s no &ay44e8ce%t sheer incredible accident44that &ill allo& us to find our &ay home. No matter ho& &e try$ &e may continue to end u% in the &ron7 %lace$ and find ourselves steadily &ron7er and &ron7er. -hich means death eventually$ &hen our cyclin7 fails$ or our %o&er su%%ly %eters out$ or dee% des%air drains a&ay our ability to live. And it)s I &ho)ve done this to you. 3ut the real tra7edy &ould be the loss of a dream. If &e don)t come bac"$ they)ll never "no& if the shi% &as successful at all. !hey mi7ht conclude the transition &as fatal and they mi7ht never try a7ain.@ ?3ut they must if they e8%ect to esca%e from arth.@ ?!hey may 7ive u%A they may sit co&erin7$ &aitin7 for the Nei7hbor Star to com%lete its a%%roach and %ass on$ and dyin7 bit by bit.@ She loo"ed u%$ her eyes blin"in7 ra%idly$ her face loo"in7 terribly tired. ? And it &ould be the end of your dream$ too$ Crile.@ Crile)s li%s ti7htened$ and he said nothin7. Almost timidly$ -endel said$ ?3ut for years no&$ Crile$ you)ve had me. If your dau7hter44your dream44is 7one$ &as I enou7h1@ ?I mi7ht as", If su%erluminal fli7ht is 7one$ &as I enou7h1@ !here seemed no easy ans&er on either side$ but then -endel said$ ?2ou)re second4best$ Crile$ but it has been a 7ood second4best. !han" you.@ .isher stirred. ?2ou s%ea" for me$ too$ !essa$ somethin7 I &ouldn)t have believed at the start. If I had never had a dau7hter$ there &ould have only been you. I almost &ish44@ ?0on)t &ish that. Second4best is enou7h.@

And they held hands. Cuietly. And 7a;ed out at the stars. 'ntil Merry 3lan"o&it; %o"ed her face throu7h the door&ay. ?Ca%tain -endel$ -u has an idea. #e said he had it all alon7$ but &as reluctant to mention it.@ -endel started to her feet. ?-hy &as he reluctant1@ ?#e said he once su77ested the %ossibility to you$ and you told him not to be a fool.@ ?0id I1 And &hat has convinced him that I)m never &ron71 I)ll listen to it no& and if it)s a 7ood idea$ I)ll brea" his nec" for not forcin7 it on me earlier.@ And she hurried out. ID. .isher could only &ait durin7 the day and a half that follo&ed. !hey all ate to7ether as they al&ays did$ but silently. .isher did not "no& if any of them sle%t. #e sle%t only in snatches$ and &o"e to rene&ed des%air. #o& lon7 can &e 7o on li"e this1 he thou7ht on the second day$ as he loo"ed at the beauty of that unattainable bri7ht dot in the s"y that$ so brief a time a7o$ had &armed him and li7hted his &ay on arth. Sooner or later$ they &ould die. Modern s%ace technolo7y &ould %rolon7 life. (ecyclin7 &as >uite efficient. ven food &ould last a lon7 time if they &ere &illin7 to acce%t the tasteless al7ae ca"e they &ould end u% &ith. !he micro4fusion motors &ould dribble out ener7y for a lon7 time$ too. 3ut surely no one &ould &ant to %rolon7 life throu7h the full time that the shi% &ould ma"e %ossible. -ith a lin7erin7$ dra77in7$ ho%eless$ lonely death finally certain$ the rational &ay out &ould be to use the ad6ustable de4metaboli;ers. !hat &as the %referred method for suicide on arthA &hy should it not be on board shi% as &ell1 2ou could44if you &ished44ad6ust the dose for a full day of reasonably normal life$ live it out as 6oyously as you could44a "no&n last day. At the end of the day$ you &ould 7ro& naturally slee%y. 2ou &ould ya&n and release your hold on &a"efulness$ %assin7 into a %eaceful slee% of restful dreams. !he slee% &ould slo&ly dee%en$ the dreams &ould slo&ly fade$ and you &ould not &a"e u%. No "inder death had ever been invented. And then$ !essa$ 6ust before G P.M.$ shi%4time$ on the second day after the transition that had curved instead of bein7 strai7ht$ burst into the room. #er eyes &ere &ild and she &as breathin7 hard. #er dar" hair$ &hich$ in the last year had become liberally salted &ith 7ray$ &as mussed. .isher rose in consternation. ?3ad1@ ?No$ 7ood<@ she said$ thro&in7 herself into a chair rather than sittin7 do&n. .isher &asn)t sure he had heard correctly$ &asn)t sure that %erha%s she mi7ht only have been s%ea"in7 ironically. #e stared at her and &atched her as she visibly 7athered herself to7ether. ?+ood$@ she re%eated. ?Very 7ood< 8traordinary< Crile$ you)re loo"in7 at an idiot. I don)t su%%ose I)ll ever recover from this.@ ?-ell$ &hat ha%%ened1@ ?Chao4*i -u had the ans&er. #e had it all alon7. #e told me. I remember him tellin7 me. Months a7o. Maybe a year a7o. I dismissed it. I didn)t even listen$ really.@ She %aused to catch her breath. #er e8citement had com%letely disoriented the natural rhythm of her s%eech. She said$ ?!he trouble &as that I thou7ht of myself as the &orld authority on su%erluminal fli7ht$ and &as convinced that no one could %ossibly tell me anythin7 I didn)t "no& or hadn)t thou7ht of. And if someone did su77est somethin7 that seemed stran7e to me$ the idea &as sim%ly &ron7$ and$ %resumably$ idiotic. 0o you "no& &hat I mean1@ .isher said 7rimly$ ?I)ve met %eo%le li"e that.@ ? veryone)s li"e that$ no& and then$@ said -endel$ ?7iven certain conditions. I su%%ose a7in7 scientists are %articularly li"e that. !hat)s &hy the darin7 youn7 revolutionaries of science become old fossils after a fe& decades. !heir ima7inations harden &ith encrusted self4love and that)s their end. It is no& my end....3ut enou7h of that. It too" us over a day to really &or" it out$ to ad6ust the e>uations$ to %ro7ram the com%uter and set u% the necessary simulations$ to 7o do&n blind alleys and catch ourselves. It should have ta"en a &ee"$ but &e &ere all drivin7 each other li"e maniacs.@ -endel %aused here$ as if to catch her breath. .isher &aited for her to continue$ noddin7 encoura7ement as he reached out to 7ras% her hand. ?!his is com%le8$@ she continued. ?*et me try to e8%lain. *oo"44-e 7o from one %oint in s%ace

throu7h hy%ers%ace to another %oint in s%ace in ;ero time. 3ut there)s a %ath &e ta"e to do that$ and it)s a different %ath each time$ de%endin7 on the startin7 and endin7 %oints. -e don)t observe the %ath$ &e don)t e8%erience it$ &e don)t actually follo& it in s%ace4time fashion. It e8ists in a rather incom%rehensible &ay. It)s &hat &e call a Bvirtual %ath.) I &or"ed out that conce%t myself.@ ?If you don)t observe it$ and don)t e8%erience it$ ho& do you "no& it)s there1@ ?3ecause it can be calculated by the e>uations &e use to describe the motion throu7h hy%ers%ace. !he e>uations 7ive us the %ath.@ ?#o& can you %ossibly "no& that the e>uations are describin7 anythin7 that has actual reality1 If could be 6ust44mathematics.@ ?It could be. I thou7ht it &as. I i7nored it. It &as -u &ho su77ested it mi7ht have si7nificance44 maybe a year a7o44and li"e a full47ro&n idiot$ I dismissed it. A virtual %ath$ I said$ had merely virtual e8istence. If it couldn)t be measured$ it &as outside the realm of science. I &as so shortsi7hted. I can)t endure myself &hen I thin" of it.@ ?All ri7ht. Su%%ose the virtual %ath has some sort of e8istence. -hat then1@ ?In that case$ if the virtual %ath is dra&n near a si;able body$ the shi% e8%eriences 7ravitational effects. !hat &as the first breathta"in7ly true and useful ne& conce%t44that 7ravitation can ma"e itself felt alon7 the virtual %ath.@ -endel shoo" her fist an7rily. ?I sa& that myself$ in a &ay$ but I reasoned that since a shi% &ould be movin7 at many times the s%eed of li7ht$ 7ravitation &ould have insufficient time to ma"e itself felt to any measurable e8tent. !ravel &ould therefore be$ by my assum%tion$ in a uclidean strai7ht line.@ ?3ut it &asn)t.@ ?Obviously not. And -u e8%lained it. Ima7ine that the s%eed of li7ht is a ;ero %oint. All s%eeds less than that of li7ht &ould have ne7ative ma7nitude$ and all s%eeds 7reater than that of li7ht &ould have %ositive ma7nitude. In the ordinary 'niverse &e live in$ therefore$ all s%eeds &ould be ne7ative$ by that mathematical convention$ and$ in fact$ must be ne7ative. ?No&$ the 'niverse is built on %rinci%les of symmetry. If somethin7 as fundamental as s%eed of movement is al&ays ne7ative$ then somethin7 else$ 6ust as fundamental$ ou7ht to be al&ays %ositive$ and -u su77ested that that somethin7 else &as 7ravitation. In the ordinary 'niverse$ it is al&ays an attraction. very ob6ect &ith mass attracts every other ob6ect &ith mass. ?#o&ever$ if somethin7 7oes at a su%erluminal s%eed44that is$ faster than li7ht44then its s%eed is %ositive and the other somethin7 that &as %ositive has to become ne7ative. At su%erluminal s%eed$ in other &ords$ 7ravitation is a re%ulsive force. very ob6ect &ith mass re%els every other ob6ect &ith mass. -u su77ested that to me a lon7 time a7o and I &ouldn)t listen. #is &ords 6ust bounced off my eardrums.@ Crile said$ ?3ut &hat)s the difference$ !essa1 -hen &e)re 7oin7 at enormous su%erluminal s%eeds$ and 7ravitational attraction doesn)t have time to affect our motion$ neither &ould 7ravitational re%ulsion.@ ?Ah$ that)s not so$ Crile. !hat)s the beauty of it. !hat reverses$ too. In the ordinary 'niverse of ne7ative s%eeds$ the faster the s%eed relative to an attractive body$ the less 7ravitational attraction affects the direction of movement. In the 'niverse of %ositive s%eeds$ hy%ers%ace$ the faster &e 7o relative to a re%ulsive body$ the more 7ravitational re%ulsion affects the direction of movement. !hat ma"es no sense to us$ since &e)re used to the situation as it e8ists in the ordinary 'niverse$ but once you are forced to chan7e si7ns from %lus to minus and vice versa$ you find these thin7s fallin7 into %lace.@ ?Mathematically. 3ut ho& much can you trust the e>uations1@ ?2ou match your calculations a7ainst the facts. +ravitational attraction is the &ea"est of all the forces and so is the 7ravitational re%ulsion alon7 the virtual %aths. -ithin the shi% and &ithin us$ every %article re%els all other %articles &hile &e are in hy%ers%ace$ but that re%ulsion can do nothin7 a7ainst the other forces that hold it to7ether and have not chan7ed si7ns. #o&ever$ our virtual %ath from Station .our to here carried us close to =u%iter. Its re%ulsion alon7 the virtual hy%ers%atial %ath &as 6ust as intense as its attraction &ould have been alon7 a nonvirtual s%atial %ath. ?-e calculated ho& =u%iter)s 7ravitational re%ulsion &ould affect our %ath throu7h hy%ers%ace$ and that %ath curved e8actly as it had been observed to do. In other &ords$ -u)s modification of my e>uations not only sim%lifies them$ but it ma"es them work. ? .isher said$ ?And did you brea" -u)s nec"$ !essa$ as you %romised you &ould1@ -endel lau7hed$ rememberin7 her threat. ?No$ I didn)t. Actually$ I "issed him.@ ?I don)t blame you.@ ?Of course$ it)s more im%ortant no& than ever that &e 7et bac" safely$ Crile. !his advance in su%erluminal fli7ht must be re%orted$ and -u must be %ro%erly honored. #e built on my &or"$ I admit$ but

he &ent on to do &hat I mi7ht never have thou7ht to do. I mean$ consider the conse>uences.@ ?I can see them$@ said .isher. ?No$ you can)t$@ said -endel shar%ly. ?No&$ listen to me. (otor had no %roblems &ith 7ravitation because they merely s"immed the s%eed of li7ht44a little belo& it at some times$ a little above it at others44 so that 7ravitational effects$ &hether %ositive or ne7ative$ attractive or re%ulsive$ had immeasurably small effects on them. It &as our o&n true su%erluminal fli7hts at many times the s%eed of li7ht that ma"es it im%erative to ta"e 7ravitational re%ulsion into account. My o&n e>uations are useless. !hey &ill 7et shi%s throu7h hy%ers%ace$ but not in the ri7ht direction. And that)s not all. ?I have al&ays thou7ht that there &as a certain unavoidable dan7er in emer7in7 from hy%ers%ace44 the second half of the transition. -hat if you mer7e into an already e8istin7 ob6ect1 !here &ould be a fantastic e8%losion that &ould destroy the shi% and everythin7 in it in a trillionth of a trillionth of a second. ?Naturally$ &e)re not 7oin7 to end u% inside a star because &e "no& &here the stars are located and can avoid them. In time$ &e mi7ht even "no& &here a star)s %lanets are and avoid them$ too. 3ut there are asteroids by the tens of thousands and comets by the tens of billions in the nei7hborhood of every star. If &e end u% overla%%in7 one of those$ that &ould still be deadly. ?!he only thin7 that &ould save us$ in the situation as I had thou7ht it to be before today$ is the la&s of chance. S%ace is so hu7e that the chance of stri"in7 any ob6ect lar7er than an atom or$ at most$ a 7rain of dust is e8traordinarily small. Still$ 7iven enou7h tri%s throu7h hy%ers%ace$ the overla%%in7 of matter is a catastro%he 6ust &aitin7 to ha%%en. ?3ut under conditions as &e no& "no& them to be$ the chances are ;ero. Our shi% and any si;able ob6ect &ould re%el each other and tend to move a%art. -e are not li"ely to run afoul of anythin7 deadly. !hey &ould all automatically move out of our %ath.@ .isher scratched at his forehead. ?-ouldn)t &e move out of our %ath$ too1 -on)t that u%set our course une8%ectedly1@ ?2es$ but the small ob6ects &e are li"ely to encounter &ill alter our %ath in very limited fashion and &e could easily ma"e it u%44a small %rice to %ay for safety.@ -endel too" a dee% breath and stretched lu8uriantly. ?I feel 7reat. -hat a sensation all this &ill ma"e &hen &e 7et bac" to arth.@ .isher chuc"led. ?2ou "no&$ !essa$ before you came in$ I &as buildin7 a morbid %icture in my head of our bein7 irretrievably lostA of our shi% &anderin7 forever$ &ith five dead bodies aboardA of its bein7 found someday by intelli7ent bein7s &ho &ould mourn the obvious s%ace tra7edy44@ ?-ell$ it &on)t ha%%en$ you can count on that$ my dear$@ said -endel$ smilin7$ and they embraced.

THIRTY-THREE: MIND
IE. u7enia Insi7na loo"ed &oebe7one. ?#ave you really decided to 7o out a7ain$ Marlene1@ ?Mother$@ said Marlene &ith &eary %atience$ ?you ma"e it sound as thou7h I)ve come to this decision five minutes a7o after a lon7 %eriod of uncertainty. I)ve been sure for a very lon7 time that out there on rythro is &here I intend to be. I haven)t chan7ed my mind$ and I &on)t chan7e it.@ ?I "no& you)re convinced that you)re safe and I admit that nothin7 has ha%%ened to you so far$ but44@ Marlene said$ ?I feel safe on rythro. I)m drawn to it. 'ncle Siever understands.@ u7enia loo"ed at her dau7hter$ as if to ob6ect once a7ain$ but shoo" her head instead. Marlene)s mind &as made u%$ and she &as not to be sto%%ed. IF. It)s &armer on rythro this time$ Marlene thou7ht$ 6ust &arm enou7h to ma"e the bree;e &elcome. !he 7rayish clouds &ere scuddin7 across the s"y a bit more ra%idly$ and they seemed thic"er. (ain &as %redicted for the ne8t day$ and Marlene thou7ht it mi7ht be nice to be out in the rain and &atch &hat ha%%ened. It should s%lash in the little cree" and ma"e the roc"s &et and turn any soil muddy and mushy. She had come u% to a flat roc" near the cree". She brushed it &ith her hand$ and sat do&n on it carefully$ starin7 at the flo&in7 &ater curlin7 around the roc"s that studded it$ and thin"in7 that the rain &ould feel li"e ta"in7 a sho&er. It &ould be li"e a sho&er comin7 do&n from the &hole s"y$ so that you couldn)t ste% out of it. A thou7ht occurred to her, -ill there be trouble breathin71 No$ that couldn)t be. It rained on arth all time44fre>uently$ any&ay44and she didn)t hear that %eo%le dro&ned in it. No$ it &ould be li"e a sho&er. 2ou could breathe in a sho&er. !he rain &ouldn)t be hot$ thou7h$ and she li"ed hot sho&ers. She thou7ht about it la;ily. It &as very >uiet out here$ and very %eaceful$ and she could rest and there &as no one to see her$ to &atch her$ no one &hom she had to inter%ret. It &as 7reat not to have to inter%ret. -hat tem%erature &ould it be1 !he rain$ that is. -hy shouldn)t it be the same comfortable tem%erature as Nemesis itself1 Of course$ she &ould 7et &et$ and it &as al&ays cold &hen you ste%%ed out of a sho&er all &et. And the rain &ould &et her clothes$ too. 3ut it &ould be silly to &ear clothes in the rain. 2ou didn)t &ear clothes in the sho&er. If it rained$ you &ould ta"e off your clothes. !hat &ould be the only thin7 that made sense. Only44&here did you %ut the clothes1 -hen you sho&ered$ you %ut your clothes iF the cleaner. #ere on rythro$ maybe you could %ut them under a roc"$ or have a little house built$ in &hich you could leave your clothes on a rainy day. After all$ &hy &ear clothes at all if it &ere rainin71 Or if it &ere sunny1 2ou)d &ant to &ear them if it &ere cold$ of course. 3ut on &arm days 3ut then$ &hy did %eo%le &ear clothes on (otor$ &here it &as al&ays &arm and clean1 !hey didn)t at s&immin7 %ools44&hich reminded Marlene that the youn7 %eo%le &ith slim bodies and 7ood sha%es &ere the first ones off &ith their clothes44and the last ones to %ut them on a7ain. And %eo%le li"e Marlene 6ust didn)t ta"e their clothes off in %ublic. Maybe that)s &hy %eo%le &ore clothes. !o hide their bodies. -hy didn)t minds have sha%es you could sho& off1 8ce%t that they did$ and then %eo%le didn)t li"e it. Peo%le li"ed to loo" at sha%ely bodies and turned u% their noses at sha%ely minds. -hy1 3ut here in rythro &ith no %eo%le$ she could ta"e her clothes off &henever it &as mild and be free of them. !here)d be no one to %oint fin7ers or lau7h at her. In fact$ she could do &hatever she &anted because she had a &hole comfortable &orld$ an em%ty &orld$ an all4alone &orld$ to surround her and envelo% her li"e a hu7e soft blan"et enclosin7 her and446ust silence.

She could feel herself lettin7 7o. =ust silence. #er mind &his%ered it$ so that even that &ould interfere as little as %ossible. Silence. And she sat u%ri7ht. Silence1 3ut she had come out to hear the voice a7ain. And not scream this time. Not be afraid. -here &as the voice1 As thou7h she had called it$ as thou7h she had &histled it u% ?Marlene<@ #er heart 7ave a little 6um%. She held herself firm. She mustn)t ma"e any si7n of fri7ht or disturbance. She sim%ly loo"ed around$ and then said$ very calmly$ ?-here are you$ %lease1@ ?It is not44necery4necessary to vi4vibrate the air4tal".@ !he voice &as Aurinel)s$ but it didn)t s%ea" li"e Aurinel at all. It sounded as thou7h tal"in7 &ere difficult$ but as thou7h it &ould 7et better. ?It &ill 7et better$@ said the voice. Marlene had not said anythin7. She did not say anythin7 no&. She merely thou7ht the &ords ?I don)t have to tal". I only need to thin".@ ?2ou only need to ad6ust the %attern. 2ou)re doin7 it.@ ?3ut I hear you tal".@ ?I am ad6ustin7 your %attern. It is as thou7h you hear me.@ Marlene lic"ed her li%s 7ently. She must not allo& herself to be fri7htened$ to be anythin7 but calm. ?!here is nothin7 of &hich44&hom44&hat to be fri7htened$@ said the voice that &as not >uite Aurinel)s voice. She thou7ht$ ?2ou hear everythin7$ don)t you1@ ?0oes that bother you1@ ?2es$ it does.@ ?-hy1@ ?I don)t &ant you to "no& everythin7. I &ant some thou7hts to myself.@ 9She tried not to thin" that that &as ho& others mi7ht react to her$ and &ant to "ee% their feelin7s %rivate$ but the thou7ht$ Marlene "ne&$ &ould lea" out$ the moment she made the effort not to thin" it.: ?3ut your %attern is unli"e the others.@ ?My %attern1@ ?!he %attern of your mind. Others are44tan7led44snarled. 2ours is44s%lendid.@ Marlene lic"ed her li%s a7ain and smiled. -hen her mind &as sensed$ it could be seen to be s%lendid. She felt trium%hant and thou7ht &ith contem%t of the 7irls &ho had only44outsides. !he voice in her mind said$ ?Is that thou7ht %rivate1@ Marlene almost s%o"e aloud. ?2es$ it is.@ ?I can detect a distinction. I &ill not res%ond to your %rivate thou7hts.@ Marlene felt herself hun7erin7 for %raise. ?#ave you seen many %atterns1@ ?I have sensed many$ since you hu4mans thin7s came.@ It &asn)t sure of the &ord$ Marlene thou7ht. !he voice made no res%onse and Marlene &as sur%rised. !he sur%rise had been a %rivate sensation$ no& that she came to thin" of it$ but she hadn)t o%enly mar"ed it to herself as %rivate. Private &as %rivate &hether she thou7ht of it or not$ %erha%s. !he mind had said it could detect the distinction$ and it clearly could. It sho&ed in the %attern. !he voice didn)t res%ond to that either. She &ould have to as" s%ecifically$ to sho& that it &as not a %rivate thou7ht. ?Please$ does it sho& in the %attern1@ She didn)t have to s%ecify. !he voice &ould "no& &hat she &as tal"in7 about. ?It sho&s in the %attern. verythin7 sho&s in your %attern because it is so &ell desi7ned.@ Marlene virtually %urred. She had her %raise. It &ould only be ri7ht to return the com%liment. ?3ut your o&n must be &ell desi7ned$ too.@ ?It is different. My %attern stretches out. It is sim%le in every s%ot and is only com%le8 &hen ta"en to7ether. 2ours is com%le8 to start &ith. !here is no sim%licity in it. And yours is different from the others of your "ind. !he others are44snarled. It is not %ossible to cross4reach &ith them44to communicate. A rearran7ement is dama7in7$ for the %attern is fra7ile. I didn)t "no&. My %attern is not fra7ile.@ ?Is my %attern fra7ile1@ ?No. It ad6usts itself.@

?2ou tried to communicate &ith others$ didn)t you1@ ?2es.@ !he rythro Pla7ue. 9!here &as no res%onse. !he thou7ht &as %rivate.: She closed her eyes$ reachin7 out intently &ith her mind$ tryin7 to locate the source of the outside mind reachin7 her. She &as doin7 it in some &ay she did not understand$ %erha%s doin7 it all &ron7$ %erha%s not doin7 it at all. !he mind mi7ht lau7h at her clumsiness44if it did such a thin7 as lau7h. !here &as no res%onse. Marlene thou7ht$ ?!hin" somethin7.@ Inevitably$ the thou7ht came bac"$ ?-hat shall I thin"1@ It did not come from any&here. It did not come from here or there or else&here. It came from inside her mind. She thou7ht 9an7ered at her o&n insufficiency:$ ?-hen did you sense my mind %attern1@ ?On the ne& container of human bein7s.@ ?On (otor1@ ?On (otor.@ She &as suddenly enli7htened. ?2ou &anted me. 2ou called me.@ ?2es.@ Of course. -hy else had she so &anted to 7o to rythro1 -hy else had she been loo"in7 at rythro so lon7in7ly that day &hen Aurinel came to her to say her mother &as loo"in7 for her1 She clenched her teeth. She must continue as"in7$ ?-here are you1@ ? very&here.@ ?Are you the %lanet1@ ?No.@ ?Sho& yourself.@ ?#ere.@ And suddenly the voice had a direction. She &as starin7 at the cree"$ and she suddenly reali;ed that &hile she had been communicatin7 &ith the voice in her mind$ the cree" had been the only thin7 she had been sensin7. She had not been a&are of anythin7 else around her. It &as as thou7h her mind had enclosed itself$ in order to ma"e it more sensitive to the one thin7 that had filled it. And no& the veil lifted. !he &ater &as movin7 alon7 the roc"s$ bubblin7 over them$ s&irlin7 in a small eddy in a s%ace mar"ed off by several of those bubbles. !he small bubbles turned and bro"e$ even as ne& ones formed$ settin7 u% a %attern that$ in essence$ didn)t chan7e$ and in fine detail &as never re%eated. !hen$ one by one$ the bubbles bro"e noiselessly and the &ater &as flat and featureless$ but still turned. #o& could she see it turn if it &ere featureless1 3ecause it 7listened very sli7htly in the %in" li7ht of Nemesis. It turned and she could see it turn because the shimmers formed arcs that s%iraled as they turned and coalesced. #er eyes &ere cau7ht in it$ slo&ly follo&in7 the turns as they collected into the caricature of a face$ t&o dar" holes for eyes$ a slash for a mouth. It 7re& shar%er$ as she &atched$ fascinated. And it too" on definition and became a face$ starin7 u% at her &ith em%ty eyes$ yet real enou7h to reco7ni;e. It &as the face of Aurinel Pam%as. IG. Siever +enarr said$ thou7htfully and slo&ly$ ma"in7 an effort to treat the matter calmly$ ? And so you left at that time.@ Marlene nodded. ?!he time before I left &hen I heard Aurinel)s voice. !his time I left &hen I sa& Aurinel)s face.@ ?I don)t blame you44@ ?2ou)re humorin7 me$ 'ncle Siever.@ ?-hat should I do1 5ic" you1 *et me humor you44if it %leases me. !he mind$ as you call it$ %ic"ed u% Aurinel)s voice and his face from your mind$ obviously. !hose thin7s must have been very clear in your mind. #o& close &ere you to Aurinel1@ She loo"ed at him sus%iciously. ?-hat do you mean1 #o& close1@ ?I don)t mean anythin7 terrible. -ere you friendly1@ ?2es. Of course.@

?0id you have a crush on him1@ Marlene %aused and her li%s %ressed to7ether. !hen she said$ ?I su%%ose I did.@ ?2ou use the %ast tense. 0on)t you any more1@ ?-ell$ &hat)s the use1 #e 6ust thin"s of me as44a little 7irl. A "id sister$ maybe.@ ?Not entirely an unnatural thou7ht$ under the circumstances. 3ut you still thin" of him44&hich is &hy you)ve con6ured u% his voice$ and then his face.@ ?-hat do you mean Bcon6ured u%)1 It &as a real voice and a real face.@ ?Are you sure1@ ?Of course I am.@ ?#ave you told your mother any of this1@ ?No. Not a &ord.@ ?-hy not1@ ?Oh$ 'ncle Siever. 2ou "no& her. I couldn)t stand all that44nervousness. I "no&. 2ou)re 7oin7 to tell me it)s all out of love$ but that doesn)t ma"e it easier.@ ?2ou)re &illin7 to tell it to me$ Marlene$ and I)m certainly very fond of you.@ ?I "no& that$ 'ncle Siever$ but you)re not the e8citable ty%e. 2ou 6ust loo" at thin7s lo7ically.@ ?Shall I ta"e that as a com%liment1@ ?I mean it as one.@ ?In that case$ let)s loo" at &hat you have found out$ and do it lo7ically. ? ?All ri7ht$ 'ncle Siever.@ ?+ood. !o be7in &ith$ there is somethin7 alive on this %lanet.@ ?2es.@ ?And it)s not the %lanet itself.@ ?No$ definitely not. #e denied that.@ ?3ut it)s one livin7 thin7$ a%%arently.@ ?I 7et the im%ression that he)s one livin7 thin7. !he trouble is$ 'ncle Siever$ that &hat I 7et is not li"e tele%athy is su%%osed to be. It)s not li"e readin7 a mind and 6ust 7ettin7 tal". It)s also im%ressions that come over you all at once$ li"e loo"in7 at a &hole %icture instead of at the little bits of li7ht and dar"ness that ma"e it u%.@ ?And the im%ression is of one livin7 thin7.@ ?2es.@ ?And intelli7ent.@ ?Very intelli7ent.@ ?3ut not technolo7ical. !here is nothin7 technolo7ical that &e)ve ever found on the %lanet. !his livin7 thin7 that is not visible$ not a%%arent$ merely broods over the %lanet44thin"s44reasons44but doesn)t do anythin7. Is that it1@ Marlene hesitated. ?I can)t >uite tell$ but maybe you)re ri7ht.@ ?And then &e came. -hen do you su%%ose that it became a&are that &e had come1@ Marlene shoo" her head. ?I couldn)t say.@ ?-ell$ dear$ it &as a&are of you &hile you &ere still on (otor. It must have become a&are of intelli7ence invadin7 the Nemesian System &hen &e &ere still >uite a &ay off. 0id you 7et that im%ression1@ ?I don)t thin" so$ 'ncle Siever. I think he didn)t "no& about us until &e landed on rythro. !hat attracted his attention and then he loo"ed around and found (otor.@ ?Perha%s you)re ri7ht. !hen it e8%erimented &ith these ne& minds that it sensed on rythro. !hey &ere the first minds not its o&n that it may have ever sensed. #o& lon7 has it lived$ Marlene1 Any idea1@ ?Not really$ 'ncle Siever$ but the impression I 7ot is that he has lived a lon7 time$ maybe nearly as lon7 as the %lanet.@ ?Maybe. In any case$ ho&ever lon7 it has lived$ this &as the first time it ever found itself immersed in many other minds$ far different from its o&n. 0oes that sound ri7ht to you$ Marlene1@ ?2es.@ ?So it e8%erimented &ith these ne& minds and because it "ne& so little about them$ it dama7ed them. !hat &as the rythro Pla7ue.@ ?2es$@ said Marlene &ith sudden animation. ?#e didn)t say anythin7 about the Pla7ue directly$ but the im%ression &as stron7. !hat ori7inal e8%erimentation &as the cause.@ ?And &hen it reali;ed that it &as causin7 dama7e$ it sto%%ed.@

?2es$ that)s &hy &e don)t have rythro Pla7ue no&.@ .$ And from that it &ould seem that this mind is benevolent$ that it has a sense of ethics &e can a%%rove of$ that it doesn)t &ish to harm other minds.@ ?2es<@ said Marlene &ith deli7ht. ?I)m sure of that.@ ?3ut &hat is this life4form1 Is it a s%irit1 Somethin7 immaterial1 Somethin7 beyond our senses1@ ?I can)t say$ 'ncle Siever$@ si7hed Marlene. +enarr said$ ?-ell$ let me re%eat &hat it told you. Sto% me if I)m &ron7. It said its %attern Bstretches out)A that it is Bsim%le in every s%ot and is com%le8 only ta"en to7ether)A that it is Bnot fra7ile.) Am I ri7ht1@ ?2es$ you are.@ ?And the only life &e have ever found on rythro are the %ro"aryotes$ the tiny bacteria4li"e cells. If I don)t &ant somethin7 that)s s%iritual and immaterial$ I)m stuc" &ith those %ro"aryotes. Is it %ossible that those little cells$ &hich seem se%arate$ are actually %art of one &orld47irdlin7 or7anism1 !he mind %attern &ould then be stretched out. It &ould be sim%le in every s%ot and &ould be com%le8 only &hen ta"en to7ether. And it &ould not be fra7ile$ for even if lar7e sections of it &ere "illed$ the &orld or7anism &ould scarcely be touched as a &hole.@ Marlene stared at +enarr. ?2ou mean I)ve been tal"in7 to 7erms1@ ?I can)t say certainly$ Marlene. It)s only a hy%othesis$ but it fits beautifully and I can)t thin" of anythin7 else that &ould e8%lain it as &ell. 3esides$ Marlene$ if &e loo"ed at the hundred billion cells that ma"e u% your brain$ each one of them$ ta"en by itself$ isn)t really very much. 2ou are an or7anism in &hich all the brain cells are clum%ed to7ether. If you tal" to another in &hich all the brain cells are se%arate and lin"ed$ let us say$ by tiny radio &aves$ is that so very different1@ ?I don)t "no&$@ said Marlene$ obviously disturbed. ?3ut let)s as" another >uestion$ one that is very im%ortant. -hat does this life4form44&hatever it is44&ant &ith you1@ Marlene loo"ed startled. ?#e can tal" to me$ 'ncle Siever. #e can transfer ideas to me.@ ?2our su77estion$ then$ is that it 6ust &ants someone to tal" to1 0o you su%%ose that once &e humans came$ it reali;ed for the first time that it &as lonely1@ ?I don)t "no&.@ ?No im%ressions to that effect1@ ?No.@ ?It could destroy us.@ +enarr &as tal"in7 to himself no&. ?It could destroy us &ithout trouble if it 7re& tired of you$ or bored &ith you.@ No$ 'ncle Siever.@ +enarr said$ ?3ut it definitely hurt me &hen I &ished to 7et in the &ay of your connection &ith the mind of the %lanet. It hurt 0r. 0) Aubisson$ your mother$ and a 7uard.@ ?2es$ but he hurt you all &ith only 6ust enou7h force to sto% you from interferin7 &ith me. #e did no further dama7e.@ ?It 7oes to all these len7ths to have you outside on the surface 6ust so that it can tal" to you$ and have com%anionshi%. Someho& that doesn)t seem to be enou7h of a reason.@ Marlene said$ ?Perha%s the reason is somethin7 &e can)t understand. Perha%s he has so different a mind that he couldn)t e8%lain his reason$ or$ if he did$ that it &ould ma"e no sense to us.@ ?3ut its mind is not so different that it can)t converse &ith you. It does receive ideas from you and transmit other ideas to you$ doesn)t it1 2ou t&o do communicate.@ ?2es.@ ?And it understands you &ell enou7h to try to ma"e itself seem %leasant to you by ta"in7 on Aurinel)s voice and face.@ Marlene)s head bent and she fi8ed her eyes on the floor in front of her. +enarr said softly$ ?So since it understands us$ &e may be able to understand it$ and$ if so$ you must find out &hy it &ants you so. It could be very im%ortant to find that out$ for &ho "no&s &hat it is %lannin71 -e have no &ay of findin7 out e8ce%t throu7h you$ Marlene.@ Marlene &as tremblin7. ?I don)t "no& ho& to do that$ 'ncle Siever.@ ?=ust do as you have been doin7. !he mind seems friendly to you$ and it may e8%lain.@ Marlene loo"ed u% and studied +enarr. She said$ ?2ou)re afraid$ 'ncle Siever.@ ?Of course. -e)re dealin7 &ith a mind far more %o&erful than ours. It may$ if it decides it doesn)t &ant us$ do a&ay &ith us all.@

?I don)t mean that$ 'ncle Siever. 2ou)re afraid for me. +enarr hesitated. ?Are you still sure that you)re safe on rythro$ Marlene1 Are you safe tal"in7 to this mind1@ Marlene rose to her feet and said$ almost hau7htily$ ?Of course I am. !here is no ris". #e &ill not hurt me.@ She sounded su%remely confident$ but +enarr)s heart san". -hat she thou7ht scarcely counted$ for her mind had been ad6usted by the mind of rythro. Could he trust her no&1 he &ondered. After all$ &hy should this mind built u% of %ro"aryotes in their trillion trillion not have an a7enda of its o&n$ as$ for instance$ Pitt had1 And &hy shouldn)t this mind$ in its an8iety to fulfill that a7enda$ sho& all the du%licity of Pitt1 In short$ &hat if the mind &ere lyin7 to Marlene for reasons of its o&n1 -as he ri7ht to send Marlene out to that mind under such conditions1 3ut did it matter &hether he &as ri7ht or not1 #ad he a choice1

THIRTY-FOUR: CLOSE
IH. ?Perfect$@ said !essa -endel. ?Perfect$ %erfect$ %erfect.@ She made a 7esture as thou7h she &ere nailin7 somethin7 to the &all$ firmly and hard. ?Perfect.@ Crile .isher "ne& &hat she &as tal"in7 about. !&ice$ in t&o different directions$ they had %assed throu7h hy%ers%ace. !&ice Crile had &atched the %attern of stars chan7e some&hat. !&ice he had searched out the Sun$ findin7 it a bit dimmer the first time$ a bit bri7hter the second. #e &as be7innin7 to feel li"e an old hy%ers%atial "noc"about. #e said$ ?!he Sun isn)t botherin7 us$ I ta"e it.@ ?Oh$ it is$ but in a %erfectly calculable &ay$ so that the %hysical interference is a %sycholo7ical %leasure44if you "no& &hat I mean.@ .isher said$ %layin7 the devil)s advocate$ ?!he Sun)s %retty far a&ay$ you "no&. !he 7ravitational effect must be %retty close to ;ero.@ ?Certainly$@ said -endel$ ?but %retty close to ;ero isn)t ;ero. !he effect is measurable. !&ice &e %assed throu7h hy%ers%ace$ &ith the virtual %ath first a%%roachin7 the Sun obli>uely and then recedin7 at another an7le. -u did the calculations beforehand$ and the %ath &e too" fit those calculations to all the decimal %oints &e could reasonably as". !he man)s a 7enius. #e &eaves shortcuts into the com%uter %ro7ram in a fashion you &ouldn)t believe.@ ?I)m sure$@ murmured .isher. ?So there)s no >uestion no&$ Crile. -e can be at the Nei7hbor Star by tomorro&. 3y today44if &e)re really in a hurry. Not very close$ of course. -e may have to coast in&ard to&ard the star for a reasonable %eriod of time$ as a %recautionary measure. 3esides$ &e don)t "no& the mass of the Nei7hbor Star &ith sufficient %recision to ta"e too many chances on a really close a%%roach. -e don)t &ant to be hurled off une8%ectedly and have to &or" our &ay bac".@ She shoo" her head admirin7ly$ ?!hat -u. I)m so %leased &ith him$ I can)t be7in to describe it.@ .isher said cautiously$ ? Are you sure you don)t feel a little annoyed1@ ?Annoyed1 -hy1@ She stared at .isher in sur%rise$ then said$ ?0o you thin" I ou7ht to be 6ealous1@ ?-ell$ I don)t "no&. Is there a chance that Chao4*i -u &ill 7et the credit for &or"in7 out su%erluminal fli7ht44I mean$ the true details of it44and that you)ll be for7otten$ or remembered only as a forerunner1@ ?No$ not at all$ Crile. It)s nice of you to &orry on my behalf$ but matters are secure. My &or" is recorded in full detail. !he basic mathematics of su%erluminal fli7ht are mine. !he en7ineerin7 details I have also contributed to$ althou7h others &ill 7et the ma6or credit for desi7nin7 the shi%$ and should. -hat -u has done has been to add a correction factor to the basic e>uations. #i7hly im%ortant$ of course$ and &e can no& see that su%erluminal fli7ht &ouldn)t be %ractical &ithout it$ but it)s 6ust the icin7 on the ca"e. !he ca"e is still mine.@ ?.ine. If you)re sure of that$ I)m ha%%y.@ ?As a matter of fact$ Crile$ I)m ho%in7 -u &ill no& ta"e the lead in develo%in7 su%erluminal fli7ht. !he fact is$ I)m %ast my best years44scientifically$ that is. Only scientifically$ Crile.@ .isher 7rinned. ?I "no& that.@ ?3ut scientifically$ I am over the hill. !he &or" I)ve done has been the minin7 of the conce%ts I had &hen I &as a 7raduate student. It)s been a matter of about t&enty4five years of dra&in7 conclusions$ and I)ve 7one about as far as I can 7o. -hat)s needed are brand4ne& conce%ts$ entirely ne& thou7hts$ a branchin7 off into uncharted territory. I can)t do that any more.@ ?Come$ !essa$ don)t underrate yourself.@ ?!hat)s never been one of my faults$ Crile. Ne& thou7hts are &hat &e need youth for. It)s not 6ust youn7 brains that youn7 %eo%le have$ it)s new brains. -u has a 7enome that has never a%%eared in humanity before. #e)s had e8%eriences that are crucially his44no one else)s. #e can have ne& thou7hts. Of course$ he bases them on &hat I have done before him$ and he o&es a 7reat deal to my teachin7. #e)s a student of mine$ Crile$ a child of my intellect. All that he does &ell reflects &ell on me. =ealous of him1 I

7lory in him. -hat)s the matter$ Crile. 2ou don)t loo" ha%%y.@ ?I)m ha%%y if you are$ !essa$ no matter ho& I loo". !he trouble is that I have the feelin7 you)re feedin7 me the theory of scientific advance. -eren)t their cases in the history of science$ as in everythin7 else$ &here 6ealousy e8isted$ and &here teachers detested their students for sur%assin7 them1@ ?Certainly. I could >uote you half a do;en notorious cases ri7ht off the to% of my head$ but those are rare e8ce%tions and the fact is that I don)t feel that &ay ri7ht no&. I don)t say that it isn)t conceivable that I may at some time lose %atience &ith -u and the 'niverse$ but it isn)t ha%%enin7 at the moment$ and I intend to savor this moment &hile it44Oh$ no& &hat1@ She %ushed the ?(eceive@ contact and Merry 3lan"o&it;)s youn7 face a%%eared trimensionally in the transmitter. ?Ca%tain$@ she said hesitantly. ?-e)re havin7 a discussion out here and I &onder if &e can consult you.@ ?Is somethin7 &ron7 &ith the fli7ht1@ ?No$ Ca%tain. It)s 6ust a discussion over strate7y.@ ?I see. -ell$ you needn)t file in here. I)ll come out to the en7ine room.@ -endel blan"ed out the face. .isher muttered$ ?3lan"o&it; doesn)t usually sound that serious. -hat)s bu77in7 them$ do you su%%ose1@ ?I)m not 7oin7 to s%eculate. I)ll 7o out there and find out.@ And she motioned .isher to follo&. II. !here &ere the three of them$ sittin7 in the en7ine room$ all of them &ith seats carefully on the floor$ des%ite the fact that they &ere under ;ero47ravity at the moment. !hey mi7ht 6ust as &ell have been sittin7 each on a different &all$ but that &ould have detracted from the seriousness of the situation$ and it &ould have sho&n disres%ect for the office of Ca%tain$ besides. !here &as a com%le8 system of eti>uette that had lon7 been develo%ed for ;ero47ravity. -endel did not li"e ;ero47ravity and if she had &anted to %ush her Ca%tain)s %rivile7es$ she could have insisted on the shi% bein7 in rotation at all times to %roduce a centrifu7al effect that &ould have %roduced some feelin7 of 7ravity. She "ne& %erfectly &ell that com%utin7 a fli7ht %ath &as easier &hen the shi% &as at rest$ both translationally and rotationally$ &ith res%ect to the 'niverse as a &hole$ but calculatin7 it under constant rotational velocity didn)t raise the difficulty to too hi7h a level. Nevertheless$ to insist on such motion &ould have been disres%ectful to the %erson at the com%uter. ti>uette a7ain. !essa -endel too" her seat$ and Crile .isher could not hel% but notice 9&ith a secret$ in7ro&n smile: that she lurched sli7htly. .or all her Settlement bac"7round$ she had clearly never 7otten her s%ace le7s. #e himself 9and there &as another secret smile44of satisfaction$ this time:$ for all that he &as an arthman$ could move about in ;ero47ravity as thou7h he &ere born to it. Chao4*i -u too" a dee% breath. #e had a broad face44the ty%e that loo"ed li"e it belon7ed &ith a short body$ but he &as taller than avera7e$ &hen he stood u%. #is hair &as dar" and %erfectly strai7ht and his eyes &ere mar"edly narro&. #e said softly$ ?Ca%tain.@ -endel said$ ?-hat is it$ Chao4*i1 If you tell me some %roblem has develo%ed in the %ro7rammin7$ I may be tem%ted to cho"e you.@ ?No %roblem$ Ca%tain. No %roblem at all. In fact$ there is such an absence of %roblems that it stri"es me that &e)re throu7h and should 7o bac" to arth. I &ould li"e to su77est that.@ ?3ac" to arth1@ -endel had %aused before she said that$ had ta"en the time to loo" a little stu%efied. ?-hy1 -e haven)t accom%lished our tas" yet.@ ?I thin" &e have$ Ca%tain$@ said -u$ his face 7ro&in7 e8%ressionless. ?-e 6ust didn)t "no& &hat our tas" &as$ to be7in &ith. -e have &or"ed out a %ractical system of su%erluminal fli7ht$ and &e didn)t have that &hen &e left arth.@ ?I "no& that$ but &hat of it1@ ?And &e don)t have any means of communication &ith arth. If &e 7o on no& to the Nei7hbor Star and if somethin7 ha%%ens to us$ if somethin7 7oes &ron7$ arth &ill not have %ractical su%erluminal fli7ht and there is no tellin7 &hen they &ill. !his could have a serious affect on arth)s evacuation as the Nei7hbor Star a%%roaches. I feel that it is im%ortant that &e 7o bac" and e8%lain &hat &e)ve learned.@

-endel had listened 7ravely. ?I see. And you$ =arlo&$ &hat are your vie&s on this1@ #enry =arlo& &as tall and blond and dour. !here &as a settled melancholy on his face that 7ave a totally &ron7 im%ression of his character$ and his lon7 fin7ers 9&hich had nothin7 a%%arently delicate about them: &ere ma7ic &hen they &or"ed &ith the interior of com%uters or &ith almost any instrument on board. #e said$ ?I thin" -u ma"es sense$ fran"ly. If &e had su%erluminal communication$ &e)d 7et the information bac" to arth that &ay and 7o on. -hat &ould ha%%en to us after that &ould be of no im%ortance e8ce%t to us. As it is$ &e can)t sit on the 7ravitational correction.@ ?And you$ 3lan"o&it;1@ as"ed -endel >uietly. Merry 3lan"o&it; stirred uneasily. She &as a small youn7 &oman and her lon7 dar" hair &as cut strai7ht across$ 6ust over her eyebro&s. 3et&een that and the delicacy of her bone structure and her >uic"$ nervous movements$ she loo"ed li"e a miniature Cleo%atra. She said$ ?I don)t really "no&. I don)t have very definite feelin7s about this$ but the men seem to have tal"ed me into it. 0on)t you thin" it)s im%ortant to 7et the information to arth1 -e)ve &or"ed out crucial effects on this tri% and &e need more and better shi%s$ &ith com%uters desi7ned to ta"e the 7ravitational correction into account. -e)ll be able to ma"e a sin7le transition bet&een the Solar System and the Nei7hbor Star and do it under stron7er 7ravitational intensities so that &e can start closer to the Sun and end closer to the Nei7hbor Star and not have to s%end &ee"s of coastin7 at both ends. It seems to me that arth has to "no& about this.@ -endel said$ ?I see. !he &hole %oint seems to me to be &hether it &ouldn)t be &ise to 7et the information of the 7ravitational correction bac" to arth ri7ht no&. -u$ is that really as essential as you ma"e it a%%ear1 2ou didn)t 7et the idea for the correction here on the shi%. It seems to me that you discussed it &ith me months a7o.@ She thou7ht a moment. ? Almost a year a7o.@ ?-e didn)t really discuss it$ Ca%tain. 2ou &ere im%atient &ith me$ as I recall$ and &ouldn)t really listen.@ ?2es$ I)ve admitted I &as mista"en. 3ut you did &rite it do&n. I told you to ma"e u% a formal re%ort and that I &ould 7o over it &hen I had time.@ She held u% a hand. ?I "no& I never had time to 7o over it$ and I don)t even recall if I received it$ but I ima7ine$ -u$ that you 44bein7 you44&ould have %re%ared the re%ort in some detail$ and &ith all the reasonin7 and mathematics anyone could &ant. 0idn)t you do that$ -u$ and isn)t that re%ort in the records1@ -u)s li%s seemed to ti7hten$ but his tone of voice did not alter in any &ay. ?2es$ I %re%ared the re%ort$ but it &as 6ust s%eculation$ and I don)t su%%ose anyone else &ill %ay any attention to it44any more than you did$ Ca%tain.@ ?-hy not1 Not everyone is as stu%id as I am$ -u.@ ? ven if they %aid attention$ it &ould still be nothin7 more than s%eculation. -hen &e 7o bac"$ &e &ill be able to %resent %roof.@ ?Once the s%eculation e8ists$ someone &ill 7et the %roof. 2ou "no& ho& science &or"s.@ -u said in a slo& and si7nificant tone$ 'omeone. ?No& &e have the nature of your concern$ -u. 2ou)re not &orried that arth &on)t obtain a %ractical method of su%erluminal fli7ht. 2ou are &orried that they &ill$ but that the credit &ill not be yours. Isn)t that ri7ht1@ ?Ca%tain$ there)s nothin7 &ron7 &ith that. A scientist has every ri7ht to be concerned over matters of %riority.@ -endel %ositively smoldered. ?#ave you for7otten that I am the Ca%tain of this shi% and ma"e the decisions1@ ?I haven)t for7otten that$@ said -u$ ?but this is not a sailin7 vessel of the ei7hteenth century. -e are all scientists$ %rimarily$ and &e must ma"e decisions in some sort of democratic fashion. If the ma6ority &ishes to return44@ ?-ait$@ said .isher shar%ly$ ?before this continues$ do you mind if I say somethin71 I)m the only one &ho hasn)t s%o"en and if &e)re 7oin7 to be democratic$ I &ould li"e to ta"e my turn on the floor. May I$ Ca%tain1@ ?+o ahead$@ said -endel$ her ri7ht hand clenchin7 and unclenchin7 as thou7h it 6ust lon7ed to 7rab someone by the throat. .isher said$ ?=ust about seven and a half centuries a7o$ Christo%her Columbus sailed &est&ard from S%ain and$ eventually$ discovered America$ thou7h he himself never "ne& that that &as &hat he had done. n route$ he made the discovery that the deviation of the ma7netic com%ass from the true north$ the

so4called Bma7netic declination$) chan7ed &ith lon7itude. !his &as an im%ortant findin7 and &as$ in fact$ the first %urely scientific discovery made in the course of a sea voya7e. ?No&$ ho& many "no& that Columbus discovered the variation of ma7netic declination1 Virtually no one. #o& many "no& that Columbus discovered America1 Virtually everyone. So su%%ose that Columbus$ on discoverin7 the variation$ decided$ mid&ay$ to 7o home and ma"e the 7lad announcement to 5in7 .erdinand and Cueen Isabella$ %reservin7 his %riority as the discoverer of the %henomenon1 !hat discovery mi7ht conceivably have been 7reeted &ith interest and the monarchs mi7ht eventually have sent out another e8%edition headed$ let us say$ by Ameri7o Ves%ucci$ &ho &ould then have reached America. In that case$ &ho &ould remember that Columbus had made some sort of discovery about the com%ass1 Virtually no one. -ho &ould remember that Ves%ucci had discovered America1 Virtually everyone. ?So do you really &ant to 7o bac"1 !he discovery of the 7ravitational correction &ill$ I assure you$ be remembered by a fe& as a small side effect of su%erluminal travel. 3ut the cre& of the ne8t e8%edition that &ill actually reach the Nei7hbor Star$ &ill be hailed as the first to reach a star by su%erluminal fli7ht. 2ou three$ even you$ -u$ &ill scarcely be &orth a footnote. ?2ou mi7ht thin" that$ as a re&ard for this 7reat discovery that -u has made$ it &ill be you that &ill be sent out on a second e8%edition$ but I)m afraid not. 2ou see$ I7or 5oro%ats"y$ &ho is the 0irector of the !errestrial 3oard of In>uiry and &ho is &aitin7 for us bac" on arth$ is %articularly interested in information on the Nei7hbor Star and its %lanetary system. #e &ill e8%lode li"e 5ra"atoa &hen he finds out that &e &ere &ithin reach of it and turned bac". And of course$ Ca%tain -endel &ill be forced to e8%lain that you three had mutinied$ &hich is an e8tremely serious offense$ even if &e are not an ei7hteenth4century sailin7 vessel. .ar from 7oin7 out on the ne8t e8%edition$ you &ill never see the inside of a laboratory a7ain. Count on it. -hat you may see$ des%ite your scientific eminence$ is the inside of a 6ail. 0on)t underestimate 5oro%ats"y)s fury. ?So thin" about it$ you three. On to the Nei7hbor Star1 Or bac" home1@ !here &as a silence. .or a &hile$ no one said anythin7. ?-ell$@ said -endel harshly$ ?I thin" that .isher has e8%lained the situation very clearly. 0oesn)t anyone have anythin7 to say1@ 3lan"o&it; said in a lo& voice$ ? Actually$ I never thou7ht it throu7h. I thin" &e ou7ht to 7o on.@ =arlo& 7runted. ?I thin" so$ too.@ -endel said$ ?-hat about you$ Chao4*i -u1@ -u shru77ed. ?I &ouldn)t stand a7ainst the rest.@ ?I)m 7lad to hear that. !his incident is for7otten as far as the arth authorities &ill be concerned$ but there had better be no re%etition$ no further action of any "ind that could be considered mutinous.@ IJ. 3ac" in their o&nL>uarters$ .isher said$ ?2ou don)t mind$ I ho%e$ that I interfered. I &as afraid you &ould e8%lode to no effect.@ ?No$ it &as 7ood. I &ouldn)t have thou7ht of the Columbus analo7y$ &hich &as %erfect. !han" you$ Crile.@ She too" his hand and s>uee;ed it. #e smiled briefly. ?I had to 6ustify my %resence on board shi% someho&.@ ?2ou more than 6ustified it. And you have no idea ho& dis7usted I &as$ to have -u act as he did &hen I had 6ust finished tellin7 you ho& ha%%y I &as over his findin7s$ and over the credit he &ould 7et. I &as feelin7 noble over my &illin7ness to share credit$ over the ethics of scientific research that 7ives to each his fair due$ and then he %uts his %rivate %ride ahead of the %ro6ect.@ ?-e)re all human$ !essa.@ ?I "no&. And seein7 that the man)s interior has its ethical dar" s%ots doesn)t alter the fact that he has a scientific mind that is fearfully shar%.@ ?I)m afraid I)d have to admit that my o&n ar7uments &ere based on %rivate desires rather than the %ublic 7ood$ so to s%ea". I &ant to 7o to the Nei7hbor Star for reasons that have nothin7 to do &ith the %ro6ect.@ ?I understand that. I am still 7rateful.@ It embarrassed .isher that there &ere tears in her eyes and that she had to blin" them a&ay. #e "issed her.

IK. It &as 6ust a star$ too faint yet to stand out in any &ay. In fact$ Crile .isher &ould have lost it &ere it not for the fact that he had %unched in the net&or" that ;eroed in on it in concentric circles and radii. ?It loo"s disa%%ointin7ly li"e a star$ doesn)t it1@ said .isher$ his face ta"in7 on the moroseness it seemed to have &hen he let it fall into its natural lines. Merry 3lan"o&it;$ &ho &as the only one &ith him at the observation %anel$ said$ ?!hat)s all it is$ Crile. A star.@ ?I mean it looks li"e a faint star44and &e)re so close.@ ?Close in a manner of s%ea"in7. -e)re still a tenth of a li7ht4year a&ay$ &hich is not really close. It)s 6ust that the Ca%tain)s cautious. I)d have dra77ed the 'uperluminal in a lot closer. I &ish &e &ere a lot closer ri7ht no&. I can hardly &ait.@ ?3efore this last transition$ you &ere set to 7o home$ Merry.@ ?Not really. !hey 6ust tal"ed me into it. Once you made your little s%eech$ I felt li"e a com%lete 6ac"ass. I too" it for 7ranted that if &e returned$ &e)d all 7o bac" a second time$ but$ of course$ you really clarified the situation. Oh$ but I &ant to use the N0 so badly.@ .isher "ne& &hat the N0 &as. It &as the neuronic detector. #e felt the stirrin7 himself. !o detect intelli7ence &ould be to "no& they had come u%on somethin7 that &as infinitely more im%ortant than all metals$ roc"s$ ices$ and va%ors they could other&ise discover. #e said hesitantly$ ?Can you tell at this distance1@ She shoo" her head. ?No. -e)d have to be a lot closer. And &e can)t 6ust coast in from this distance. It &ould ta"e us about a year. Once the Ca%tain is satisfied &ith &hat &e can find out about the Nei7hbor Star from here$ &e)ll ma"e another transition. -hat I e8%ect is that in t&o days at the most$ &e)ll be &ithin a cou%le of astronomic units of the Nei7hbor Star$ and then I can start ma"in7 observations and be useful. It)s a dra7 feelin7 li"e a dead&ei7ht.@ ?2es$@ said .isher dryly$ ?I "no&.@ A loo" of concern crossed 3lan"o&it;)s face. ?I)m sorry$ Crile. I &asn)t referrin7 to you.@ ?2ou mi7ht as &ell have been. I mi7ht not be of any use no matter ho& close &e come to the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?2ou &ill be useful if &e detect intelli7ence. 2ou)ll be able to tal" to them. 2ou)re a (otorian$ and &e)ll need that.@ .isher smiled 7rimly. ?A (otorian for 6ust a fe& years.@ ?!hat)s enou7h isn)t it1@ ?-e)ll see.@ #e chan7ed the sub6ect deliberately. ?Are you sure the neuronic detector &ill &or"1@ ?Absolutely sure. -e could follo& any Settlement in orbit 6ust by its radiation of %le8ons.@ ?-hat are %le8ons$ Merry1@ ?=ust a name I made u%$ for the %hoton4com%le8 characteristic of mammalian brains. -e could detect horses$ you "no&$ if &e)re not too far a&ay$ but &e can detect human brains in masses at astronomic distances.@ ?-hy %le8ons1@ ?.rom Bcom%le8ity.) Someday44you)ll see44someday they)re 7oin7 to be &or"in7 on %le8ons not 6ust to detect life but to study the intimate functionin7 of the brain. I)ve made u% a name for that$ too44B%le8o%hysiolo7y.) Or maybe B%le8oneuronics.) @ .isher said$ ?0o you consider names im%ortant1@ ?2es$ indeed. It 7ives you a &ay of s%ea"in7 concisely. 2ou don)t have to say$ Bthat field of science that involves the relationshi% of this and that.) 2ou 6ust say B%le8oneuronics)44yes$ that sounds better. It)s a shortcut. It saves your thin"in7 time for more im%ortant sub6ects. 3esides44@ She hesitated. ?3esides1 2es1@ !he &ords came in a rush. ?If I ma"e u% a name and it stic"s$ that alone &ould 7et me a footnote in the history of science. 2ou "no&$ B!he &ord ?%le8on@ &as first introduced by Merrilee Au7ina 3lan"o&it; in DDEI on the occasion of the %ioneer faster4than4li7ht fli7ht of the 'uperluminal. B I)m not li"ely to be mentioned any&here else$ or for any other reason$ and I)ll settle for that.@ .isher said$ ?-hat if you detect your %le8ons$ Merry$ and there are no human bein7s %resent1@ ?2ou mean alien life1 !hat &ould be even more e8citin7 than detectin7 %eo%le. 3ut there)s not much chance$ really. -e)ve been disa%%ointed over and over a7ain. -e thou7ht there mi7ht be at least %rimitive forms of life on the Moon$ on Mars$ on Callisto$ on !itan. It never came to anythin7. Peo%le have

s%eculated on all "inds of &eird life4livin7 7ala8ies$ livin7 dust clouds$ life on the surface of a neutron star$ all sorts of thin7s. !here)s no evidence for any of it. No$ if I detect anythin7$ it &ill be human life. I)m convinced of that.@ ?-ouldn)t you be detectin7 the %le8ons emitted by the five %eo%le on the shi%1 -ouldn)t &e dro&n out anythin7 &e can s%ot at millions of "ilometers of distance1@ ?!hat is a com%lication$ Crile. -e have to balance the N0 so that &e five are canceled out and it has to be delicately done. ven a little lea"a7e &ould &i%e out anythin7 &e could detect else&here. Someday$ Crile$ automated N0s &ill be sent throu7h hy%ers%ace to all sorts of %laces to detect %le8ons. !here)ll be no human bein7s in their vicinity and that alone &ould ma"e them at least a cou%le of orders of ma7nitude more sensitive than anythin7 &e can do no&$ &ith ourselves han7in7 around and havin7 to be allo&ed for. -e)ll find out &here intelli7ence e8ists lon7 before &e a%%roach any%lace ourselves.@ Chao4*i -u made his a%%earance. #e loo"ed at .isher &ith a touch of distaste and said indifferently$ ?#o&)s the Nei7hbor Star1@ 3lan"o&it; said$ ?Nothin7 much at this distance.@ ?-ell$ &e)ll %robably be ma"in7 another transition tomorro& or the ne8t day$ and then &e)ll see.@ 3lan"o&it; said$ ?It &ill be e8citin7$ &on)t it1@ -u said$ ?It &ill be44if &e find the (otorians.@ #e 7lanced at .isher. ?3ut &ill &e1@ If that &ere a >uestion directed to .isher$ he did not res%ond to it. #e merely stared at -u e8%ressionlessly. -ill &e1 .isher thou7ht. !he lon7 &ait &ould be over soon.

THIRTY-FIVE CONVERGING
J0. As noted before$ =anus Pitt did not often allo& himself the lu8ury of self4%ity. In anyone else$ he &ould consider such a thin7 a des%icable si7n of &ea"ness and self4indul7ence. !here &ere$ ho&ever$ times &hen he sadly rebelled at the fact that the %eo%le of (otor &ere only too &illin7 to leave all of the un%leasant decisions to him. !here &as a Council$ yes44duly elected$ and meticulously involved in %assin7 la&s and in ma"in7 decisions44all but the im%ortant ones$ the ones that dealt &ith the future of (otor. !hat &as left to him. It &as not even consciously left to him. !he matters of im%ortance &ere sim%ly i7nored$ sim%ly rendered none8istent by mutual uns%o"en a7reement. #ere they &ere in an em%ty system$ leisurely buildin7 ne& Settlements$ absently convinced that time stretched infinitely before them. very&here &as the calm assum%tion that once they had filled this ne& asteroid belt 97enerations from no&$ and a matter of no immediate concern to anyone %resently alive: the hy%er4assistance techni>ue &ould have im%roved to the %oint &here it &ould be com%aratively easy to see" out and occu%y ne& %lanets. !ime e8isted in %lenty. !ime blended into eternity. Only to Pitt himself &as it left to consider the fact that time &as short$ that at any 7iven moment$ &ithout &arnin7$ time mi7ht come to an end. -hen &ould Nemesis be discovered bac" in the Solar System1 -hen &ould some Settlement decide to follo& (otor)s lead1 It had to come someday. -ith Nemesis ine8orably movin7 in the direction of the Sun$ it &ould eventually reach that %oint44still far distant$ of course$ but close enou7h44at &hich the %eo%le of the Solar System &ould have to be blind not to see it. Pitt)s com%uter$ &ith the aid of a %ro7rammer &ho &as convinced he &as &or"in7 out a %roblem of academic interest only$ had estimated that by the end of a thousand years$ the discovery of Nemesis &ould be inevitable$ and that the Settlements &ould be7in to dis%erse. Pitt had then %ut the >uestion, -ould the Settlements come to Nemesis1 !he ans&er &as no. 3y that time$ hy%er4assistance &ould be far more efficient$ far chea%er. !he Settlements &ould "no& more about the nearer stars44&hich of them had %lanets$ and &hat "ind. !hey &ould not bother &ith a red d&arf star$ but &ould head out for the Sun4li"e stars. And that &ould leave arth itself$ &hich &ould be des%erate. Afraid of s%ace$ clearly de7enerate already$ and sin"in7 farther into slime and misery as a thousand years %assed and the doom of Nemesis became a%%arent$ &hat &ould they do1 !hey could not underta"e lon7 tri%s. !hey &ere arth%eo%le. Surfacebound. !hey &ould have to &ait for Nemesis to 7et reasonably close. !hey could not ho%e to 7o any&here else. Pitt had the vision of a ramshac"le &orld tryin7 to find security in the more ti7htly held system of Nemesis$ tryin7 to find refu7e in a star &ith a system built ti7htly enou7h to7ether to hold in %lace &hile it &as destroyin7 that of the Sun it %assed. It &as a terrible scenario$ and yet inevitable. -hy could not Nemesis have been recedin7 from the Sun1 #o& everythin7 &ould be chan7ed. !he discovery of Nemesis &ould have become some&hat less li"ely &ith time and$ if the discovery came to %ass$ Nemesis &ould become ever less desirable44and less %ossible44as a %lace of refu7e. If it &ere recedin7$ arth &ould not even need a refu7e. 3ut that &as not the &ay it &as. !he arthmen &ould comeA ra7ta7 de7eneratin7 arthmen of every variety of ma"eshift and abnormal culture$ floodin7 in. -hat could the (otorians do but destroy them &hile they &ere still in s%ace1 3ut &ould they have a =anus Pitt to sho& them that there &as no choice but that1 -ould they have =anus Pitts$ bet&een no& and then$ to ma"e sure that (otor had the &ea%ons and the resolution to %re%are for this and to do it &hen the time came1 3ut the com%uter)s analysis &as$ after all$ a deceitfully o%timistic one. !he discovery of N emesis by the Solar System must come about &ithin a thousand years$ said the com%uter. 3ut ho& much &ithin1 -hat if the discovery came tomorro&1 -hat if it had come three years a7o1 Mi7ht some Settlement$

7ro%in7 for the nearest star$ "no&in7 nothin7 useful about farther ones$ be follo&in7 in (otor)s trail now? ach day$ Pitt &o"e u% &onderin7, Is this the day1 -hy &as this misery reserved for him1 -hy did everyone else slee% >uietly in the la% of eternity$ &hile only he himself &as left to deal each day &ith the %ossibility of a "ind of doom1 #e had done somethin7 about it$ of course. #e had set u% a Scannin7 Service throu7hout the asteroid belt$ a body &hose function it &as to su%ervise the automated rece%tors that constantly s&e%t the s"y$ and to detect at as 7reat a distance as %ossible the co%ious &asteener7y dis%osal of an a%%roachin7 Settlement. It had ta"en some time to set it all u% %ro%erly$ but for a do;en years no&$ every scra% of dubious information had been follo&ed u%$ and$ every once in a &hile$ somethin7 seemed sufficiently >uestionable to be referred to Pitt. And every time it ha%%ened$ it set off the clan7in7 of an alarm bell in Pitt)s head. It turned out al&ays to be nothin744so far44and the initial relief &as al&ays follo&ed by a "ind of ra7e a7ainst the Scanners. If anythin7 &as uncertain$ they &ashed their hands of it$ let it 7o$ turned it over to Pitt. *et him deal &ith it$ let him suffer$ let him ma"e the hard decisions. It &as at this %oint that Pitt)s self4%ity became lachrymose$ and he &ould be7in to stir uneasily at the %ossibility that he mi7ht be sho&in7 &ea"ness. !here &as this one$ for instance. Pitt fin7ered the re%ort that his com%uter had uncoded$ and that had ins%ired this mental self4%ityin7 survey of his o&n continuous$ unbearable$ and under4a%%reciated service to the (otorian %eo%le. !his &as the first re%ort that had been referred to him in four months$ and it seemed to him that it &as of minimal im%ortance. A sus%icious ener7y source &as a%%roachin7$ but allo&in7 for its %robable distance$ it &as an unusually small source44a smaller source by some four orders of ma7nitude than one &ould e8%ect of a Settlement. It &as a source so small that it &as all but inse%arable from noise. !hey mi7ht have s%ared him this. !he re%ort that it &as of a %eculiar &avelen7th %attern that seemed to ma"e it of human ori7in &as ridiculous. #o& could they tell anythin7 about a source so &ea"44 e8ce%t that it &as not a Settlement$ and therefore could not be of human ori7in$ &hatever the &avelen7th %attern1 !hose idiot Scanners must not annoy me in this fashion$ thou7ht Pitt. #e tossed the re%ort aside %etulantly$ and %ic"ed u% the latest re%ort from (anay 0) Aubisson. !hat 7irl Marlene did not have the Pla7ue$ even yet. She madly %ersisted in %uttin7 herself in dan7er in more and more elaborate &ays44and yet remained unharmed. Pitt si7hed. Perha%s it didn)t matter. !he 7irl seemed to &ant to remain on rythro$ and if she remained$ that mi7ht be as 7ood as havin7 her come do&n &ith the Pla7ue. In fact$ it &ould force u7enia Insi7na to stay on rythro$ too$ and he &ould be rid of both of them. !o be sure$ he &ould feel safer if 0) Aubisson$ rather than +enarr$ &ere in char7e of the 0ome and could oversee both mother and dau7hter. !hat &ould have to be arran7ed in the near future in some &ay that &ould not ma"e +enarr a martyr. -ould it be safe to ma"e him Commissioner of Ne& (otor1 !hat &ould certainly rate as a %romotion and he &ould be unli"ely to refuse the %osition$ es%ecially since$ in theory$ it &ould %lace him on an even ran" &ith Pitt himself. Or &ould that 7ive +enarr a bit too much of the reality of %o&er in addition to the a%%earance1 -as there an alternative1 #e &ould have to thin" of it. (idiculous< #o& much easier it &ould all have been if that 7irl Marlene had only done somethin7 as sim%le as 7ettin7 the Pla7ue. In a s%asm of irritation at Marlene)s refusal to do so$ he %ic"ed u% the re%ort on the ener7y source a7ain. *oo" at that< A little %uff of ener7y and they bothered him &ith it. #e &asn)t 7oin7 to stand for it. #e %unched a memo into the com%uter for instant transmission. #e &as not to be bothered by minutiae. 5ee% an eye out for a Settlement< J1. Onboard the 'uperluminal$ the discoveries came li"e a series of hammer blo&s$ one after the other. !hey &ere still at a 7reat distance from the Nei7hbor Star &hen it became a%%arent that it %ossessed a %lanet.

?A %lanet<@ said Crile .isher &ith tense trium%h. ?I knew@ ?No$@ said !essa -endel hastily$ ?it)s not &hat you thin". +et it throu7h your head$ Crile$ that there are %lanets and %lanets. Virtually every star has some sort of %lanetary system or other. After all$ more than half the stars in the +ala8y are multi%le4star systems$ and %lanets are 6ust stars that are too small to be stars$ you see. !his %lanet &e see isn)t habitable. If it &ere habitable$ &e &ouldn)t see it at this distance$ es%ecially in the dim li7ht of the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?2ou mean$ it)s a 7as 7iant.@ ?Of course it is. I &ould have been more sur%rised if there hadn)t been one than at findin7 out that one e8ists.@ ?3ut if there)s a lar7e %lanet$ there may be small %lanets$ too.@ ?Maybe$@ conceded -endel$ ?but scarcely habitable ones. !hey)ll either be too cold for life$ or their rotation &ill be loc"ed and they)ll be sho&in7 only one side to the star$ &hich &ould ma"e it too &arm on one side and too cold on the other. All that (otor could do44if it &ere here44&ould be to %lace itself in orbit around the star$ or %ossibly around the 7as 7iant.@ ?!hat mi7ht be e8actly &hat they)ve done.@ ?.or all these years1@ -endel shru77ed. ?It)s conceivable$ I su%%ose$ but you can)t count on it$ Crile.@ JD. !he ne8t blo&s &ere more startlin7 ones. ?A satellite1@ said !essa -endel. ?-ell$ &hy not1 =u%iter has four si;able ones. -hy should it be sur%risin7 that this 7as 7iant has one1@ ?It)s not a satellite li"e any that e8ists in the Solar System$ Ca%tain$@ said #enry =arlo&. ?It)s rou7hly the si;e of arth44from the measurements I)ve been able to ma"e.@ ?-ell$@ said -endel$ maintainin7 her indifference$ ?&hat follo&s from that1@ ?Nothin7$ necessarily$@ said =arlo&$ ?but the satellite sho&s %eculiar characteristics. I &ish I &ere an astronomer.@ ?At the moment$@ said -endel$ ?I &ish someone on the shi% &as$ but %lease 7o on. 2ou)re not com%letely i7norant of astronomy.@ ?!he %oint is that since it revolves around the 7as 7iant$ it sho&s one face only to the 7as 7iant$ &hich means that all sides of it face the Nei7hbor Star in the course of its revolution around the 7as 7iant. And the nature of the orbit is such that$ as near as I can tell$ the tem%erature of the &orld is in the li>uid &ater sta7e. And it has an atmos%here. No& I don)t have all the subtleties at my fin7erti%s. As I said$ I)m not an astronomer. Still$ it seems to me that there)s a 7ood chance that the satellite is a habitable &orld.@ Crile .isher received the ne&s &ith a &ide smile. #e said$ ?I)m not sur%rised. I7or 5oro%ats"y %redicted the e8istence of a habitable %lanet. #e did it &ithout any data on the sub6ect. It &as 6ust a matter of deduction.@ ?0id 5oro%ats"y do that1 And &hen did he tal" to you$ I &onder1@ ?Sometime before &e left. #e reasoned that nothin7 &as li"ely to have ha%%ened to (otor on the &ay to the Nei7hbor Star and$ since they didn)t return$ that they must have found a %lanet to coloni;e. And there it is.@ ?And 6ust &hy did he tell you this$ Crile1@ Crile %aused and considered$ then said$ ?#e &as interested in ma"in7 certain that the %lanet &ould be e8%lored for %ossible future use by arth$ &hen the time came for our old %lanet to be evacuated.@ ?And &hy do you su%%ose he didn)t tell me this1 0o you have any idea1 ?I su%%ose$ !essa$@ said Crile carefully$ ?that he thou7ht I &ould be the more im%ressionable of the t&o of us$ more ea7er to ur7e that the %lanet be e8%lored44@ ?3ecause of your dau7hter.@ ?#e "ne& of the situation$ !essa.@ ?And &hy didn)t you tell me this1@ ?I &asn)t sure there &as anythin7 to tell. I felt that I mi7ht as &ell &ait and see if 5oro%ats"y &as ri7ht. Since he &as$ I am no& tellin7 you. !he %lanet must be habitable by his reasonin7.@ ?It)s a satellite$@ said -endel$ obviously in a tem%er. ? A distinction &ithout a difference.@ -endel said$ ?*oo"$ Crile. No one seems to be considerin7 my %osition in all this. 5oro%ats"y

fills you full of nonsense in order to have us e8%lore this system and then$ %resumably$ return to arth &ith the ne&s. -u &as an8ious to have us return &ith ne&s even before &e reached this system. 2ou are an8ious for a reunion &ith your family$ re7ardless of any &ider considerations. In all this$ there seems to be very little thou7ht 7iven to the fact that I)m the Ca%tain and that I &ill ma"e the decisions.@ .isher)s voice 7re& ca6olin7. ?3e reasonable$ !essa. -hat decisions are there to ma"e1 -hat are your choices1 2ou say 5oro%ats"y filled me &ith nonsense$ but he didn)t. !here)s the %lanet. Or the satellite44if you %refer. It must be e8%lored. Its e8istence may mean life for arth. !his may be humanity)s future home. In fact$ some of humanity may be there already.@ /ou be reasonable$ Crile. A &orld can be the ri7ht si;e and tem%erature and still be uninhabitable for any of a variety of reasons. After all$ su%%ose it has a %oisonous atmos%here$ or is incredibly volcanic$ or has a hi7h level of radioactivity. It has only a red d&arf star to li7ht and &arm it$ and it is in the immediate nei7hborhood of a lar7e 7as 7iant. !hat is not a normal environment for an arth4ty%e &orld$ and ho& &ill such an abnormal environment affect it1@ ?It must still be e8%lored$ even if only to find out$ certainly$ that it is uninhabitable.@ ?.or that it may not be necessary to land$@ said -endel 7rimly. ?-e)ll 7et closer and 6ud7e better. !ry$ Crile$ %lease try not to outrun the data. I couldn)t bear your disa%%ointment.@ .isher nodded. ?I)ll try442et 5oro%ats"y deduced a habitable %lanet &hen everyone else told me it &as totally im%ossible. 2ou did$ too$ !essa. Over and over. 3ut there it is and it may be habitable. So let me ho%e &hile I can. Perha%s the %eo%le of (otor are no& on that &orld$ and %erha%s my dau7hter is$ too.@ JE. Chao4*i -u said rather indifferently$ ?!he Ca%tain is really furious. !he last thin7 she &anted &as to find a %lanet here44a &orld$ I mean$ since she &on)t allo& us to call it a %lanet44that may be habitable. It means it &ill have to be e8%lored and &e)ll 6ust have to 7o bac" and re%ort. 2ou "no& that)s not &hat she &ants. !his is her one and only chance to be out in dee% s%ace. Once this is over$ she)s throu7h for life. Others &ill &or" on su%erluminal techni>uesA others &ill e8%lore s%ace. She)ll be retired to an advisory %osition only. She)ll hate it.@ ?#o& about you$ Chao4*i1 -ould you 7o out in s%ace a7ain$ 7iven a chance1@ 3lan"o&it; as"ed. -u didn)t hesitate. ?I)m not sure that I &ant to 7o &anderin7 around in s%ace. I don)t have the e8%lorin7 bu7. 3ut you "no&44*ast ni7ht$ I 7ot the >ueer notion I mi7ht 6ust li"e to settle do&n here44if it)s habitable. #o& about you1@ ?Settle do&n here1 Of course not. I don)t say I)d li"e to be arthbound forever$ but I)d li"e to be bac" there for a &hile$ any&ay$ before stri"in7 out a7ain.@ ?I)ve been thin"in7 about it. !his satellite is one in44&hat1 !en thousand1 -ho &ould fi7ure on a habitable &orld in a red d&arf system1 It should be e8%lored. I)m even &illin7 to s%end time on it and have someone else 7o bac" to arth and ta"e care of my %riority on the 7ravitational effect. 2ou)d %rotect my interests$ &ouldn)t you$ Merry1@ ?Of course I &ould$ Chao4*i. And so &ould Ca%tain -endel. She has all the data$ si7ned and &itnessed.@ ?So there you are. And I thin" the Ca%tain is &ron7 to &ant to e8%lore the +ala8y. She could visit a hundred stars and not see one &orld as unusual as this one. -hy bother &ith >uantity &hen you)ve 7ot >uality ri7ht in hand1@ ?Personally $@ said 3lan"o&it;. ?I thin" that &hat bothers her is .isher)s "id. -hat if he finds her1@ ?So &hat1 #e can ta"e her bac" to arth &ith him. -hat &ould that be to the Ca%tain1@ ?!here)s a &ife involved$ too$ you "no&.@ ?0o you ever hear him mention her1@ ?!hat &ouldn)t mean he44@ #er mouth closed suddenly at the sound outside$ and Crile .isher &al"ed in and nodded at the t&o. 3lan"o&it; said >uic"ly$ as thou7h to &i%e out the %revious conversation$ ?#as #enry finished &ith the s%ectrosco%y1@ .isher shoo" his head. ?I can)t tell. !he %oor fello& is nervous. #e)s afraid of misinter%retin7 the thin7$ I su%%ose.@

-u said$ ?Come on. It)s the com%uter that does the inter%retation. #e can hide behind that.@ ?No$ he can)t<@ said 3lan"o&it; &ith fervor. ?I li"e that. 2ou theoreticians thin" that all &e observers do is 6ust tend a com%uter$ 7ive it a stro"e or t&o$ and say$ BNice do77ie$) then read off the results. It)s not so. -hat the com%uter says de%ends on &hat you %ut into it$ and I never heard a theoretician face an observation he didn)t li"e &ithout blamin7 the observer. Never once did I hear him say$ B!here must be somethin7 &ron7 &ith the com%u44) @ ?#old on$@ said -u. ?*et)s not flood this %lace &ith recrimination. #ave you ever heard me blamin7 observers1@ ?If you didn)t li"e #enry)s observations44@ ?I)d ta"e them any&ay. I don)t have any theories about this &orld.@ ?And that)s &hy you)d ta"e &hatever he 7ives you.@ At this %oint #enry =arlo& &al"ed in &ith !essa -endel close behind. #e loo"ed li"e a cloud ma"in7 u% its mind to rain. -endel said$ ?Very &ell$ =arlo&$ &e)re all here. No&$ tell us. -hat does it loo" li"e1@ ?!he trouble is$@ said =arlo&$ ?there isn)t enou7h ultraviolet in the li7ht of this &ea"lin7 star to raise a sunburn on an albino. I have to &or" &ith micro4&aves and that tells me$ at once$ that there)s &ater va%or in the &orld)s atmos%here.@ -endel shru77ed it off &ith an im%atient lift of her shoulders. ?-e don)t need you to tell us that. A &orld the si;e of arth in a li>uid4&ater ran7e of tem%erature &ould surely have &ater and$ therefore$ &ater va%or. !hat moves it one more notch to&ard habitability$ but only one more thorou7hly e8%ected notch.@ ?Oh no$@ said =arlo& uneasily. ?It)s habitable. No >uestion.@ ?3ecause of the &ater va%or1@ ?No. I have somethin7 better than that.@ ?-hat1@ =arlo& loo"ed around him at the other four rather 7rimly$ and said$ ?-ould you say a &orld &as habitable if$ in actual fact$ it &as inhabited1@ ?2es$ I thin" I could brin7 myself to say that$@ said -u calmly. ?Are you tellin7 me that you can see that it)s inhabited at this distance1@ as"ed -endel shar%ly. ?2es$ that)s e8actly &hat I)m sayin7$ Ca%tain. !here)s free o8y7en in the atmos%here44and in >uantity. Can you tell me ho& that can be &ithout %hotosynthesis1 And can you tell me ho& you can have %hotosynthesis &ithout the %resence of life1 And can you tell me ho& a %lanet can be uninhabitable if it has o8y7en4%roducin7 life on it1@ !here &as dead silence for a moment$ then -endel said$ ?!hat is so unli"ely$ =arlo&. Are you sure you didn)t mess u% the %ro7rammin71@ And 3lan"o&it; >uietly raised her eyebro&s at -u in an uns%o"en, ?See4e4e4e4e<@ =arlo& said stiffly$ ?I have never messed u%$ as you call it$ a %ro7rammin7 in my life$ but$ of course$ I)m &illin7 to stand corrected if anyone here feels he is more "no&led7eable about atmos%heric infrared analysis than I am. It)s not my field of e8%ertise$ but I did ma"e careful use of 3lanc and N"rumah on the sub6ect.@ Crile .isher$ &ho had 7ained considerable self4confidence since the incident involvin7 -u)s bid to return home$ did not hesitate to insert his vie&s. ?*oo"$@ he said$ ?this &ill either be confirmed or denied as &e 7et closer$ but &hy don)t &e assume that 0r. =arlo&)s analysis is correct and see &here that ta"es us1 If there is o8y7en in the atmos%here of this &orld$ mi7ht &e not assume that it)s been terraformed1@ All eyes turned to loo" at him. ?!erraformed1@ said =arlo& blan"ly. ?2es$ terraformed. -hy not1 2ou have this &orld that is suitable for life$ e8ce%t that it has the carbon dio8ide and nitro7en atmos%here that &orlds &ithout life have44li"e Mars and Venus44and you dum% al7ae into the ocean and %retty soon it)s B+ood4bye$ carbon dio8ide$) and B#ello$ o8y7en.) Or maybe you do somethin7 else. I)m no e8%ert.@ !hey &ere still loo"in7 at him. .isher &ent on. ?!he reason I)m su77estin7 this is that I remember there &as tal" about terraformin7 on the farms on (otor. I &or"ed there. !here &ere even some seminars on terraformin7 that I attended because I felt it mi7ht have somethin7 to do &ith the hy%er4assistance %ro7ram. It didn)t$ but at least I heard about terraformin7.@ .inally =arlo& said$ ?In all you heard about terraformin7$ .isher$ do you by any chance recall

anyone sayin7 ho& lon7 it &ould ta"e1@ .isher s%read his arms. ?2ou tell me$ 0r. =arlo&. It &ill save time$ I)m sure.@ ?All ri7ht. It too" (otor t&o years to 7et here44if it 7ot here. !hat means it)s been here thirteen years. If all of (otor &ere solid al7ae and it &as all dum%ed into the ocean and lived and 7re& and %roduced o8y7en$ then to 7et to the %resent level$ &here I estimate the o8y7en content is 1J %ercent and carbon dio8ide is %resent only in traces$ I &ould ima7ine it &ould ta"e some thousands of years. Perha%s hundreds of years44if conditions &ere enormously favorable. It certainly &ould ta"e more than thirteen years. And$ fran"ly$ arth al7ae are ada%ted to arth conditions >uite %recisely. On another &orld$ the al7ae mi7ht not 7ro&$ or mi7ht do so very slo&ly$ till it ada%ted itself. !hirteen years &ouldn)t chan7e a thin7.@ .isher seemed un%erturbed. ? Ah$ but there is lots of o8y7en there and no carbon dio8ide$ so if it)s not the result of (otorian action$ &hat is it the result of1 0oesn)t it stri"e you that &e must assume there)s non4 arthly life on this &orld1@ ?It)s &hat I did assume$@ said =arlo&. -endel said$ ?It)s &hat &e have to assume immediately. Native ve7etation is %hotosynthesi;in7. It doesn)t mean$ for one moment$ that (otorians are on the &orld$ or that they ever even reached this system.@ .isher loo"ed annoyed. ?-ell$ Ca%tain$@ he said &ith %ointed formality$ ?I have to say that neither does it mean that (otorians aren&t on the &orld$ or that they haven&t reach the system. If the %lanet has ve7etation of its o&n$ it 6ust means that no terra formin7 &as re>uired and the (otorians could move ri7ht in.@ ?I don)t "no&$@ said 3lan"o&it;. ?I should thin" there &ould be no reasonable chance at all that ve7etation evolvin7 on a stran7e %lanet &ould be nourishin7 to human bein7s. I doubt that human bein7s could di7est it$ or that they could assimilate even if they could di7est it. I &ould certainly offer hi7h odds that it &ould be %oisonous. And if there)s %lant life$ there)s bound to be animal life$ and &e don)t "no& &hat that &ould entail.@ ? ven in that case$@ said .isher$ ?it)s still %ossible that the (otorians &ould fence off a tract of land$ "ill the native life &ithin it$ and seed %lants of their o&n. I ima7ine this alien %lantin744if you &ant to call it that44&ould e8%and &ith the years.@ ?Su%%osition on su%%osition$@ muttered -endel. ?In any case$@ said .isher$ ?it)s com%letely useless to sit here and ma"e u% scenarios$ &hen the lo7ical thin7 is to e8%lore the &orld as best &e can44and from as close a vie& as %ossible. ven from its surface44if that seems feasible.@ And -u said &ith sur%risin7 force$ ?I com%letely a7ree.@ 3lan"o&it; said$ ?I)m a bio%hysicist$ and if there)s life on the %lanet$ then &hatever else it may have or may not have$ &e must e8%lore it.@ -endel loo"ed from one to the other and$ reddenin7 sli7htly$ said$ ?I su%%ose &e must.@ JF. ?!he closer &e 7et$@ said !essa -endel$ ?and the more information &e 7ather$ the more confusin7 it all is. Is there any >uestion that this is a%%arently a dead &orld1 !here is no illumination on the ni7ht hemis%hereA there are no si7ns of ve7etation or of any form of life.@ ?No gross si7ns$@ said -u coolly$ ?but something must be ha%%enin7 to "ee% o8y7en in the air. Not bein7 a chemist$ I can)t thin" of any chemical %rocess that &ould do the tric". Can anyone1@ #e scarcely &aited for an ans&er. ?In fact$@ he &ent on$ ?I seriously >uestion &hether a chemist could come u% &ith a chemical e8%lanation. If the o8y7en is there$ it must be a biolo7ical %rocess that %roduces it. -e 6ust don)t "no& of anythin7 else.@ -endel said$ ?If &e say that$ then &e)re 6ud7in7 from our e8%erience &ith e8actly one o8y7en4 containin7 atmos%here44 arth)s. Someday &e may be lau7hed at. It may turn out that the +ala8y is littered &ith o8y7en atmos%heres that have no connection &ith life$ and &e)ll be on record as havin7 been stymied entirely because of our e8%erience &ith the one %lanet that is a frea" and has a biolo7ical source of the o8y7en.@ ?No$@ said =arlo& an7rily. ?2ou can)t 7et out of it that &ay$ Ca%tain. 2ou can %icture all sorts of scenarios$ but you can)t e8%ect the la&s of nature to chan7e for your convenience. If you &ant to have a nonbiolo7ical source of an o8y7en4containin7 atmos%here$ you have to su77est a mechanism.@ ?3ut$@ said -endel$ ?there)s no si7n of chloro%hyll in the li7ht reflected from the &orld.@ ?-hy should there be1@ said =arlo&. ?!he chances are that a some&hat different molecule has

been evolved under the selective %ressure of li7ht from a red d&arf star. May I ma"e a su77estion1@ ?Please do$@ said -endel bitterly. ?It seems to me you do nothin7 else.@ ?Very &ell. All &e can actually tell is that the land areas of the &orld seem to be com%letely denuded of life. !hat means nothin7. 'ntil four hundred million years a7o$ arth)s land areas &ere similarly sterile$ but the %lanet had an o8y7en atmos%here and abundant life.@ ?Sea life.@ ?2es$ Ca%tain. !here)s nothin7 &ron7 &ith sea life. And that &ould include al7ae or the e>uivalent44microsco%ic %lants that &ould do %erfectly &ell as o8y7en factories. !he al7ae in arth)s seas %roduce J0 %ercent of the o8y7en that %ours into the atmos%here each year. 0oesn)t this e8%lain everythin71 It e8%lains the o8y7en atmos%here and it also e8%lains the a%%arent lac" of land life. It also means &e can safely e8%lore the %lanet by landin7 on the sterile land surface of the &orld and studyin7 the sea &ith &hat instruments &e have44leavin7 it for a later e8%edition$ suitably e>ui%%ed$ to do the detailed &or".@ ?2es$ but human bein7s are land animals. If (otor had reached this system$ they &ould surely have attem%ted to coloni;e the land areas and of such coloni;ation there is no hint. Is it really necessary to investi7ate the &orld further1@ the Ca%tain as"ed. ?Oh yes$@ said -u >uic"ly. ?-e can)t 7o bac" &ith deductions only. -e need some facts. !here may be sur%rises.@ ?0o you e8%ect any1@ as"ed -endel &ith a touch of an7er. ?It doesn)t matter &hether I do or not. Can &e 7o bac" to arth and tell them that44&ithout loo"in744&e &ere sure there &ould be no sur%rises1 !hat &ould not be very sensible.@ ?It seems to me$@ said -endel$ ?that you)ve chan7ed your mind rather drastically. /ou &ere ready to return &ithout even a%%roachin7 the Nei7hbor Star.@ ?As I recall$@ said -u$ ?I had my mind chan7ed for me. In any case$ under the circumstances$ &e must e8%lore. I "no&$ Ca%tain$ that there is a certain tem%tation to sei;e the o%%ortunity to visit a fe& other star systems$ but no& that there is an a%%arently habitable &orld in vie&$ &e must come bac" to arth &ith ma8imum information on somethin7 that may be far more im%ortant to our %lanet in a very %ractical sense than any amount of catalo7ue4ty%e information concernin7 the nearer stars. 3esides@44and he %ointed at the vie&%ort &ith &hat &as almost sur%rise on his face44 ?I want to ta"e a closer loo" at that &orld. I have this feelin7 it &ill be com%letely safe.@ ?!his feelin71@ said -endel sardonically. ?I)m allo&ed my intuitions$ Ca%tain.@ Merry 3lan"o&it; said in a rather hus"y voice$ ?I have my intuitions$ too$ Ca%tain$ and I)m &orried.@ -endel loo"ed at the youn7 &oman &ith sudden sur%rise. She said$ ?Are you &ee%in7$ 3lan"o&it;1@ ?No$ not really$ Ca%tain. I)m 6ust very u%set.@ ?-hy1@ ?I)ve been usin7 the NO.@ ?!he neuronic detector1 On that em%ty &orld1 -hy1@ 3lan"o&it; said$ ?3ecause I came here to use it. 3ecause that)s my function.@ ?And the results are ne7ative$@ said -endel. ?I)m sorry$ 3lan"o&it;$ but if &e visit other star systems$ you)ll have other chances.@ ?3ut that 6ust it$ Ca%tain. !he results are not ne7ative. I detect intelli7ence on the &orld and that)s &hy I)m u%set. It)s a ridiculous result$ and I don)t "no& &hat)s &ron7.@ =arlo& said$ ?Perha%s the device isn)t &or"in7. It)s so ne& that it &ouldn)t be sur%risin7 if it &eren)t reliable.@ ?3ut &hy isn)t it &or"in71 Is the neuronic detector detectin7 us here on the shi%1 Or is it sim%ly 7ivin7 a false %ositive1 I)ve chec"ed it. !he shieldin7 is in %erfect order$ and if I had a false %ositive$ I ou7ht to have it else&here. !here are no si7ns of any %ositive res%onses from the 7as 7iant$ for instance$ or from the Nei7hbor Star$ or from random %oints in s%ace$ but every time I allo& it to s&ee% the satellite$ I 7et a res%onse.@ ?2ou mean$@ said -endel$ ?that on this &orld$ &here &e can detect no life$ you detect intelli7ence1@ ?It)s a very minimal res%onse. I can 6ust barely %ic" it u%.@ Crile .isher said$ ? Actually$ Ca%tain$ &hat about =arlo&)s %oint1 If there)s life in the &orld)s ocean and &e don)t detect it because the &ater)s o%a>ue$ there mi7ht still be intelli7ent life$ and %erha%s Or.

3lan"o&it; detects that. ? -u said$ ?.isher has a 7ood %oint. After all$ life in the sea44ho&ever intelli7ent44is not li"ely to have a technolo7y. 2ou can)t have fire in the sea. Non4technolo7ical life does not ma"e itself very evident$ but it may still be intelli7ent. And a s%ecies$ ho&ever intelli7ent$ is not to be feared &ithout technolo7y$ es%ecially if it can)t leave the sea$ and if &e remain on land. It 6ust ma"es thin7s more interestin7 and ma"es it more necessary for us to investi7ate.@ 3lan"o&it; said in annoyance$ ?2ou all tal" so >uic"ly and so endlessly that I don)t 7et a chance to say anythin7. 2ou)re all &ron7. If it &ere intelli7ent sea life$ I &ould 7et a %ositive res%onse only from the oceans. I 7et it everywhere$ 6ust about evenly. *and as &ell as sea. I don)t understand it at all.@ ?On land as &ell1@ said -endel$ clearly incredulous. ?!hen there must be somethin7 &ron7.@ ?3ut I can)t find anythin7 &ron7$@ said 3lan"o&it;. ?!hat)s &hat)s so u%settin7. I 6ust don)t understand this.@ !hen$ as thou7h in e8tenuation$ she added$ ?It)s very feeble$ of course$ but it)s there.@ .isher said$ ?I thin" I can e8%lain it.@ All eyes turned to him$ and he 7re& immediately defensive. ?Maybe I)m not a scientist$@ he said$ ?but that doesn)t mean I can)t see somethin7 that)s %retty %lain. !here)s intelli7ence in the sea$ but &e can)t see it because the &ater hides it. All ri7ht$ that ma"es sense. 3ut there)s intelli7ence on land$ too. -ell$ that)s hidden also. It)s under7round.@ 4nderground? said =arlo& e8%losively. ?-hy should it be under7round1 !here)s nothin7 &ron7 &ith the air or &ith the tem%erature or &ith anythin7 &e can detect. -hat)s here to hide from1@ ?.rom the li7ht$ for one thin7$@ said .isher forcefully. ?I)m tal"in7 about the (otorians. Su%%ose they did coloni;e the %lanet. -hy &ould they &ant to remain under the red li7ht of the Nei7hbor Star$ li7ht in &hich their (otorian %lant life &ould not flourish$ and under &hich they themselves &ould 7ro& des%ondent1 'nder7round$ they could have artificial li7htin7 and both they and their %lants &ould be better off. 3esides44@ #e %aused and -endel said$ ?+o on. -hat else1@ ?-ell$ you have to understand the (otorians. !hey live on the inside of a &orld. It)s &hat they)re used to and &hat they consider normal. !hey &ouldn)t find it comfortable to clin7 to the outside s"in of a &orld. !hey &ould di7 underneath$ as a matter of course.@ -endel said$ ?!hen you)re su77estin7 that 3lan"o&it;)s neuronic detector is detectin7 the %resence of human bein7s under the surface of the %lanet.@ ?2es. -hy not1 It)s the thic"ness of the soil bet&een their caverns and the surface that &ea"ens the res%onse the neuronic detector is measurin7.@ -endel said$ ?3ut 3lan"o&it; 7ets more or less the same res%onse over both land and sea.@ ?Over the entire %lanet. It)s very even$@ said 3lan"o&it;. ?All ri7ht$@ said .isher. ?Native intelli7ence in the sea$ (otorians under7round on land. -hy not1@ ?-ait$@ said =arlo&. ?2ou 7et a res%onse every&here$ 3lan"o&it;. (i7ht1@ ? very&here. I)ve detected some sli7ht u%s and do&ns$ but the res%onse is so shallo& I can)t really be sure. Certainly$ there seems to be some intelli7ence every&here on the %lanet.@ =arlo& said$ ?I su%%ose that)s %ossible in the sea$ but ho& is it %ossible on land1 0o you su%%ose that (otorians$ in thirteen years$ in thirteen years$ have du7 a net&or" of tunnels under all the land surface of this &orld. If you 7ot one area of res%onse$ or even t&o44small ones$ ta"in7 u% a tiny fraction of the &orld)s surface44I)d consider the %ossibility of (otorian burro&in7. 3ut the entire surface1 Please< !ell that to my aunt !illie.@ -u said$ ?Am I to ta"e it$ #enry$ that you are su77estin7 that there is an alien intelli7ence under7round every&here on the land surface1@ =arlo& said$ ?I don)t see &hat other conclusion &e can come to unless &e &ant to conclude that 3lan"o&it;)s device is com%letely meanin7less.@ ?In that case$@ said -endel$ ?I &onder if it)s safe to 7o do&n and investi7ate. An alien intelli7ence is not necessarily a friendly intelli7ence$ and the 'uperluminal is not e>ui%%ed to ma"e &ar.@ -u said$ ?I don)t thin" &e can 7ive u%. -e must find out &hat "ind of intelli7ent life is %resent$ and ho& it mi7ht interfere44if at all44&ith any %lans &e may ma"e to evacuate arth and come here.@ 3lan"o&it; said$ ?!here is one %lace &here the res%onse is a tiny bit more intense than it is any&here else. Not much. Shall I try to find it a7ain1@ -endel said$ ?+o ahead. !ry. -e can e8amine the surroundin7s there carefully and then decide &hether to descend or not.@ -u smiled blandly. ?I)m sure it &ill be entirely safe to do so.@ -endel merely sco&led unha%%ily.

JG. !he %eculiar thin7 about Saltade *everett 9in the o%inion of =anus Pitt: &as that he li"ed it out in the asteroid belt. A%%arently$ there &ere some %eo%le &ho truly en6oyed em%tiness$ &ho loved inanimacy. ?I don)t disli"e %eo%le$@ *everett &ould e8%lain. ?I can 7et all I &ant of them on holovision44tal" to them$ listen to them$ lau7h &ith them. I can do everythin7 but feel them and smell them$ and &ho &ants to do that1 3esides &e)re buildin7 five Settlements in the asteroid belt and I can visit anyone of them and 7et my fill of %eo%le and smell them$ too$ for &hat 7ood that does me.@ And then$ &hen he did come to (otor44the ?metro%olis$@ as he insisted on callin7 it44he &ould "ee% loo"in7 from one side to the other as thou7h he e8%ected %eo%le to cro&d in on him. #e even loo"ed at chairs sus%iciously$ and sat do&n on them &ith a side&ise slide as thou7h ho%in7 to &i%e off the aura that the %revious bac"side had left u%on it. =anus Pitt had al&ays thou7ht he &as the ideal Actin7 Commissioner for the Asteroid Pro6ect. !hat %osition had$ in effect$ 7iven him a free hand in everythin7 that had to do &ith the outer rim of the Nemesian System. !hat included not only the Settlements in %ro7ress$ but &ith the Scannin7 Service itself. !hey had finished their lunch in the %rivacy of Pitt)s >uarters$ for Saltade &ould sooner 7o hun7ry than eat in a dinin7 room to &hich the 7eneral %ublic 9meanin7 even a third %erson &ho &as un"no&n to him: &ould be admitted. Pitt$ in fact$ felt a certain sur%rise that *everett had a7reed to eat &ith him. Pitt studied him casually. *everett &as so lean and leathery$ and 7ave such an a%%earance of &hi%cord and 7ristle that he didn)t loo" as if he had ever been youn7 or &ould ever be old. #is eyes &ere faded blue$ his hair faded yello&. Pitt said$ ?-hen &as the last time you &ere on (otor$ Saltade1@ ?Nearly t&o years a7o$ and I ta"e it un"indly of you to %ut me throu7h this$ =anus.@ ?-hy$ &hat have I done1 I certainly haven)t summoned you here$ thou7h since you are here$ old friend$ you)re &elcome.@ ?2ou mi7ht as &ell have summoned me. -hat)s this messa7e you sent out to the effect that you &ere not to be bothered &ith little thin7s. Are you 7ettin7 to the %oint &here you)re so bi7 you &ant only bi7 thin7s1@ Pitt)s smile 7re& a trifle strained. ?I don)t "no& &hat you)re tal"in7 about$ Saltade.@ ?!hey had a re%ort for you. !hey detected a small bit of radiation comin7 in from outside. !hey sent it to you and you sent bac" one of your s%ecial memos about ho& you couldn)t be bothered.@ ?Oh$ that<@ 9Pitt remembered. It had been that moment of self4%ity and irritation. Surely he &as allo&ed to be irritated at times.: ?-ell$ your %eo%le are &atchin7 for Settlements. !hey shouldn)t bother me &ith minor matters.@ ?If that)s your attitude$ fine. 3ut it so ha%%ens they)ve found somethin7 that)s not a Settlement and they don)t &ant to re%ort it to you. !hey)ve re%orted it to me$ and they)ve re>uested me to %ass it on to you des%ite your order that you are not to be bothered &ith minutiae. !hey fi7ure it)s my 6ob to handle you$ but I)d rather not$ =anus. Are you becomin7 a cantan"erous fello& in your %o&erful old a7e1@ ?0on)t rattle on$ Saltade. -hat is it they)ve re%orted1@ said Pitt$ &ith more than a touch of cantan"erousness about him. ?!hey s%otted a vessel.@ ?-hat do you mean44a vessel1 Not a Settlement1@ *everett held u% a 7narled %a&. ?Not a Settlement. I said a vessel.@ ?I don)t understand.@ ?-hat)s to understand1 0o you need a com%uter1 If so$ yours is ri7ht there. A vessel is a shi% ma"in7 its &ay throu7h s%ace$ &ith a cre& on board. ? ?#o& lar7e1@ ?It could carry half a do;en %eo%le$ I su%%ose.@ ?!hen it must be one of ours. ? ?It isn)t. veryone of ours is accounted for. !his one is sim%ly not of (otorian manufacture. !he Scannin7 Service may have been reluctant to tal" to you about it$ but they did some &or" on their o&n. No com%uter any&here in the system has been involved &ith the construction of any shi% li"e that vessel$ and no one could have built a vessel li"e that &ithout com%uter involvement at some sta7e.@ ?!hen you conclude1@

?!hat it)s not a (otorian vessel. It comes from else&here. As lon7 as there &as the sli7htest chance that it mi7ht have been %roduced by us$ my boys "e%t >uiet and didn)t disturb you$ %er your instructions. -hen it a%%eared$ definitely$ not to be one of our o&n$ they %assed it on to me and said you should be told$ but that they &ouldn)t do it. 2ou "no&$ =anus$ %ast a certain %oint$ tram%lin7 on %eo%le is counter%roductive.@ ?Shut u%$@ said Pitt %eevishly. ?#o& could it be non4(otorian1 -here &ould it come from1@ ?I su%%ose it had to come from the Solar System.@ ?Im%ossible< A vessel of the si;e you describe$ &ith half a do;en %eo%le onboard couldn)t %ossibly have made the tri% from the Solar System. ven if they discovered hy%er4assistance$ and it is certainly conceivable they did$ a half4do;en %eo%le at close >uarters for over t&o years could not com%lete the tri% alive. Maybe there are some e8em%lary cre&s$ &ell4trained and unusually suited to the tas"$ &ho could ma"e the tri% and end u% at least %artly sane$ but nobody in the Solar System &ould ris" it. Nothin7 less than a com%lete Settlement$ a self4contained &orld occu%ied by %eo%le accustomed to it from birth$ could %ossibly ma"e an interstellar tri% and do &ell.@ ?Nevertheless$@ said *everett$ ?&e have here a small vessel of non4(otorian manufacture. !hat)s a fact$ and you have no choice but to acce%t that$ I %romise you. -here do you say it came from1 !he nearest star is the SunA that)s a fact$ too. If it didn)t come from the Solar System$ then it came from some other star system and the 6ourney &as a 7ood deal lon7er than t&o years and a bit. If t&o years and a bit is im%ossible$ everythin7 else is certainly im%ossible.@ Pitt said$ ?Su%%ose it)s not human at all. Su%%ose these are other forms of life$ &ith other %sycholo7ies$ that can endure lon7 tri%s at close >uarters.@ ?Or su%%ose they are %eo%le this bi7@44and *everett held his thumb and forefin7er a >uarter of an inch a%art44@and that the vessel is a Settlement for them. -ell44it)s not so. !hey)re not aliens. !hey)re not teeny4&eenies. !hat vessel isn)t (otorian$ but it is human. -e)d e8%ect aliens to loo" com%letely different from human bein7s$ and they ou7ht to build shi%s com%letely different from those of human bein7s. !hat vessel is a human vessel ri7ht do&n to the serial code alon7 its side$ &hich is in the terrestrial al%habet.@ ?2ou didn)t say that<@ ?I didn)t thin" it needed sayin7.@ Pitt said$ ?It could be a human shi%$ but it could be automated. It could have robots onboard.@ ?It could$@ said *everett. ?In that case$ should &e blo& it out of the s"y1 If there are no human bein7s onboard$ there are no ethical %roblems involved. 2ou destroy %ro%erty but$ after all$ they)re tres%assin7.@ Pitt said$ ?I)m considerin7 it.@ *everett smiled broadly. ?0on)t< !hat vessel has not s%ent more than t&o years travelin7 throu7h s%ace.@ ?-hat do you mean1@ ?#ave you for7otten the condition (otor &as in &hen &e arrived here1 -e did s%end over t&o years in %assa7e$ and half of that time &e &ere in normal s%ace 7oin7 at 6ust under the s%eed of li7ht. At that s%eed$ the surface &as abraded by collision &ith atoms$ molecules$ and dust %articles. It too" %olishin7 and re%airs$ as I recall. 0on)t you remember1@ ?And this shi%1@ said Pitt$ &ithout botherin7 to say &hether he remembered. ?As shiny as thou7h it had traveled no more than a fe& million "ilometers at ordinary s%eeds.@ ?!hat)s im%ossible. 0on)t bother me &ith these 7ames.@ ?It)s not im%ossible. A fe& million "ilometers at ordinary s%eeds is all they %assed throu7h. !he rest of the &ay44hy%ers%ace.@ ?-hat are you tal"in7 about1@ Pitt)s %atience &as &earin7 thin. ?Su%erluminal fli7ht. !hey)ve 7ot it.@ ?!hat)s theoretically im%ossible.@ ?Is it1 -ell$ if you can thin" of any other &ay of e8%lainin7 all this$ 7o to it.@ Pitt stared at him$ o%en4mouthed. ?3ut44@ ?I "no&. !he %hysicists say it)s im%ossible$ but they have it$ any&ay. No& let me tell you this. If they have su%erluminal fli7ht$ they must have su%erluminal communication. !hen the Solar System "no&s they)re here and it "no&s &hat)s ha%%enin7. If &e blo& the shi% out of the s"y$ the Solar System &ill "no& that$ too$ and$ after a &hile$ a fleet of such vessels &ill come out of s%ace$ and they)ll come shootin7 at us.@ ?-hat &ould you do$ then1@ Pitt found himself tem%orarily unable to thin". ?-hat else is there to do but to 7reet them in friendly fashion$ find out &hat they are$ &ho they

are$ &hat they)re doin7$ and &hat they &ant1 No& it)s my idea that they %lan to land on rythro. -e)ll have to land there$ too$ and tal" to them.@ ?On rythro1@ ?If they)re on rythro$ =anus$ &here do you &ant us to be1 -e)ve 7ot to confront them there. -e)ve 7ot to ta"e that chance.@ Pitt felt his mind be7innin7 to tic" over a7ain. #e said$ ?Since this seems to you to be necessary$ &ould you be &illin7 to do it1 -ith a shi% and a cre&$ of course.@ ?2ou mean you &on)t1@ ?As Commissioner1 I can)t come do&n to 7reet some un"no&n shi%.@ ?3eneath the official di7nity. I see. So I)m to face the aliens$ or the teeny4&eenies$ or the robots$ or &hatever$ &ithout you.@ ?I)ll be in constant contact$ of course$ Saltade. Voice and ima7e.@ ?At a distance.@ ?2es$ but a successful mission on your %art &ould be suitably re&arded$ after all.@ ?Is that so1 In that case44@ *everett loo"ed at Pitt$ s%eculatively. Pitt &aited$ then said$ ? Are you 7oin7 to name a %rice1@ ?I am 7oin7 to suggest a %rice. If you &ant me to meet this vessel on rythro$ then I &ant rythro.@ ?-hat do you mean1@ ?I &ant rythro as my home. I)m tired of the asteroids. I)m tired of scannin7. I)m tired of people. I)ve had enou7h. I &ant a &hole em%ty &orld. I &ant to build nice livin7 >uarters$ 7et food and necessaries from the 0ome$ have my o&n farm and my o&n animals if I can coa8 them to do &ell.@ ?#o& lon7 have you &anted this1@ ?I don)t "no&. It)s been 7ro&in7 on me. And since I came here and have 7otten a 7ood loo" at (otor &ith its cro&ds and noise$ rythro loo"s better than ever to me.@ Pitt fro&ned. ?!hat ma"es t&o of you. 2ou)re 6ust li"e that mad 7irl.@ ?-hat mad 7irl1@ ? u7enia Insi7na)s dau7hter. 2ou "no& Insi7na$ I su%%ose.@ ?!he astronomer1 Of course. I haven)t met her dau7hter.@ ?Com%letely mad. She &ants to stay on rythro.@ ?I don)t consider that mad. I consider that very sensible. In fact$ if she &ants to say on rythro$ I could endure a &oman44@ Pitt held u% a fin7er. ?I said B7irl.) ? ?#o& old is she1@ ?.ifteen.@ ?Oh1 -ell$ she)ll 7et older. 'nfortunately$ so &ill I.@ ?She)s not one of your ravin7 beauties.@ ?If you)ll ta"e a 7ood loo"$ =anus$@ said *everett$ ?neither am I. 2ou have my terms.@ ?2ou &ant it officially recorded in the com%uter1@ ?=ust as a formality$ eh$ =anus1@ Pitt did not smile. ?Very &ell. -e)ll try to &atch &here that vessel lands$ and &e)ll ma"e you ready for rythro.@

THIRTY-SIX: MEETING
JH. u7enia Insi7na said in a tone that seemed to %lace her half&ay bet&een %u;;lement and discontent$ ?Marlene &as sin7in7 this mornin7. Some son7 about, B#ome$ home in the stars$ &here the &orlds are all s&in7in7 and free.) ? ?I "no& the son7$@ said Siever +enarr$ noddin7. ?I)d sin7 it for you$ but I can)t carry a tune.@ !hey had 6ust finished lunch. !hey had lunch to7ether every day no&$ somethin7 +enarr loo"ed for&ard to &ith >uiet satisfaction$ even thou7h the sub6ect of conversation &as invariably Marlene and althou7h +enarr felt that Insi7na mi7ht be turnin7 to him only out of des%eration$ since to &hom else could she tal" freely on the sub6ect1 #e didn)t care. -hatever the e8cuse ?I never heard her sin7 before$@ said Insi7na. ?I al&ays thou7ht she couldn)t. Actually$ she has a %leasant contralto.@ ?It must be a si7n that she)s ha%%y no&44or e8cited44or contented44or somethin7 7ood$ u7enia. My o&n feelin7 is that she)s found her %lace in the 'niverse$ found her uni>ue reason for livin7. It)s not 7iven to all of us to find that. Most of us$ u7enia$ dra7 on&ard$ searchin7 for life)s %ersonal meanin7$ not findin7 it$ and endin7 &ith anythin7 from roarin7 des%eration to >uiet resi7nation. I)m the >uietly resi7ned ty%e myself.@ Insi7na mana7ed to smile. ?I sus%ect you don)t thin" that of me.@ ?2ou)re not roarin7ly des%erate$ u7enia$ but you do tend to continue to fi7ht lost battles.@ #er eyes dro%%ed. ?0o you mean Crile1@ +enarr said$ ?If you thin" I do$ then I do. 3ut actually$ I &as thin"in7 of Marlene. She)s been out a do;en times. She loves it. It ma"es her ha%%y$ and yet you sit here fi7htin7 off terror. -hat is it$ u7enia$ that bothers you about it1@ Insi7na ruminated$ %ushin7 her for" around on her %late. !hen she said$ ?It)s the sense of loss. !he unfairness of it. Crile made a choice and I lost him. Marlene has made a choice and I)m losin7 her44if not to the Pla7ue$ then to rythro.@ ?I "no&.@ #e reached for her hand$ and she %laced it$ rather absently$ in his. She said$ ?Marlene is more and more ea7er to be out there in that absolute &ilderness and less and less interested in bein7 &ith us. ventually$ she &ill find a &ay of livin7 out there and return at len7thenin7 intervals44then be 7one.@ ?2ou)re %robably ri7ht$ but all of life is a sym%hony of successive losses. 2ou lose your youth$ your %arents$ your loves$ your friends$ your comforts$ your health$ and finally your life. !o deny loss is to lose it all any&ay and to lose$ in addition$ your self4%ossession and your %eace of mind.@ ?She &as never a ha%%y child$ Siever.@ ?0o you blame yourself for that1@ ?I mi7ht have been more understandin7.@ ?It)s never too late to start. Marlene &anted a &hole &orld and she has it. She &anted to convert &hat has al&ays been a burdensome ability of hers into a method for communicatin7 directly &ith another mind$ and she has it. -ould you force her to 7ive that u%1 -ould you avoid your o&n loss of her more or less continuous %resence by inflictin7 on her a 7reater loss than you or I can conceive44the true use of her unusual brain1@ Insi7na actually lau7hed a little$ thou7h her eyes &ere s&immin7 &ith tears. ?2ou could tal" a rabbit out of its hole$ Siever.@ ?Could I1 My s%eech &as never as effective as Crile)s silences.@ Insi7na said$ ?!here &ere other influences.@ She fro&ned. ?It doesn)t matter. 2ou)re here no&$ Siever$ and you)re a 7reat comfort to me.@ +enarr said ruefully$ ?It)s the surest si7n that I have reached my %resent a7e$ that I am actually comforted at bein7 a comfort to you. !he fires burn lo& &hen &e as" not for this or that$ but for comfort.@ ?!here)s nothin7 &ron7 &ith that$ surely.@ ?Nothin7 &ron7 in the &orld. I sus%ect there are many cou%les &ho have 7one throu7h the &ilds of %assion and the rites of ecstasy &ithout ever findin7 comfort in each other and$ in the end$ they mi7ht have been &illin7 to e8chan7e it all for comfort. I don)t "no&. !he >uiet victories are so >uiet. ssential$

but overloo"ed.@ ?*i"e you$ my %oor Siever1@ ?No&$ u7enia$ I)ve s%ent all my life tryin7 to avoid the tra% of self4%ity and you mustn)t tem%t me into it 6ust to &atch me &rithe.@ ?Oh$ Siever$ I don)t &ant to &atch you &rithe.@ ?!here$ I 6ust &anted to hear you say that. See ho& clever I am. 3ut$ you "no&$ if you &ant a substitute for Marlene)s %resence$ I am &illin7 to han7 around &hen you need comfort. ven a &hole &orld to myself &ouldn)t tem%t me from your side44if you didn)t &ant me to 7o.@ She s>uee;ed his hand. ?I don)t deserve you$ Siever.@ ?0on)t use that as an e8cuse not to have me$ u7enia. I)m &illin7 to &aste myself on you$ and you shouldn)t sto% me from ma"in7 a su%reme sacrifice.@ ?#ave you found no one &orthier1@ ?I haven)t loo"ed. Nor have I sensed amon7 the &omen of (otor any 7reat demand for me. 3esides$ &hat &ould I do &ith a &orthier ob6ect1 #o& dull it &ould be to offer myself as a duly deserved 7ift. #o& much more romantic to be an undeserved 7ift$ to be bounty from the s"ies.@ ?!o be 7odli"e in your condescension to the un&orthy.@ +enarr nodded vi7orously. ?I li"e that. 2es. 2es. !hat)s e8actly the %icture that a%%eals to me.@ Insi7na lau7hed a7ain$ and more freely. ?2ou)re cra;y$ too. 2ou "no&$ I never noticed that someho&.@ ?I have hidden de%ths. As you 7et to "no& me still better44ta"in7 your time$ of course44@ #e &as interru%ted by the shar% bu;; of the messa7e4receiver. #e fro&ned. ?!here you are$ u7enia. I 7et you to the %oint44I don)t even remember ho& I did it44 &here you are ready to melt into my arms$ and &e)re interru%ted. 'h oh<@ #is voice suddenly chan7ed com%letely. ?It)s from Saltade *everett.@ ?-ho)s he1@ ?2ou don)t "no& him. #ardly anyone does. #e)s the nearest thin7 to a hermit I)ve ever met. #e &or"s in the asteroid belt because he li"es it there. I haven)t seen the old bum in years. I don)t "no& &hy I say Bold$) thou7h$ because he)s my a7e. It)s sealed$ too. Sealed to my thumb%rints$ I see. !hat ma"es it secret enou7h for me to as" you to leave before I o%en it.@ Insi7na rose at once$ but +enarr motioned her do&n. ?0on)t be silly$ u7enia. Secrecy is 6ust the disease of officialdom. I %ay no attention to it.@ #e %ressed his thumb do&n on the sheet$ then the other thumb in its a%%ro%riate %lace$ and letters be7an to a%%ear. +enarr said$ ?I often thou7ht that if a %erson lac"ed thumbs44@ And then he fell silent. Still silent$ he %assed her the messa7e. ?Am I allo&ed to read this1@ +enarr shoo" his head$ ?Of course not$ but &ho cares1 (ead it.@ She did so$ almost at a 7lance$ then loo"ed u%. ?An alien shi%1 About to land here? +enarr nodded. ? At least that)s &hat it says.@ Insi7na said &ildly$ ?3ut &hat about Marlene1 She)s out there.@ ? rythro &ill %rotect her.@ ?#o& do you "no&1 !his may be a shi% of aliens. (eal aliens. Nonhumans. !he thin7 on rythro may have no %o&er over them.@ ?-e)re aliens to rythro$ yet it can easily control us.@ ?I must 7o out there.@ ?-hat 7ood44@ ?I must be &ith her. Come &ith me. #el% me. -e)ll brin7 her bac" into the 0ome.@ ?If these are all4%o&erful and malevolent invaders$ &e &on)t be safe inside44@ ?Oh$ Siever$ is this a time for lo7ic1 .lease. I must be &ith my dau7hter<@ JI. !hey had ta"en %hoto7ra%hs and no& they &ere studyin7 them. !essa -endel shoo" her head. ?'nbelievable. !he &hole &orld is absolutely desolate. 8ce%t this.@ ?Intelli7ence every&here$@ said Merry 3lan"o&it;$ her bro& furro&ed. ?No >uestion about it no&

&hen &e)ve been so close. 0esolate or not$ intelli7ence is there.@ ?3ut most intensely at that dome1 (i7ht1@ ?Most intensely$ Ca%tain. Most easily noticeable. And most familiar. Outside the dome$ there are sli7ht differences$ and I)m not sure &hat it si7nifies.@ -u said$ ?-e)ve never tested any hi7h intelli7ence other than human$ so$ of course44@ -endel turned to him. ?Is it your o%inion the intelli7ence outside the dome isn)t human1@ ?Since &e a7ree that human bein7s couldn)t have burro&ed every&here under7round in thirteen years$ &hat other conclusion is it %ossible to come to1@ ?And the dome1 Is that human1@ -u said$ ?!hat)s a different thin7 entirely$ and doesn)t de%end on 3lan"o&it;)s %le8ons. !here are astronomical instruments to be seen. !he dome44or %art of it44is an astronomical observatory.@ ?Couldn)t alien intelli7ences be astronomers as &ell1@ as"ed =arlo&$ a bit sardonically. ?Of course$@ said -u$ ?but &ith instruments of their o&n. -hen I see &hat loo"s to me li"e an infrared com%uteri;ed scanner of e8actly the ty%e I &ould see on arth44-ell$ let)s %ut it this &ay. .or7et the nature of the intelli7ence. I see instruments that &ere either manufactured in the Solar System$ or built from desi7ns %re%ared in the Solar System. !here is no >uestion about that. I cannot conceive that alien intelli7ences$ &ithout contact &ith human bein7s$ could have built such instruments.@ ?Very &ell$@ said -endel. ?I a7ree &ith you$ -u. -hatever there is on this &orld$ there are$ or &ere$ human bein7s under that dome.@ Crile .isher said shar%ly$ ?0on)t 6ust say Bhuman bein7s$) Ca%tain. !here are (otorians. !here can be no other human bein7s on this &orld$ e8cludin7 ourselves.@ -u said$ ? And that)s unans&erable$ too.@ 3lan"o&it; said$ ?It)s such a small dome. (otor must have had tens of thousands of %eo%le on it.@ ?Si8ty thousand$@ murmured .isher. ?!hey can)t all fit into that dome.@ ?.or one thin7$@ said .isher$ ?there may be other domes. -e could s&ee% around the &orld a thousand times and yet miss ob6ects of all sorts.@ ?!here)s only this one %lace &here there seemed to be a chan7e in the %le8on ty%e. If there &ere other domes li"e that$ I &ould have s%otted a fe& more of them$ I)m sure$@ 3lan"o&it; said. ?Or$@ said .isher$ ?another %ossibility is that &hat &e see is a tiny bit of an entire structure &hich$ for all &e "no&$ may s%read out for miles belo& the surface.@ -u said$ ?!he (otorians came in a Settlement. !he Settlement may still e8ist. !here may be many. !his dome may be a mere out%ost.@ ?-e haven)t seen a Settlement$@ said =arlo&. ?-e haven)t looked$ said -u. ?-e)ve concentrated entirely on this &orld.@ ?I haven)t s%otted intelli7ence any&here but on this &orld$@ said 3lan"o&it;. ?2ou haven)t loo"ed$ either$@ said -u. ?-e)d really have to scan the heavens to s%ot a Settlement or t&o$ but once you detected %le8ons from this &orld$ you loo"ed no&here else.@ ?I &ill if you thin" it)s necessary.@ -endel held u% her hand. ?If there are Settlements$ &hy haven)t they s%otted us? -e)ve made no attem%t to shield our ener7y emissions. After all$ &e &ere %retty confident that this star system &as em%ty.@ -u said$ ?!hey may have had the same overconfidence$ Ca%tain. !hey haven)t been loo"in7 for us$ either$ and so &e)ve sli%%ed %ast them. Of$ if they have detected us$ they may be uncertain as to &ho44or what44&e are$ and they)re hesitatin7 as to &hat action to ta"e$ 6ust as &e are. -hat I say$ thou7h$ is that &e do "no& one s%ot on the surface of this lar7e satellite &here there must be human bein7s$ and I thin" &e must 7o do&n and ma"e contact &ith them.@ ?0o you thin" it &ould be safe to do so1@ as"ed 3lan"o&it;. ?My 7uess$@ said -u firmly$ ?is that it &ould be. !hey can)t shoot us out of hand. After all$ they)d &ant to "no& more about us before they do so. 3esides$ if all &e dare do is stay here in uncertainty$ then &e &ill accom%lish absolutely nothin7 and &e ou7ht to 7o bac" home and tell them &hat &e have discovered. arth &ill send out a &hole fleet of su%erluminal vessels$ but they &on)t be than"ful to us if &e come bac" &ith only minimal information. -e)ll 7o do&n in history as the e8%edition that flinched.@ #e smiled blandly. ?2ou see$ Ca%tain$ I)ve learned a fe& lessons from .isher.@ -endel said$ ?!hen you thin" &e should no& 7o do&n and ma"e contact.@ ?Absolutely$@ said -u. ?And you$ 3lan"o&it;1@ ?I)m curious. Not about the dome$ but about the %ossible alien life. I)d &ant to find out about

them$ too.@ ?=arlo&1@ ?I &ish &e had ade>uate &ea%ons$ or hy%ercommunication. If &e)re &i%ed out$ arth &ill have found out nothin744absolutely nothin744as the result of our tri%. !hen it mi7ht be that someone else &ill come here as un%re%ared as &e and 6ust as unsure. Still$ if &e survive the contact$ &e)ll be 7oin7 bac" &ith im%ortant "no&led7e. I su%%ose &e should chance it.@ .isher said >uietly$ ?Are you 7oin7 to as" me for my o%inion$ Ca%tain1@ ?I assume that you &ish to land to see the (otorians.@ ? 8actly$ so may I su77est44*et)s land as >uietly as &e can$ and as unobtrusively$ and I)ll leave the shi% to reconnoiter. If anythin7 7oes &ron7$ then ta"e off and return to arth$ leavin7 me behind. I am dis%ensable$ but the shi% must return.@ -endel said at once$ her face seemin7 to ti7hten$ ?-hy you1@ .isher said$ ?3ecause I "no& the (otorians$ at least$ and because I &ish to 7o.@ $ ?I$ too$@ said -u. ?I must be &ith you.@ ?-hy ris" t&o1@ as"ed .isher. ?3ecause t&o are safer than one. 3ecause$ in case of trouble$ one mi7ht esca%e &hile the other holds off the threat. And most of all$ because$ as you say$ you "no& the (otorians. 2our 6ud7ment may be &ar%ed.@ -endell said$ ?-e &ill land$ then. .isher and -u &ill leave the shi%. If$ at any time$ .isher and -u disa7ree on %rocedure$ -u &ill be the decision4ma"er.@ ?-hy1@ demanded .isher indi7nantly. ?-u has said you "no& the (otorians and your decisions may be &ar%ed$@ said -endel$ loo"in7 at .isher firmly$ ?and I a7ree &ith him.@ JJ. Marlene &as ha%%y. She felt as if she &ere &ra%%ed in 7entle arms$ %rotected$ shielded. She could see the reddish li7ht of Nemesis and feel the &ind a7ainst her chee"s. She could &atch the clouds obscure %art or all of Nemesis) lar7e 7lobe$ no& and then$ so that the li7ht &ould dim and turn 7rayish. 3ut she could see as easily in the 7ray as in the red$ and she could see in shades and tints that made fascinatin7 %atterns. And thou7h the &ind 7re& cooler &hen Nemesis) li7ht &as hidden$ it never chilled her. It &as as thou7h rythro &ere someho& enhancin7 her si7ht$ someho& &armin7 the air around her body &hen necessary$ someho& carin7 for her in every &ay. And she could tal" to rythro. She had made u% her mind to thin" of the cells that made u% the life on rythro as rythro. As the %lanet. -hy not1 -hat else1 Individually$ the cells &ere only cells$ as %rimitive44much more %rimitive$ in fact44than the individual cells of her o&n body. It &as only all of the %ro"aryote cells to7ether that made u% an or7anism that encircled the %lanet in a billion trillion tiny interconnected %ieces$ that so filled and %ermeated and grasped the %lanet$ that it mi7ht as &ell be thou7ht of as the %lanet. #o& odd$ thou7ht Marlene. !his 7iant life4form must never$ before the comin7 of (otor$ have "no&n that anythin7 live e8isted other than itself. #er >uestions and sensations did not have to e8ist entirely in her mind. rythro &ould rise before her sometimes$ li"e thin 7ray smo"e$ consolidatin7 into a &raithli"e human fi7ure &averin7 at the ed7es. !here &as al&ays$ about it$ a flo&in7 feelin7. She could not actually see that$ but she sensed$ beyond doubt$ that millions of invisible cells &ere leavin7 each second and immediately bein7 re%laced by others. No one %ro"aryote cell could e8ist for lon7 out of its &ater film$ so that each &as only evanescently %art of the fi7ure$ but the fi7ure itself &as as %ermanent as it &ished to be$ and never lost its identity. rythro did not ta"e Aurinel)s form a7ain. It had 7athered$ &ithout bein7 told$ that that &as disturbin7. Its a%%earance &as neutral no&$ chan7in7 sli7htly &ith the va7aries of Marlene)s o&n thou7ht. rythro could follo& the delicate chan7es of her mind %attern far better$ she decided$ than she herself could$ and the fi7ure ad6usted to that$ loo"in7 more li"e some fi7ure in her mind)s eye at one moment$ and then as she tried to focus on it and identify it$ it &ould shift 7ently into somethin7 else. Occasionally$ she could catch 7lim%ses, the curve of her mother)s chee"$ 'ncle Siever)s stron7 nose$ bits of the 7irls and boys she had met at school. It &as an interactive sym%hony. It &as not so much a conversation bet&een them as a mental ballet

she could not describe$ somethin7 that &as infinitely soothin7$ infinite in variety44%artly chan7in7 a%%earance44%artly chan7in7 voice44%artly chan7in7 thou7ht. It &as a conversation in so many dimensions that the %ossibility of 7oin7 bac" to communication that consisted only of s%eech left her feelin7 flat$ lifeless. #er 7ift of sensin7 by body lan7ua7e flo&ered into somethin7 she had never ima7ined earlier. !hou7hts could be e8chan7ed far more s&iftly44and dee%ly44than by the coarse crudeness of s%eech. rythro e8%lained44filled her$ rather44&ith the shoc" of encounterin7 other minds. )inds. Plural. One more mi7ht have been 7ras%ed easily. Another &orld. Another mind. 3ut to encounter many minds$ cro&din7 on each other$ each different$ overla%%in7 in small s%ace. 'nthin"able. !he thou7hts that %ermeated Marlene)s mind as rythro e8%ressed itself could be e8%ressed only distantly and unsatisfactorily in &ords. 3ehind those &ords$ overflo&in7 and dro&nin7 them$ &ere the emotions$ the feelin7s$ the neuronic vibrations that shattered rythro into a rearran7ement of conce%ts. It had e8%erimented &ith the minds44felt them. Not felt as human bein7s &ould mean ?felt$@ but somethin7 else entirely that could be a%%roached very distantly by that human &ord and conce%t. And some of the minds crum%led$ decayed$ became un%leasant. rythro ceased to feel minds at random$ but sou7ht out minds that &ould &ithstand the contact. ?And you found me1@ said Marlene. ?I found you.@ ?3ut &hy1 -hy did you loo" for me1@ she as"ed ea7erly. !he fi7ure &avered and turned smo"ier. ?=ust to find you.@ It &as no ans&er. ?-hy do you &ant me to be &ith you1@ !he fi7ure started to fade and the thou7ht &as a fu7itive one. ?=ust to be &ith me.@ And it &as 7one. Only its ima7e &as 7one. Marlene felt its %rotection still$ its &arm enclosure. 3ut &hy had it disa%%eared1 #ad she dis%leased it &ith her >uestions1 She heard a sound. On an em%ty &orld it is %ossible to catalo7ue the sounds briefly$ for there aren)t many. !here is the noise of flo&in7 &ater$ and the more delicate moan of blo&in7 air. !here are the %redictable noises you ma"e yourself$ &hether the fallin7 of a footste%$ the rustle of clothin7$ or the &histle of breath. Marlene heard somethin7 that &as none of these$ and turned in the direction of it. Over the roc"y outcro%%in7 on her left$ there a%%eared the head of a man. #er first thou7ht$ of course$ &as that it &as someone from the 0ome &ho had come to 7et her$ and she felt a sur7e of an7er. -hy &ould they still be searchin7 for her1 She &ould refuse to &ear a &ave4 emitter from no& on$ and they &ould then have no &ay of locatin7 her e8ce%t by blind search. 3ut she did not reco7ni;e the face and surely she had met everyone in the 0ome by no&. She mi7ht not "no& the individual names or anythin7 about them$ but she &ould "no&$ &hen she sa& anyone from the 0ome$ that she had seen that face before. She had not seen this ne& face any&here in the 0ome. !hose eyes &ere starin7 at her. !he mouth &as a little o%en$ as if the %erson &ere %antin7. And then &hoever it &as &as to%%in7 the rise and runnin7 to her. She faced him. !he %rotection she felt around her &as stron7. She &as not afraid. #e sto%%ed ten feet a&ay$ starin7$ leanin7 for&ard as thou7h he had reached a barrier he could not %enetrate$ one that de%rived him of the ability to advance farther. .inally$ he said in a stran7led voice$ ?(oseanne<@ JK. Marlene stared at him$ observin7 carefully. #is micro4movements &ere ea7er and radiated a sense of o&nershi%, %ossession$ closeness$... mine$ mine$ mine. She too" a ste% bac"&ard. #o& &as that %ossible1 -hy should he44 A dim memory of a holoima7e she had once seen &hen she &as a little 7irl And finally$ she could deny it no more. #o&ever im%ossible it sounded$ ho&ever unima7inable She huddled &ithin the %rotective blan"et and said$ ?.ather1@ #e rushed at her as thou7h he &anted to sei;e her in his arms and she ste%%ed a&ay a7ain. #e %aused$ s&ayin7$ then %ut one hand to his forehead as thou7h fi7htin7 di;;iness. #e said$ ?Marlene. I meant to say Marlene.@

#e %ronounced it incorrectly$ Marlene noticed. !&o syllables. 3ut that &as ri7ht for him. #o& &ould he "no&1 A second man came u% and stood ne8t to him. #e had strai7ht blac" hair$ a &ide face$ narro& eyes$ a sallo& com%le8ion. Marlene had never seen a man &ho >uite loo"ed li"e him. She 7a%ed a little and had to ma"e an effort to close her mouth. !he second man said to the first in a soft incredulous voice. ?Is this your daughter$ .isher1@ Marlene)s eyes &idened. .isher< It was her father. #er father didn)t loo" at the other man. Only at her. ?2es.@ !he other said$ even more softly$ ?.irst deal of the cards$ .isher1 2ou come here and the first %erson you meet is your dau7hter1@ .isher seemed to ma"e an effort to turn his eyes from his dau7hter$ but he failed. ?I thin" that)s it$ -u. Marlene$ your last name is .isher$ isn)t it1 2our mother is u7enia Insi7na. Am I ri7ht1 My name is Crile .isher and I)m your father.@ #e held out his arms to her. Marlene &as &ell a&are that the loo" of yearnin7 on her father)s face &as com%letely real$ but she ste%%ed bac" yet a7ain and said coldly$ ?#o& is it you)re here1@ ?I came from arth to find you. !o ind you. After all these years.@ ?-hy did you &ant to find me1 2ou left me &hen I &as a baby.@ ?I had to then$ but it &as al&ays &ith the intention of comin7 bac" for you.@ And another voice44harsh$ steely44bro"e in$ and said$ ?So you came bac" for Marlene1 .or nothin7 else1@ u7enia Insi7na &as standin7 there$ face %ale$ li%s almost colorless$ hands tremblin7. 3ehind her &as Siever +enarr$ loo"in7 astonished$ but remainin7 in the bac"7round. Neither one &as &earin7 %rotective clothin7. Insi7na said$ voice hurried$ semi44hysterical$ ?I thou7ht there &ould be %eo%le from some Settlement$ %eo%le from the Solar System. I thou7ht there mi7ht be some alien life4form. I &ent throu7h every %ossibility I could thin" of$ and in all the thou7hts that cro&ded in on me after I &as told a stran7e shi% &as landin7$ I never once thou7ht it mi7ht be Crile .isher comin7 bac". And for Marlene<@ ?I came &ith others on an im%ortant mission. !his is Chao4*i -u$ a shi%mate. And44and44@ ?And &e meet. 0id it ever occur to you that you mi7ht encounter me1 Or &ere your thou7hts entirely on Marlene1 -hat &as your im%ortant mission1 !o find Marlene1@ ?No. !hat &as not the mission. =ust my desire.@ ?And I1@ .isher)s eyes fell. ?I came for Marlene.@ ?2ou came or her1 !o ta"e her a&ay1@ ?I thou7ht44@ be7an .isher$ and his &ords stuc". -u &atched him &onderin7ly. +enarr fro&ned in thou7htful an7er. Insi7na &hirled to&ard her dau7hter. ?Marlene$ &ould you 7o any&here &ith this man1@ ?I)m not 7oin7 any&here &ith anyone$ Mother$@ said Marlene >uietly. Insi7na said$ ?!here)s your ans&er$ Crile. 2ou can)t leave me &ith my child of a year$ and come bac" fifteen years later &ith a B3y the &ay$ I)ll ta"e her over no&.) And not a thou7ht of me. She)s your dau7hter biolo7ically$ but nothin7 more. She)s mine by the ri7ht of fifteen years of lovin7 and carin7.@ Marlene said$ ?!here is no %oint in >uarrelin7 over me$ Mother.@ Chao4*i -u ste%%ed for&ard. ?Pardon me. I have been introduced$ but no one has been introduced to me. 2ou are$ madam1@ ? u7enia Insi7na .isher$@ She %ointed at .isher. ?#is &ife##once. ? ?And this is your dau7hter$ madam1@ ?2es. !his is Marlene .isher.@ -u bo&ed sli7htly. ?And this other 7entleman.@ +enarr said$ ?I)m Siever +enarr$ Commander of the 0ome that you see behind me on the hori;on.@ ?Ah 7ood. Commander$ I &ould li"e to s%ea" to you. I re7ret that there seems to be a family ar7ument here$ but it has nothin7 to do &ith our mission.@ ?And 6ust &hat is your mission1@ 7ro&led another ne& voice. Comin7 to&ard them &as a &hite4 haired fi7ure$ his mouth turned do&n$ &ith somethin7 that loo"ed very much li"e a &ea%on in his hand. ?#ello$ Siever$@ he said as he %assed +enarr. +enarr loo"ed startled. ?Saltade. -hy are you here1@

?I am re%resentin7 Commissioner =anus Pitt of (otor. I re%eat my >uestion to you$ sir. -hat is your mission1 And &hat is your name1@ ?My name$ at least$@ said -u$ ?is easily 7iven. It is 0r. Chao4*i -u. And you$ sir1@ ?Saltade *everett.@ ?+reetin7s. -e come in %eace$@ said -u$ eyein7 the &ea%on. ?I ho%e so$@ said *everett 7rimly. ?I have si8 shi%s &ith me and they)ve 7ot your shi% in their si7hts.@ ?Indeed1@ said -u. ?!his small dome1 -ith a fleet1@ ?!his small dome is only a tiny out%ost$@ said *everett. ?I have the fleet. 0o not count on a bluff.@ ?I &ill ta"e your &ord for it$@ said -u. ?3ut our one small shi% comes from arth. It 7ot here because it has the ca%acity for su%erluminal fli7ht. 0o you "no& &hat I mean1 .aster4than4li7ht travel.@ ?I "no& &hat you mean.@ +enarr said suddenly$ ?Is 0r. -u tellin7 the truth$ Marlene1@ ?2es$ he is$ 'ncle Siever$@ said Marlene. ?Interestin7$@ murmured +enarr. -u said calmly$ ?I am deli7hted to have my &ord confirmed by this youn7 lady. Am I to su%%ose she is (otor)s e8%ert on su%erluminal fli7ht1@ ?2ou need not su%%ose anythin7$@ said *everett im%atiently. ?-hy are you here1 2ou have not been invited.@ ?No$ &e haven)t. -e didn)t "no& that anyone &as here to ob6ect to us. 3ut I ur7e you not to 7ive in$ unnecessarily$ to any bad tem%er. At any false move from you$ our shi% &ill 6ust disa%%ear into hy%ers%ace.@ Marlene said >uic"ly$ ?#e)s not certain about that.@ -u fro&ned. ?I)m certain enou7h. And even if you mana7e to destroy the shi%$ our home base on arth "no&s &here &e are and is 7ettin7 constant re%orts. If anythin7 ha%%ens to us$ the ne8t e8%edition &ill be one of fifty su%erluminal battle cruisers. 0on)t ris" it$ sir.@ Marlene said$ ?!hat is not so.@ +enarr said$ ?-hat is not so$ Marlene1@ ?-hen he said that the home base on arth "no&s &here he is$ that &as not so$ and he knew that &as not so.@ +enarr said$ ?!hat)s 7ood enou7h for me. Saltade$ these %eo%le do not have hy%er4 communication.@ -u)s e8%ression did not chan7e. ?Are you relyin7 on the s%eculation of a teena7e 7irl1@ ?It)s not s%eculation. It)s a certainty. Saltade$ I)ll e8%lain later. !a"e my &ord for it.@ Marlene said suddenly$ ?As" my father. #e)ll tell you.@ She didn)t >uite understand ho& her father &ould "no& about her 7ift44she had surely not had it$ or at least had not dis%layed it$ &hen she &as one year old$ but his understandin7 &as clear. It shouted itself at her$ for all that others could not see it. .isher said$ ?It)s no use$ -u. Marlene can see ri7ht throu7h us.@ .or the first time$ -u)s coolness seemed to desert him. #e fro&ned$ and said tartly$ ?#o& &ould you "no& anythin7 at all about this 7irl$ even if she)s your dau7hter1 2ou haven)t seen her since she &as an infant.@ ?I had a youn7er sister once$@ said .isher in a lo& voice. +enarr said &ith sudden enli7htenment$ ?It runs in the family$ then. Interestin7. -ell$ 0r. -u$ you see &e have a tool here that allo&s no bluffin7. *et us$ then$ be o%en &ith each other. -hy have you come to this &orld1@ ?!o save the Solar System. As" the youn7 lady44since she is your absolute authority44if I am tellin7 the truth this time.@ Marlene said$ ?Of course you)re tellin7 the truth$ 0r. -u. -e "no& about the dan7er. My mother discovered it.@ -u said$ ? And &e discovered it$ too$ little lady$ &ithout any hel% from your mother.@ Saltade *everett loo"ed from one to another and said$ ?May I as" &hat you)re all tal"in7 about1@ +enarr said$ ?3elieve me$ Saltade$ =anus Pitt "no&s all about it. I)m sorry he hasn)t told you$ but if you 7et in touch &ith him no&$ he &ill. !ell him &e are dealin7 &ith %eo%le &ho "no& ho& to travel faster than li7ht and that &e mi7ht be able to ma"e a deal.@ K0.

!he four of them sat in Siever +enarr)s %rivate >uarters in the 0ome$ and +enarr tried to "ee% his sense of history from over&helmin7 him. !his &as the first e8am%le in human history of an interstellar ne7otiation. If each of the four &ere famous for nothin7 else$ their names &ould rin7 do&n the corridors of +alactic history for this alone. !&o and t&o. !here$ on the side of the Solar System 9 arth$ really$ and &ho &ould have thou7ht that decadent arth &ould be re%resentin7 the Solar System$ that they should have develo%ed su%erluminal fli7ht rather than one of the u%4to4date$ live4&ire Settlements: &ere Chao4*i -u and Crile .isher. -u &as tal"ative and insinuatin7A a mathematician$ but one &ho &as clearly %ossessed of %ractical acumen. .isher$ on the other hand 9and +enarr still could not accustom himself to the notion that he &as actually seein7 him a7ain:$ sat there >uietly$ lost in thou7ht and contributin7 little. On his o&n side &as Saltade *everett$ sus%icious and uneasy at bein7 in such close contact &ith three at once$ but firm44lac"in7 the &ordy flo& of -u$ yet havin7 no trouble in ma"in7 himself clear. As for +enarr$ he &as as >uiet as .isher$ but he &as &aitin7 for them to settle the matter44since he "ne& somethin7 the other three did not. Ni7ht had fallen by no&$ and hours had %assed. .irst lunch$ then dinner had been served. !here had been brea"s to sna% the tension and durin7 one of them$ +enarr had 7one out to see u7enia Insi7na and Marlene. ?It)s not 7oin7 badly$@ said +enarr. ?3oth sides have a 7reat deal to 7ain.@ ?-hat about Crile1@ as"ed Insi7na nervously. ?#as he brou7ht u% the matter of Marlene1@ ?#onestly$ u7enia$ that is not the sub6ect of discussion and he has not brou7ht her u%. I do thin" he is very unha%%y about it.@ ?#e should be$@ said Insi7na bitterly. +enarr hesitated. ?-hat do you thin"$ Marlene1@ Marlene loo"ed at him &ith her dar" unfathomable eyes. ?I)ve 7otten beyond that$ 'ncle Siever. ? ?A little hard4hearted$@ muttered +enarr. 3ut Insi7na sna%%ed at him. ?-hy shouldn)t she be1 0eserted in infancy.@ ?I)m not hard4hearted$@ said Marlene thou7htfully. ?If I can arran7e to have his mind eased$ I &ill. 3ut I don)t belon7 &ith him$ you see. Or &ith you$ either$ Mother. I)m sorry$ but I belon7 &ith rythro. 'ncle Siever$ you will tell me &hat)s decided$ &on)t you1@ ?I %romised I &ould.@ ?It)s im%ortant.@ ?I "no&.@ ?I should be there to re%resent rythro.@ ?I ima7ine that rythro is there$ but you &ill be %art of it before it)s over. ven if I didn)t assure you of that$ Marlene$ &hich I do$ I thin" that rythro &ould see to it.@ And then he returned to continue the discussion. Chao4*i -u &as leanin7 bac" in his seat no&$ his astute face sho&in7 no si7ns of &eariness. ?*et me summari;e$@ he said. ?In the absence of su%erluminal fli7ht$ this Nei7hbor Star44I shall call it Nemesis$ as you do44is the nearest star to the Solar System$ so that any shi% ma"in7 its &ay to the stars &ould be bound to sto% here first. Once all humanity has true su%erluminal fli7ht$ ho&ever$ distance is no lon7er a factor and human bein7s &ill not search out the nearest star$ but the most comfortable star. !he search &ill be on for Sun4li"e stars that ha%%en to be circled by at least one arth4li"e %lanet. Nemesis &ill be %ut to one side. ?(otor$ &hich has$ till no&$ a%%arently made a fetish of secrecy$ to "ee% others a&ay and to reserve this stellar system for itself$ need do so no more. Not only &ill this system be un&anted by other settlements$ but (otor itself may no lon7er &ant it. It may choose$ if it so desires$ to search out Sun4li"e stars for itself. !here are billions of such stars in the s%iral arms of the +ala8y. ?In order for (otor to have su%erluminal fli7ht$ it mi7ht occur to you that you could %oint a &ea%on at me and demand all I "no&. I am a mathematician$ a hi7hly theoretical one$ and my information is limited. ven if you &ere to ca%ture our shi% itself$ you &ould learn very little from it. -hat you must do is to send a de%utation of scientists and en7ineers to arth$ &here &e could train you ade>uately. ?In return$ &e as" for this &orld$ &hich you call rythro. It is my understandin7 that you do not occu%y it in any &ay e8ce%t for the %resence of this 0ome$ &hich is used for astronomical and other "inds

of research. 2ou are livin7 in Settlements. ?-hereas the Settlements of the Solar System can &ander off in search of Sun4li"e %lanets$ the %eo%le of arth cannot. !here are ei7ht billion of us &ho must be evacuated in a fe& thousand years and$ as Nemesis a%%roaches more and more closely to the Solar System$ rythro &ill more and more easily serve as a &ay station on &hich to %lace arth%eo%le until such time as &e can find arth4li"e &orlds to transfer them to. ?-e &ill return to arth &ith a (otorian of your choosin7 as %roof that &e &ere really here. More shi%s &ill be built and they &ill return44you can be sure &e &ill return$ for &e must have rythro. -e &ill then ta"e bac" your scientists$ &ho &ill learn the techni>ue of su%erluminal fli7ht$ a techni>ue &e &ill also 7rant to the other Settlements. 0oes all this ade>uately summari;e &hat &e have decided1@ *everett said$ ?It)s not all >uite that easy. rythro &ill have to be terraformed if it is to su%%ort any si;able number of arth%eo%le.@ ?2es$ I have left out details$@ said -u. ?!hese &ill have to be dealt &ith$ too$ but not by us.@ ?!rue$ Commissioner Pitt and the Council &ill have to decide on (otor)s behalf.@ ?And the +lobal Con7ress on arth)s behalf$ but &ith so much at sta"e$ I don)t foresee failure.@ ?!here &ill have to be safe7uards. #o& far can &e trust arth1@ ?About as far as arth can trust (otor$ I ima7ine. It may ta"e a year to &or" out safe7uards. Or five years. Or ten years. It &ill ta"e years$ in any case$ to build an ade>uate su%%ly of shi%s &ith &hich to be7in$ but &e have a %ro7ram that should last several thousand years$ one that &ill end &ith the necessary abandonment of arth and the be7innin7 of the coloni;ation of the +ala8y.@ ?Assumin7 there are no com%etin7 intelli7ences to be ta"en into account$@ 7ro&led *everett. ?An assum%tion &e can ma"e until &e are forced to abandon it. !hat is for the future. -ill you consult your Commissioner no&1 -ill you choose your (otorian to accom%any us and allo& us to leave for arth as soon as %ossible1@ No& .isher leaned for&ard. ?May I su77est that my dau7hter$ Marlene$ be the one44@ 3ut +enarr did not allo& the sentence to be com%leted. ?I)m sorry$ Crile. I)ve consulted her. She &ill not leave this &orld.@ ?If her mother 7oes &ith her$ then44@ ?No$ Crile. #er mother has nothin7 to do &ith it. ven if you &anted u7enia bac"$ and u7enia &ere to decide to 7o &ith you$ Marlene &ould still remain on rythro. And if you decided to stay here to be &ith her$ that &ould do you no 7ood either. She is lost to you$ and to her mother as &ell.@ .isher said an7rily$ ?She)s only a child. She can)t ma"e these decisions.@ ?'nfortunately for you$ and for u7enia$ and for all of us here$ and %erha%s for all of humanity$ she can ma"e these decisions. In fact$ I have %romised that &hen &e are throu7h here$ as I thin" &e no& are$ that &e &ill ac>uaint her &ith our decisions.@ -u said$ ?Surely that is not necessary.@ *everett said$ ?Come$ Siever$ &e don)t have to 7o to a little 7irl for %ermission.@ +enarr said$ ?Please listen to me. It is necessary$ and &e do have to 7o to her. Allo& me to try an e8%eriment. I am su77estin7 that Marlene be brou7ht in here so that &e can tell her &hat &e have decided. If one of you thin"s that is not desirable$ let him leave. *et him stand u% and leave.@ *everett said$ ?I thin" you)ve ta"en leave of your senses$ Siever. I have no intention of %layin7 7ames &ith a teena7er. I)m 7oin7 to s%ea" to Pitt. -here do you "ee% your transmitter1@ #e stood u% and$ almost at once$ sta77ered and fell. -u half4rose in alarm$ ?Mr. *everett44@ *everett rolled over and held u% his arm. ?#el% me u%$ somebody.@ +enarr hel%ed him to his feet and bac" into the chair. ?-hat ha%%ened1@ he as"ed. ?I)m not sure$@ said *everett. ?I had this blindin7 headache for 6ust a moment.@ ?So you &ere not able to leave the room.@ +enarr turned to -u. ?Since you don)t thin" seein7 Marlene is necessary$ &ould you care to leave the room1@ Very carefully$ eyes fi8ed on +enarr$ -u rose slo&ly from his chair$ &inced$ and sat do&n a7ain. #e said %olitely$ ?Perha%s &e had better see the youn7 &oman.@ +enarr said$ ?-e must. On this &orld$ at least$ &hat that youn7 &oman &ishes is the la&.@ K1. No! said Marlene so forcibly that it amounted almost to a shrie". ?2ou can)t do it<@

?Can)t do &hat1@ said *everett$ his &hite eyebro&s dra&in7 close to the furro&ed line bet&een. ?'se rythro for a &ay station44or for anythin7.@ *everett stared at her an7rily$ and his li%s dre& bac" as if to s%ea"$ but -u intervened. ?-hy not$ youn7 &oman1 It is an em%ty$ unused &orld.@ ?It is not em%ty. It is not unused. 'ncle Siever$ tell them.@ +enarr said$ ?-hat Marlene &ants to say is that rythro is occu%ied by innumerable %ro"aryote cells ca%able of %hotosynthesis. !hat is &hy there is o8y7en in rythro)s atmos%here.@ ?Very &ell$@ said -u. ?-hat difference does that ma"e1@ +enarr cleared his throat. ?Individually$ the cells are as %rimitive as life can be above the virus level$ but$ a%%arently$ they cannot be treated individually. !a"en all to7ether$ they form an or7anism of enormous com%le8ity. It is &orld47irdlin7.@ ?An or7anism1@ -u remained %olite. ?A sin7le or7anism$ and Marlene calls it by the name of the %lanet$ since they are so intimately related.@ -u said$ ? Are you serious1 #o& do you "no& about this or7anism1@ ?Chiefly throu7h Marlene.@ ?!hrou7h the youn7 &oman$@ said -u$ ?&ho may be44a hysteric1@ +enarr lifted a fin7er. ?0o not say anythin7 seriously a7ainst her. I)m not sure that rythro44the or7anism44has a sense of humor. -e "no& chie ly throu7h Marlene44 not entirely. -hen Saltade *everett stood u% to leave$ he &as "noc"ed do&n. -hen you half4rose a &hile a7o$ %erha%s also to leave$ you &ere clearly uncomfortable. !hose are the reactions of rythro. It %rotects Marlene by actin7 directly on our minds. In the early days of our e8istence on this &orld$ it inadvertently caused a small e%idemic of mental disease that &e called the rythro Pla7ue. I)m afraid that$ if it &ishes$ it can %roduce irrecoverable mental dama7eA and$ if it &ishes$ it can "ill. .lease do not test this.@ .isher said$ ?2ou mean it is not Marlene &ho44@ ?No$ Crile. Marlene has certain abilities$ but they don)t e8tend to the %oint of doin7 harm. It is rythro that is dan7erous.@ ?#o& do &e sto% it from bein7 dan7erous1@ as"ed .isher. ?3y listenin7 %olitely to Marlene$ to be7in &ith. !hen$ too$ let me be the one to tal" &ith her. rythro$ at least$ "no&s me. And believe me &hen I say that I &ant to save arth. I have no desire to brin7 about the death of billions.@ #e turned to Marlene. ?2ou understand$ Marlene$ don)t you$ that arth is in dan7er1 2our mother sho&ed you that the close a%%roach of Nemesis mi7ht destroy arth.@ ?I know that$ 'ncle Siever$@ said Marlene in an a7oni;ed voice$ ?but rythro belon7s to itself.@ ?It mi7ht &ant to share$ Marlene. It allo&s the 0ome to remain here on the %lanet. -e don)t seem to disturb it.@ ?3ut there are less than a thousand %eo%le in the 0ome and they stay in the 0ome. rythro doesn)t mind the 0ome because that means it can study human minds.@ ?It can study human minds all the more &hen arthmen come here.@ ? i7ht billion of them1@ ?No$ not all ei7ht billion. !hey)ll come here to settle do&n tem%orarily and then 7o off some&here. At anyone time$ there)ll only be a fraction of the %o%ulation here.@ ?It &ill be millions. I)m sure it &ill be. 2ou can)t s>uee;e them all into a dome and su%%ly them &ith food and &ater and all they)ll need. 2ou)ll have to s%read them out on rythro and terraform it. rythro couldn)t survive it. It &ould have to %rotect itself.@ ?Are you sure of that1@ ?It &ould have to. -ouldn)t you1@ ?It &ould mean the death of billions.@ ?I can)t hel% that.@ She %ressed her li%s to7ether$ then said$ ?!here)s a different &ay.@ *everett said 7ruffly$ ?-hat)s the 7irl tal"in7 about1 -hat different &ay1@ Marlene 7lanced briefly in *everett)s direction$ then turned to +enarr. ?I don)t "no&. rythro "no&s. At least44at least it says that the "no&led7e is here$ but it can)t e8%lain.@ +enarr held u% both arms to sto% &hat mi7ht have been a flurry of >uestions. ?*et me tal".@ !hen he said very >uietly$ ?Marlene$ be calm. If you)re &orried about rythro$ that is useless. 2ou "no& it can %rotect itself a7ainst anythin7. !ell me &hat you mean &hen you say rythro can)t e8%lain.@ Marlene &as breathless and 7as%in7. ? rythro "no&s the "no&led7e is here$ but it doesn)t have

human e8%erience$ human science$ human &ays of thin"in7. It doesn)t understand.@ ?!he "no&led7e is in the minds %resent here1@ ?2es$ 'ncle Siever.@ ?Can)t it %robe the minds1@ ?It &ould hurt them. It can %robe my mind &ithout hurtin7 it.@ ?I should ho%e so$@ said +enarr$ ?but do you have the "no&led7e1@ ?No$ of course not. 3ut it can use my mind as a %robe for the others here. 2ours. My father)s. All.@ ?Is that safe1@ ? rythro thin"s it is$ but44oh$ 'ncle Siever$ I)m afraid.@ ?Surely this is madness$@ &his%ered -u$ and +enarr >uic"ly %ut a fin7er to his li%s. .isher &as on his feet. ?Marlene$ you mustn)t44@ +enarr &aved him bac" furiously. ?!here)s nothin7 you can do$ Crile. !here are billions of human bein7s at ris"44&e "ee% on sayin7 it over and over a7ain44and the or7anism must be allo&ed to do &hat it can. Marlene.@ Marlene)s eyes had turned u%&ard. She seemed to be in a trance. ?'ncle Siever$@ she &his%ered. ?#old me.@ #alf4stumblin7$ half4fallin7$ she moved to&ard +enarr$ &ho sei;ed her and held her ti7htly. ?Marlene44(ela844It &ill be all ri7ht44@ #e sat do&n carefully in his chair$ still holdin7 her ri7id body. KD. It &as li"e a silent e8%losion of li7ht that obliterated the &orld. Nothin7 e8isted beyond itself. +enarr &as not even conscious of bein7 +enarr. !he self did not e8ist either. Only a luminous interconnectin7 fo7 of 7reat com%le8ity e8isted$ one that &as e8%andin7 and se%aratin7 into threads that too" on the same 7reat com%le8ity even as they se%arated. A &hirlin7 and a recedin7 and then an e8%ansion as it a%%roached a7ain. On and on$ hy%notically$ li"e somethin7 that had al&ays e8isted and &ould al&ays e8ist$ &ithout end. .allin7 endlessly into an o%enin7 that &idened as it a%%roached &ithout ever 7ettin7 &ider. Continuin7 chan7e &ithout alteration. *ittle %uffs unfoldin7 into ne& com%le8ity. On and on. No sound. No sensation. Not even vision. A consciousness of somethin7 that had the %ro%erties of li7ht &ithout bein7 li7ht. It &as the mind becomin7 a&are of itself. And then$ %ainfully44if there had been such a thin7 as %ain in the 'niverse44and &ith a sob44if there had been such a thin7 as a sound in the 'niverse44it be7an to dim and turn and s%in$ faster and faster$ into a %oint of li7ht that flashed and &as 7one. KE. !he 'niverse &as obtrusive in its e8istence. -u stretched and said$ ?0id anyone else e8%erience that1@ .isher nodded. *everett said$ ?-ell$ I)m a believer. If it)s madness$ &e)re all mad to7ether.@ 3ut +enarr &as still holdin7 Marlene$ bendin7 over her %ainfully. She &as breathin7 ra77edly. ?Marlene. Marlene.@ .isher had stru77led to his feet. ?Is she all ri7ht1@ ?I can)t say$@ muttered +enarr. ?She)s alive$ but that)s not enou7h.@ #er eyes o%ened. She &as starin7 at +enarr$ her eyes em%ty$ unfocused. ?Marlene$@ &his%ered +enarr in des%air. ?'ncle Siever$@ &his%ered Marlene in return. +enarr let himself breathe. At least she had reco7ni;ed him. ?0on)t move$@ he said. ?-ait till it)s over.@ ?It is over. I)m so glad it)s over.@ ?3ut are you all ri7ht1@ She %aused$ then said$ ?2es$ I feel all ri7ht. rythro says I)m all ri7ht.@ -u said$ ?0id you find this hidden "no&led7e &e)re su%%osed to have1@ ?2es$ 0r. -u. I did.@ She %assed a hand over her dam% bro&. ?It &as you$ actually$ &ho had it.@ ?I1@ said -u vehemently. ?-hat &as it1@

I don)t understand it$@ said Marlene. ?2ou &ill$ maybe$ if I describe it.@ ?0escribe &hat1@ ?Somethin7 that)s 7ravity %ushin7 thin7s a&ay instead of %ullin7 them to&ard.@ ?+ravitational re%ulsion$ yes$@ said -u. ?It)s %art of su%erluminal fli7ht.@ #e dre& a dee% breath and his body strai7htened. ?It)s a discovery I made.@ ?-ell then$@ said Marlene$ ?if you %ass close by Nemesis in su%erluminal fli7ht$ there)s 7ravitational re%ulsion. !he faster you move$ the more the re%ulsion.@ ?2es$ the shi% &ould be %ushed a&ay.@ ?-ouldn)t Nemesis be %ushed in the o%%osite direction1@ ?2es$ in inverse ratio of mass$ but Nemesis) move &ould be immeasurably small.@ ?3ut &hat if it &ere re%eated over and over for hundreds of years1@ ?Nemesis) movement &ould still be very small.@ ?3ut its %ath &ould be sli7htly chan7ed and over the li7ht4years the distance &ould mount u% and Nemesis mi7ht %ass arth 6ust far enou7h a&ay so that arth &ould be s%ared.@ -u said$ ?-ell44@ *everett said$ ?Could somethin7 of the sort be &or"ed out1@ ?-e could try. An asteroid$ %assin7 by at ordinary s%eeds$ shiftin7 into hy%ers%ace for a trillionth of a second and bac" at ordinary s%eed a million miles out. Asteroids in orbit around Nemesis al&ays movin7 into hy%ers%ace on the same side.@ .or a moment$ he &as lost in thou7ht. !hen$ defensively$ ?I &ould surely have thou7ht of this on my o&n$ 7iven a little time.@ +enarr said$ ?2ou may still have the credit. Marlene too" it from your mind$ after all.@ #e loo"ed about at the other three and said$ ?-ell$ 7entlemen$ unless somethin7 7oes terribly &ron7$ let)s for7et about usin7 rythro as a &ay station$ &hich it &ouldn)t allo& any&ay. -e needn)t concern ourselves &ith evacuatin7 arth44if &e can learn to ma"e full and %ro%er use of 7ravitational re%ulsion. I thin" the situation has been much im%roved because &e brou7ht in Marlene.@ ?'ncle Siever$@ said Marlene. ?2es$ dear.@ ?I)m so slee%y.@ KF. !essa -endel loo"ed at Crile .isher 7ravely. ?I "ee% sayin7 to myself, B2ou)re bac".) Someho& I didn)t thin" you)d be bac"$ once it &as clear you had found the (otorians.@ ?Marlene &as the first %erson44the very first %erson I found.@ #e &as starin7 at nothin7ness$ and -endel let him. #e &ould have to thin" it throu7h. !hey had enou7h to thin" about in other directions. !hey &ere ta"in7 a (otorian bac" &ith them, (anay 0)Aubisson$ a neuro%hysicist. !&enty years before$ she had &or"ed in a hos%ital on arth. !here &ould be records that &ould serve to identify her. And she &ould be the livin7 %roof of &hat they had done. -u &as a chan7ed %erson$ too. #e &as full of %lans for ma"in7 use of 7ravitational re%ulsion to nud7e the movement of the Nei7hbor Star. 9#e called it Nemesis no&$ but if he could formulate a %lan to move it ever so sli7htly$ it mi7ht not be arth)s nemesis at all.: And -u had 7ro&n modest. #e didn)t &ant the credit for the discovery$ &hich to -endel seemed com%letely unbelievable. #e said the %ro6ect had been &or"ed out in conference and he &ould say no more. -hat)s more$ he &as definitely %lannin7 to return to the Nemesian System44and not 6ust to run the %ro6ect. #e &anted to be there. ?If I have to &al"$@ he said. -endel became a&are that .isher &as loo"in7 at her$ fro&nin7 sli7htly. ?-hy didn)t you thin" I)d be bac"$ !essa1@ She decided to be matter of fact. ?2our &ife is youn7er than I am$ Crile$ and she &ould hold on to your dau7hter. I &as sure of that. And$ des%erate as you &ere to have your dau7hter$ I thou7ht44? ?!hat I &ould stay &ith u7enia because that &as the only &ay1@ ?Somethin7 li"e that.@ .isher shoo" his head. ?It &ouldn)t have &or"ed out that &ay$ no matter &hat. I thou7ht she &as (oseanne at first44my sister. !he eyes$ mostly$ but there &as a (oseanne loo" about her in other &ays$ too. 3ut she &as far more than (oseanne. !essa$ she &asn)t human$ isn)t human. I)ll e8%lain later. I44? #e shoo" his head.

?Never mind$ Crile$@ said -endel. ? 8%lain &henever you %lease.@ ?It hasn)t been a total loss. I)ve seen her. She)s alive. She)s &ell. And in the end$ I 7uess I didn)t &ant more. Someho&$ after my44e8%erience$ Marlene became446ust Marlene. .or the rest of my life$ !essa$ you are all I &ant.@ ?Ma"in7 the best of it$ Crile1@ ?A very 7ood best it is$ !essa. I)ll be formally divorced. -e)ll be formally married. I &ill leave (otor and Nemesis to -u$ and you and I can stay on arth$ or on any Settlement you &ish. -e)ll each have 7ood %ensions$ and &e can leave the +ala8y and its %roblems to others. -e)ve done enou7h$ !essa. !hat is$ if that)s &hat you &ish$ too.@ ?I can hardly &ait$ Crile.@ An hour later$ they &ere still holdin7 each other. KG. u7enia Insi7na said$ ?I)m so 7lad I &asn)t there. I "ee% thin"in7 about it. Poor Marlene. She must have been so afraid.@ ?2es$ she &as. 3ut she did it$ made it %ossible to save arth. ven Pitt can do nothin7 about it no&. In a sense$ his &hole life &or" has been made useless. Not only is there no %ur%ose to his &hole %ro6ect of secretly buildin7 u% a ne& civili;ation$ but he has to hel% su%ervise the %ro6ect for the salvation of the arth. #e has to. (otor is no lon7er hidden. It can be reached at any time$ and every bit of humanity$ on and off arth$ &ill turn a7ainst us if &e don)t re6oin the human race. It couldn)t have ha%%ened &ithout Marlene.@ Insi7na &asn)t thin"in7 of the 7reater si7nificances. She said$ ?3ut &hen she &as fri7htened$ really fri7htened$ it &as to you she turned$ not to Crile.@ ?2es.@ ?And you held her$ not Crile.@ ?2es$ but u7enia$ don)t ma"e anythin7 mystical out of it. She "ne& me$ but she didn)t "no& Crile.@ ?2ou)re bound to e8%lain it very sensibly$ Siever. !hat)s you. 3ut I)m 7lad it &as you she turned to. #e didn)t deserve her.@ ?.air enou7h. #e didn)t deserve her. 3ut$ no&44%lease$ u7enia$ let 7o. Crile is leavin7. #e)ll never be bac". #e)s seen his dau7hter. #e)s &atched her %rovide a &ay to save arth. I don)t be7rud7e him that$ and you shouldn)t either. So$ if you don)t mind$ I am chan7in7 the sub6ect. 0o you "no& that (anay 0) Aubisson is leavin7 &ith them1@ ?2es. veryone is tal"in7 about it. I &on)t miss her someho&. I never thou7ht she &as very sym%athetic to Marlene.@ ?Neither &ere you at times$ u7enia. It)s a 7reat thin7 for (anay. Once she reali;ed the so4called rythro Pla7ue &as not a useful field of study$ her &or" here &as shattered$ but on arth$ she can introduce modern brain scannin7 and have a 7reat %rofessional life.@ ?All ri7ht. +ood for her.@ ?3ut -u &ill be bac". Very bri7ht man. It &as his brain that yielded the %ro%er findin7. 2ou "no&$ I)m sure that &hen he comes bac" to &or" on the (e%ulsion ffect$ his real desire &ill be to remain on rythro. !he rythro or7anism has %ic"ed him as it had %ic"ed Marlene. And &hat)s funnier still$ I thin" it)s %ic"ed *everett$ as &ell.@ ?-hat system do you su%%ose it uses$ Siever1@ ?0o you mean &hy does it ta"e -u and not Crile1 -hy does it ta"e *everett and not me1@ ?-ell$ I can see that -u must be a far more brilliant man than Crile$ but$ Siever$ you are much better than *everett. Not that I &ould have &anted to lose you.@ ?!han" you. I %resume the rythro or7anism has a criterion of its o&n. I even thin" I have a dim idea of &hat it mi7ht be.@ ?(eally1@ ?2es. -hen my mind &as bein7 %robed$ it meant that throu7h Marlene$ the rythro or7anism itself &as enterin7 us. I cau7ht a 7lim%se of its thou7hts$ I ima7ine. Not consciously$ of course$ but &hen it &as over I seemed to "no& thin7s I didn)t "no& before. Marlene has the stran7e talent that ma"es it %ossible for her to communicate &ith the or7anism and ma"es it also %ossible for it to use her brain as a %robe for other

brains$ but I thin" that)s 6ust a %ractical advanta7e. It chose her for somethin7 far more unusual.@ ?-hat &ould that be1@ ?Ima7ine you)re a %iece of strin7$ u7enia. #o& &ould you feel if you suddenly and une8%ectedly became a&are of a %iece of lace1 Ima7ine you)re a circle. #o& &ould you feel if you came across a %atterned s%here1 rythro had "no&led7e of only one "ind of mindits o&n. Its mind is immensely hu7e$ but so %edestrian. It is &hat it is only because it is made u% of trillions of trillions of cellular units$ all very loosely connected. ?!hen it came across human minds$ in &hich the cellular units &ere com%aratively fe&$ but in &hich there &ere incredible numbers of interconnections44incredible com%le8ity. *ace instead of strin7. It must have been over&helmed by the sheer beauty of it. It must have found Marlene)s mind to be the most beautiful of all. !hat &as &hy it sei;ed u%on her. -ouldn)t you44if you had a chance to ac>uire a real (embrandt or a Van +o7h1 !hat &as &hy it %rotected her so avidly. -ouldn)t you %rotect a 7reat &or" of art1 2et it ris"ed her for the sa"e of humanity. It &as rou7h on Marlene$ but rather noble of the or7anism. ?Any&ay$ that is &hat I consider the rythro or7anism to be. I consider it an art connoisseur$ a collector of beautiful minds.@ Insi7na lau7hed. ?3y that to"en$ -u and *everett must have very beautiful minds.@ ?!hey %robably do to rythro. And it &ill continue collectin7 &hen scientists from arth arrive. 2ou "no& it &ill end by collectin7 a 7rou% of human bein7s different from the common run. !he rythro 7rou%. It may hel% them find ne& homes in s%ace and$ in the end$ %erha%s the +ala8y &ill have t&o "inds of &orlds$ &orlds of arthmen and &orlds of more efficient %ioneers$ the true S%acers. I &onder ho& that &ould &or" out. Surely it &ould mean the future &ould lie &ith them. I re7ret that someho&.@ ?0on)t thin" of that$@ said Insi7na ur7ently. ?*et %eo%le of the future deal &ith the future as it comes. (i7ht no&$ you and I are human bein7s 6ud7in7 each other by human standards.@ +enarr smiled 6oyously$ his %leasantly homely face li7htin7 u%. ?I)m 7lad of that$ because I find your mind beautiful$ and %erha%s you find mine e>ually beautiful.@ ?Oh$ Siever$ I al&ays did. Al&ays.@ +enarr)s smile faded some&hat. ?3ut there are other "inds of beauty$ I "no&.@ ?Not for me any lon7er. 2ou have all the "inds of beauty. Siever$ &e lost the mornin7$ you and I. 3ut there)s still the afternoon.@ ?In that case$ &hat more can I %ossibly &ant$ u7enia1 !he mornin7 is &ell4lost44if &e can share the afternoon.@ !heir hands touched.

EPILOGUE
A7ain$ =anus Pitt sat there alone$ enclosed. !he red d&arf star &as no lon7er an en7ine of death. It &as 6ust a red d&arf star to be %ushed to one side by an ever more arro7ant humanity$ 7ro&in7 yet further in %o&er. 3ut Nemesis still e8isted$ thou7h it &as no lon7er the star. .or billions of years$ life on arth had been isolated$ %erformin7 its se%arate e8%eriment$ risin7 and sin"in7$ flourishin7 and under7oin7 vast e8tinctions. Perha%s there &ere other &orlds on &hich life e8isted$ each one isolated for billions of years. All e8%eriments44all$ or almost all$ failures in the lon7 run. One or %erha%s t&o that &ere successes and &orth all the rest. 3ut that &as only if the 'niverse &ere lar7e enou7h to isolate all the e8%eriments. If (otor44their Ar"44had been isolated as arth and the Solar System had been$ it mi7ht have been the one to &or". 3ut no& he clenched his fists in fury44and des%eration. .or he "ne& that humanity &ould run from star to star as easily as it had run from continent to continent and before that from re7ion to re7ion. !here &ould be no isolation$ no self4contained e8%eriments. 5is 7rand e8%eriment had been discovered$ and doomed. !he same anarchy$ the same de7eneration$ the same thou7htless short4term thin"in7$ all the same cultural and social dis%arities &ould continue to %revail44+ala8y4&ide. -hat &ould there be no&1 +alactic em%ires1 All the sins and follies 7raduated from one &orld to millions1 very &oe and every difficulty horribly ma7nified1 -ho &ould be able to ma"e sense out of a +ala8y$ &hen no one had ever made sense out of a sin7le &orld1 -ho &ould learn to read the trends and foresee the future in a &hole +ala8y teemin7 &ith humanity1 Nemesis had indeed come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ISAAC ASIMOV is America)s most %rolific author$ &ith over four hundred boo"s to his credit. #is essay collections$ mystery stories$ and science fiction44includin7 the hu7ely successful .oundation Series44are "no&n and loved the &orld over. #e lives and &rites in Ne& 2or" City.