COMPETITION By JAMES CAUSEY _They would learn what caused the murderous disease--if it was the last thing they did!_ GRETA _January 18, Earth Time_ I wish Max would treat me like a _woman_. An hour ago, at dinner, John Armitage proposed a toast, especially formy benefit. He loves to play the gallant. Big man, silver mane, veryblue eyes, a porcelain smile. The head of WSC, the perfect example ofthe politician-scientist. "To the colony, " he announced, raising his glass. "May Epsilon love themand keep them. May it only be transmittal trouble. " "Amen, " Max said. We drank. Taylor Bishop put down his glass precisely. Bishop is a graylittle man with a diffident voice that belies his reputation as the bestbiochemist in the system. "Has Farragut hinted otherwise?" he askedmildly. Armitage frowned. "It would be scarcely prudent for Senator Farragut toalarm the populace with disaster rumors. " Bishop looked at him out of his pale eyes. "Besides, it's an electionyear. " The silence was suddenly ugly. Then Armitage chuckled. "All right, " he said. "So the Senator wants tobe a national hero. The fact still remains that Epsilon had better behabitable or Pan-Asia will scream we're hogging it. They want waranyway. Within a month--boom. " * * * * * For a moment, I was afraid he was going to make a speech about Earth'ssuffocating billions, the screaming tension of the cold war, and thesacred necessity of Our Mission. If he had, I'd have gotten the weepingshrieks. Some responsibilities are too great to think about. But insteadhe winked at me. For the first time, I began to realize why Armitage wasthe Director of the Scientists' World Council. "Hypothesis, Greta, " he said. "Epsilon is probably a paradise. Whyshould the test colony let the rest of the world in on it? They're beingselfish. " I giggled. We relaxed. After supper, Armitage played chess with Bishop while I followed Maxinto the control room. "Soon?" I said. "Planetfall in eighteen hours, Doctor. " He said it stiffly, busyinghimself at the controls. Max is a small dark man with angry eyes and thesaddest mouth I've ever seen. He is also a fine pilot and magnificentbacteriologist. I wanted to slap him. I hate these professional Britishtypes that think a female biochemist is some sort of freak. "Honestly, " I said. "What do you think?" "Disease, " he said bitterly. "For the first six months they reported onschedule, remember? A fine clean planet, no dominant life-forms, perfectfor immigration; unique, one world in a billion. Abruptly they stoppedsending. You figure it. " I thought about it. "I read your thematic on Venusian viruses, " he said abruptly. "Goodshow. You should be an asset to us, Doctor. " "Thanks!" I snapped. I was so furious that I inadvertently looked intothe cabin viewplate. Bishop had warned me. It takes years of deep-space time to enable aperson to stare at the naked Universe without screaming. It got me. The crystal thunder of the stars, that horrible hungryblackness. I remember I was sort of crying and fighting, then Max had meby the shoulders, holding me gently. He was murmuring and stroking myhair. After a time, I stopped whimpering. [Illustration: Illustrated by STONE] "Thanks, " I whispered. "You'd better get some sleep, Greta, " he said. I turned in. I think I'm falling in love. * * * * * _January 19_ Today we made planetfall. It took Max a few hours to home in on the testcolony ship. He finally found it, on the shore of an inland sea thatgleamed like wrinkled blue satin. For a time we cruised in wideningspirals, trying to detect some signs of life. There was nothing. We finally landed. Max and Armitage donned spacesuits and went towardthe colony ship. They came back in a few hours, very pale. "They're dead. " Armitage's voice cracked as he came out of the airlock. "All of them. " "Skeletons, " Max said. "How?" Bishop said. Armitage's hands were shaking as he poured a drink. "Looks like civilwar. " "But there were a hundred of them, " I whispered. "They were_dedicated_--" "I wonder, " Bishop said thoughtfully. "White and brown and yellow. Russian and British and French and German and Chinese and Spanish. Theywere chosen for technical background rather than emotional stability. " "Rot!" Armitage said like drums beating. "It's some alien bug, sometoxin. We've got to isolate it, find an antibody. " He went to work. * * * * * _January 22_ I'm scared. It's taken three days to finalize the atmospheric tests. Oxygen, nitrogen, helium, with trace gases. Those trace gases are stinkers. Bishop discovered a new inert gas, heavier than Xenon. He's excited. I'mcurrently checking stuff that looks like residual organic, and am nottoo happy about it. Still, this atmosphere seems pure. Armitage is chafing. "It's in the flora, " he insisted today. "Something, perhaps, that theyate. " He stood with a strained tautness, staring feverishly at thechronometer. "Senator Farragut's due to make contact soon. What'll Itell him?" "That we're working on it, " Bishop said dryly. "That the four bestscientists in the Galaxy are working toward the solution. " "That's good, " Armitage said seriously. "But they'll worry. You _are_making progress?" I wanted to wrap a pestle around his neck. We were all in the control room an hour later. Armitage practicallystood at attention while Farragut's voice boomed from the transmitter. It was very emetic. The Senator said the entire hemisphere was waitingfor us to announce the planet was safe for immigration. He said thestars were a challenge to Man. He spoke fearfully of the Coming WorldCrisis. Epsilon was Man's last chance for survival. Armitage assured himour progress was satisfactory, that within a few days we would havesomething tangible to report. The Senator said we were heroes. Finally it was over. Max yawned. "Wonder how many voters start fieldwork at once. " Armitage frowned. "It's not funny, Cizon. Not funny at all. Inasmuch aswe've checked out the atmosphere, I suggest we start field work atonce. " Taylor blinked. "We're still testing a few residual--" "I happen to be nominal leader of this party. " Armitage stood very tall, very determined. "Obviously the atmosphere is pure. Let's make someprogress!" * * * * * _February 2_ This is progress? For the past ten days, we've worked the clock around. Quantitativeanalysis, soil, water, flora, fauna, cellular, microscopic. Nothing. Maxhas discovered a few lethal alkaloids in some greenish tree fungus, butI doubt if the colony were indiscriminate fungus eaters. Bishop hasfound a few new unicellular types, but nothing dangerous. There's onetentacled thing that reminds me of a frightened rotifer. Max named it_Armitagium_. Armitage is pleased. Perhaps the fate of the hundred colonists will remain one of thoseforever unsolved mysteries, like the fate of the _Mary Celeste_ or thestarship _Prometheus_. This planet's _clean_. * * * * * _February 4_ Today Max and I went specimen-hunting. It must be autumn on Epsilon. Everywhere the trees are a riot of scarletand ocher, the scrubby bushes are shedding their leaves. Once we cameupon a field of thistlelike plants with spiny seed-pods that opened aswe watched, the purple spores drifting afield in an eddy of tinted mist. Max said it reminded him of Scotland. He kissed me. On the way back to the ship we saw two skeletons. Each had its fingerstightly locked about the other's throat. * * * * * _February 20_ We have, to date, analyzed nine hundred types of plant life for toxincontent. Bishop has tested innumerable spores and bacteria. Our slidefile is immense and still growing. Max has captured several insects. There is one tiny yellow bush-spider with a killing bite, but thespecies seem to be rare. Bishop has isolated a mold bacterium that couldcause a high fever, but its propagation rate is far too low to enable itto last long in the bloodstream. The most dangerous animal seems to be a two-foot-tall arthropod. They'rerare and peaceable. Bishop vivisected one yesterday and found nothingalarming. Last night I dreamed about the first expedition. I dreamed they allcommitted suicide because Epsilon was too good for them. This is ridiculous! We're working in a sort of quiet madness getting no closer to thesolution. Armitage talked to Senator Farragut yesterday and hinted darkly that thefirst ship's hydroponics system went haywire and that an impropercarbohydrate imbalance killed the colony. Pretty thin. Farragut'sgetting impatient. Bishop looks haggard. Max looks grim. * * * * * _February 23_ Our quantitative tests are slowing down. We play a rubber of bridge eachnight before retiring. Last night I trumped Max's ace and he snarled atme. We had a fight. This morning I found a bouquet of purplespore-thistles at my cabin door. Max is sweet. This afternoon, by mutual consent, we all knocked off work and playedbridge. Bishop noticed the thistle bouquet in a vase over thechronometer. He objected. "They're harmless, " Max said. "Besides, they smell nice. " I can hardly wait for tomorrow's rubber. Our work is important, but onedoes need relaxation. * * * * * _February 25_ Armitage is cheating. Yesterday he failed to score one of my overtricks. We argued bitterlyabout it. Taylor, of course, sided with him. Three hands later, Armitagegot the bid in hearts. "One hundred and fifty honors, " he announced. "That's a lie, " I said. "It was only a hundred, " he grinned. "But thank you, Greta. Now I shan'ttry the queen finesse. " No wonder they've won the last three evenings! Max is furious with themboth. * * * * * _February 28_ We played all day. Max and I kept losing. I always knew Armitage was apompous toad, but I never realized he was _slimy_. This afternoon it was game all, and Armitage overcalled my diamondopener with three spades. Bishop took him to four and I doubled, counting on my ace-king of hearts and diamonds. I led out my diamond ace and Armitage trumped from his hand. Bishop laiddown his dummy. He had clubs and spades solid, with doubleton heart anddiamonds. "None?" Max asked Armitage dangerously. Armitage tittered. I wanted to scratch his eyes out. He drew trumpimmediately and set up clubs on board, dumping the heart losers from hishand, and finally sluffing--_two diamonds_. "Made seven, " he said complacently, "less two for the diamond renegemakes five, one overtrick doubled. We were vulnerable, so it's game andrubber. " I gasped. "You reneged deliberately!" "Certainly. Doubleton in hearts and diamonds in my hand. If you get in, I'm down one. As it was, I made an overtrick. The only penalty for arenege is two tricks. The rule book does not differentiate betweendeliberate and accidental reneges. Sorry. " I stared at his florid throat, at his jugular. I could feel my mouthtwitching. On the next hand I was dummy. I excused myself and went into the lab. Ifound a scalpel. I came up quietly behind Armitage and Bishop saw what Iwas going to do and shouted and I was not nearly fast enough. Armitageducked and Bishop tackled me. "Thanks, dear, " Max said thoughtfully, looking at the cards scattered onthe floor. "We would have been set one trick. Club finesse fails. " "She's crazy!" Armitage's mouth worked. "The strain's too much for her!" I cried. I apologized hysterically. After a while, I convinced them Iwas all right. Max gave me a sedative. We did not play any more bridge. Over supper I kept staring at Armitage's throat. After eating, I went for a long walk. When I got back to the ship, everyone was sleeping. * * * * * _March 1_ Bishop found Armitage this morning, in his cabin. He came out, verypale, staring at me. "You bitch, " he said. "Ear to ear. Now what'll I do for a partner?" "You can't prove it, " I said. "We'll have to confine her to quarters, " Max said wearily. "I'll tellFarragut. " "And let him know the expedition is failing?" Max sighed. "You're right. We'll tell them Armitage had an accident. " I said seriously, "It was obviously suicide. His mind snapped. " "Oh, God, " Max said. They buried Armitage this afternoon. From my cabin, I watched them digthe grave. Cheaters never prosper. * * * * * _March 2_ Max talked with Senator Farragut this morning. He said Armitage had dieda hero's death. Farragut sounds worried. The Pan-Asians have withdrawntheir embassy from Imperial Africa. Tension is mounting on the homefront. Immigration _must_ start this week. Max was very reassuring. "Just a few final tests, Senator. We want to make sure. " We puttered in our laboratories all afternoon. Bishop seemed bored. After dinner he suggested three-handed bridge and Max said he knew abetter game, a friendly game his grandmother had taught him--hearts. * * * * * _March 5_ It's a plot! All day long Bishop and Max have managed to give me the queen of spades. It's deliberate, of course. Three times I've tried for the moon andBishop has held out one damned little heart at the end. Once Max wasslightly ahead on points and Bishop demanded to see the score. I thoughtfor a moment they would come to blows, but Bishop apologized. "It's just that I hate to lose, " he said. "Quite, " Max said. When we finally turned in, Bishop was ahead on points. Too far ahead. * * * * * _March 6_ I suppose it's Bishop's laugh. It has a peculiar horselike stridencythat makes me want to tear out his throat. Twice today I've broken downand cried when he made a jackpot. I'm not going to cry any more. Supper was the usual, beef-yeast and vita-ale. I remember settingBishop's plate in front of him, and the way his pale eyes gleamedbetween mouthfuls. "Three thousand points ahead, " he gloated. "You'llnever catch me now. Never, never!" That was when he gripped his throat and began writhing on the floor. Max felt his pulse. He stared at me. "Very nice, " he said. "Quick. Did you use a derivative of that greenfungus?" I said nothing. Max's nostrils were white and pinched. "Must I make anautopsy?" "Why bother?" I said. "It's obviously heart failure. " "Yes, why bother?" he said. He looked tired. "Stay in your cabin, Greta. I'll bring your meals. " "I don't trust you. " His laughter had a touch of madness. * * * * * _March 10_ Max unlocked my cabin door this morning. He looked drawn. "Listen, " hesaid. "I've checked my respiration, pulse, saliva, temperature. Allnormal. " "So?" "Come here, " he said. I followed him into the lab. He indicated amicroscope. His eyes were bright. "Well?" "A drop of my blood, " he said. "Look. " I squinted into the microscope. I saw purple discs. Oddly, they did notattack the red blood cells. There was no fission, no mitosis. Theleucocytes, strangely enough, let them alone. My hands were shaking as I took a sterile slide and pricked my finger. Iput the slide under the microscope. I adjusted the lens and stared. Purple discs, swimming in my bloodstream. Thriving. Minding their ownbusiness. "Me, too, " I said. "They're inert, " Max said hoarsely. "They don't affect metabolism, causefever, or interfere with the body chemistry in any way. Do they remindyou of anything?" I thought about it. Then I went to the slide file that was marked_flora--negative_. "Right, " Max said. "The purple thistle. Spores! The atmosphere isclogged with them. Greta, my sweet, we're infected. " "I feel fine, " I said. All day long we ran tests. Negative tests. We seem to be disgustinglyhealthy. "Symbiosis, " Max said finally. "Live and let live. Apparentlywe're hosts. " Only one thing disturbs me. Most symbiotes _do_ something for their host. Something to enhance thehost's survival potential. We played chess this evening. I won. Max is furious. He's such a poorsport. * * * * * _March 11_ Max talked with Senator Farragut this morning. He gave Epsilon a cleanbill of health and the Senator thanked God. "The first starship willleave tonight, " the Senator said. "Right on schedule, with ten thousandcolonists aboard. You're world heroes!" Max and I played chess the rest of the day. Max won consistently. Heutilizes a fianchetto that is utterly impregnable. If he wins tomorrow, I shall have to kill him. * * * * * MAX _March 13_ It was, of course, necessary for me to destroy Armitage and Bishop. Theywon far too often. But I am sorry about Greta. Yet I had to strangleher. If she hadn't started that infernal queen's pawn opening it would havebeen different. She beat me six times running, and on the last game Ipulled a superb orang-outang, but it was too late. She saw mate in fourand gave me that serpent smirk I know so well. How could I have ever been in love with her? * * * * * _March 14_ Frightfully boring to be alone. I have a thought. Chess. Right handagainst left. White and black. Jolly good. * * * * * _March 16_ I haven't much time. Left was black this morning and I beat him, four out of five. We're inthe lab now. He's watching me scribble this. His thumb and forefingerare twitching in fury. He looks like some great white spider about tospring. He sees the scalpel, by the microscope. Now his fingers are inchingtoward it. Treacherous beast. I'm stronger. If he tries to amputate . . . --JAMES CAUSEY Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from _Galaxy Science Fiction_ May 1955. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U. S. Copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.