THE LANI PEOPLE

By J. F. Bone

CHAPTER I

The boxed ad in the opportunities section of the Kardon Journal ofAllied Medical Sciences stood out like a cut diamond in a handfulof gravel. "Wanted, " it read, "Veterinarian--for residency in activelivestock operation. Single recent graduate preferred. Quarters andservice furnished. Well-equipped hospital. Five-year contract, renewaloption, starting salary 15, 000 cr. /annum with periodic increases. Stateage, school, marital status, and enclose recent tri-di with application. Address Box V-9, this journal. "

Jac Kennon read the box a second time. There must be a catch to it. Nothing that paid a salary that large could possibly be on the level. Fifteen thousand a year was top pay even on Beta, and an offer like thisfor a new graduate was unheard of--unless Kardon was in the middle of aninflation. But Kardon wasn't. The planet's financial status was A-1. He knew. He'd checked that immediately after landing. Whatever mightbe wrong with Kardon, it wasn't her currency. The rate of exchange was1. 2-1 Betan. 

A five-year contract--hmm--that would the seventy-five thousand. Figurethree thousand a year for living expenses, that would leave sixty-plentyof capital to start a clinic. The banks couldn't turn him down if he hadthat much cash collateral. 

Kennon chuckled wryly. He'd better get the job before he startedspending the money he didn't have. He had 231 credits plus a fewhalves, tenths, and hundredths, a diploma in veterinary medicine, sometextbooks, a few instruments, and a first-class spaceman's ticket. Bywatching his expenses he had enough money to live here for a month andif nothing came of his efforts to find a job on this planet, there wasalways his spaceman's ticket and another world. 

Another world! There were over six thousand planets in the Brotherhoodof Man. At two months per planet, not figuring transit time, it wouldtake more than a thousand Galactic Standard years to visit them all, anda man could look forward to scarcely more than five hundred at best. Thehabitat of Man had become too large. There wasn't time to explore everypossibility. 

But a man could have certain standards, and look until he found aposition that fitted. The trouble was--if the standards were too highthe jobs were too scarce. Despite the chronic shortage of veterinariansthroughout the Brotherhood, there was a peculiar reluctance on the partof established practitioners to welcome recent graduates. Most of theads in the professional journals read "State salary desired, " which wasnothing more than economic blackmail--a bald-faced attempt to get asmuch for as little as possible. Kennon grimaced wryly. He'd be damned ifhe'd sell his training for six thousand a year. Slave labor, that's whatit was. There were a dozen ads like that in the Journal. Well, he'd givethem a trial, but he'd ask eight thousand and full GEA benefits. Eightyears of school and two more as an intern were worth at least that. 

He pulled the portable voicewrite to a comfortable position in front ofthe view wall and began composing another of the series of letters thathad begun months ago in time and parsecs away in space. His voice was afluid counterpoint to the soft hum of the machine. 

And as he dictated, his eyes took in the vista through the viewwall. Albertsville was a nice town, too young for slums, too new foroverpopulation. The white buildings were the color of winter butter inthe warm yellow sunlight as the city drowsed in the noonday heat. Itnestled snugly in the center of a bowl-shaped valley whose surroundingforest clad hills gave mute confirmation to the fact that Kardonwas still primitive, an unsettled world that had not yet reached theexplosive stage of population growth that presaged maturity. But thatwas no disadvantage. In fact, Kennon liked it. Living could be fun on aplanet like this. 

It was abysmally crude compared to Beta, but the Brotherhood had openedKardon less than five hundred years ago, and in such a short time onecouldn't expect all the comforts of civilization. 

It required a high population density to supply them, and while Kardonwas integrated its population was scarcely more than two hundredmillion. It would be some time yet before this world would achieve aClass I status. However, a Class II planet had some advantages. What itlacked in conveniences it made up in opportunities and elbow room. 

A normal Betan would have despised this world, but Kennon wasn't normal, although to the casual eye he was a typical representative of theMedico-Technological Civilization, long legged, fair haired, and shortbodied with the typical Betan squint that left his eyes mere slitsbehind thick lashes and heavy brows. The difference was internal ratherthan external. 

Possibly it was due to the fact that his father was the commander of aShortliner and most of his formative years had been spent in space. ToKennon, accustomed to the timeless horror of hyper space, all planetswere good, broad open places where a man could breathe unfiltered airand look for miles across distances unbroken by dually bulk heads andsafety shields. On a planet there were spaciousness and freedom andafter the claustrophobic confinement of a hyper ship any world wasparadise. Kennon sighed, finished his letters, and placed them in themail chute. Perhaps, this time, there would be a favorable reply. 

CHAPTER II

Kennon was startled by the speed with which his letters were answered. Accustomed to the slower pace of Beta he had expected a week wouldelapse before the first reply, but within twenty-four hours nine of histwelve inquiries were returned. Five expressed the expected "Thank youbut I feel that your asking salary is a bit high in view of your lackof experience. " Three were frankly interested and requested a personalinterview. And the last was the letter, outstanding in its quietlyostentatious folder-the reply from Box V-9. 

"Would Dr. Kennon call at 10 A. M. Tomorrow at the offices ofOutworld Enterprises Incorporated and bring this letter and suitableidentifications?" Kennon chuckled. Would he? There was no question aboutit. The address, 200 Central Avenue, was only a few blocks away. Infact, he could see the building from his window, a tall functional blockof durilium and plastic, soaring above the others on the street, thesunlight gleaming off its clean square lines. He eyed it curiously, wondering what he would find inside. 

* * *

The receptionist took his I. D. And the letter, scanned them briefly, and slipped them into one of the message tubes beside her desk. "It willonly be a moment, Doctor, " she said impersonally. "Would you care to sitdown? '"

"Thank you, " he said. The minute, reflected, could easily be an hour. Butshe was right. It was only a minute until the message tube clickedand popped a capsule onto the girl's desk. She opened it, and removedKennon's I. D. And a small yellow plastic rectangle. Her eyes widened atthe sight of the plastic card. 

"Here you are, Doctor. Take shaft number one. Slip the card into thescanner slot and you'll be taken to the correct floor. The offices youwant will be at the end of the corridor to the left. You'll find anyother data you may need on the card in case you get lost. " She looked athim with a curious mixture of surprise and respect as she handed him thecontents of the message tube. 

Kennon murmured an acknowledgment, took the card and his I. D. , andentered the grav-shaft. There was the usual moment of heaviness asthe shaft whisked him upward and deposited him in front of a thicklycarpeted corridor. 

Executive level, Kennon thought as he followed the receptionist'sdirections. No wonder she had looked respectful. But what was he doinghere? The employment of a veterinarian wasn't important enough to demandthe attention of a senior executive. The personnel section could handlethe details of his application as well as not. He shrugged. Perhapsveterinarians were more important on Kardon. He didn't know a thingabout this world's customs. 

He opened the unmarked door at the end of the corridor, entered a smallreception room, smiled uncertainly at the woman behind the desk, andreceived an answering smile in return. 

Come right in, Dr. Kennon. Mr. Alexander is waiting for you. 

Alexander! The entrepreneur himself! Why? Numb with surprise Kennonwatched the woman open the intercom on her desk. 

"Sir, Dr. Kennon is here, " she said. 

"Bring him in, " a smooth voice replied from the speaker. Alexander X. M. Alexander, President of Outsold Enterprises--a lean, dark, wolfish manin his early sixties--eyed Kennon with a flat predatory intentness thatwas oddly disquieting. His stare combined the analytical inspectionof the pathologist, the probing curiosity of the psychiatrist, and theweighing appraisal of the butcher. Kennon's thoughts about Alexander'syouth vanished that instant. Those eyes belonged to a leader on thebattlefield of galactic business. 

Kennon felt the conditioned respect for authority surge through him ina smothering wave. Grimly he fought it down, knowing it was a sign ofweakness that would do him no good in the interview which lay ahead. 

"So you're Kennon, " Alexander said. His lingua franca was clean andaccentless. "I expected someone older. "

"Frankly, sir, so did I, " Kennon replied. 

Alexander smiled, an oddly pleasant smile that transformed the hardstraight lines in his face into friendly curves. "Business, Dr. Kennon, is not the sole property of age. "

"Nor is a veterinary degree, " Kennon replied. 

"True. But one thinks of a Betan as someone ancient and sedate. "

"Ours is an old planet--but we still have new generations. "

"A fact most of us outsiders find hard to believe, " Alexander said. "Ipicture your world as an ironclad society crystallized by age and custominto something rigid and in flexible. "

"You would be wrong to do so, " Kennon said. "Even though we are culturalintroverts there is plenty of dynamism within our society. "

"How is it that you happen to be out here on the edge of civilization?"

"I never said I was like my society, " Kennon grinned. "Actually Isuppose I'm one of the proverbial bad apples. "

"There's more to it than that, " Alexander said. "Your early yearsprobably influenced you. "

Kennon looked sharply at the entrepreneur. How much did the man reallyknow about him? "I suppose so, " he said indifferently. 

Alexander looked pleased. "But even with your childhood experiencesthere must be an atavistic streak in you--a throwback to youradventurous Earth forebears who settled your world?"

Kennon shrugged. "Perhaps you're right. I really don't know. Actually, I've never thought about it. It merely seemed to me that an undevelopedworld offered more opportunity. "

"It does, " Alexander said. "But it also offers more work. If you'refiguring that you can get along on the minimum physical effort requiredon the Central Worlds, you have a shock coming. "

"I'm not that innocent, " Kennon said. "But I am not so stupid that Ican't apply modifications of Betan techniques to worlds as new as this. "

Alexander chuckled. "I like you, " he said suddenly. "Here read this andsee if you'd care to work for me. " He picked a contract form from one ofthe piles of paper on his desk and handed it to Kennon. "This is oneof our standard work contracts. Take it back to your hotel and check itover. I'll expect to see you at this time tomorrow. "

"Why waste time?" Kennon said. "The rapid-reading technique originatedon Beta. I can tell you in fifteen minutes. "

"Hmm. Certainly. Read it here if you wish. I like to get thingssettled--the sooner the better. Sit down, young man and read. You canrouse me when you're finished. " He turned his attention to the papers onhis desk and within seconds was completely oblivious of Kennon, his faceset in the rapt trancelike expression of a trained rapid reader. 

Kennon watched for a moment as sheets of paper passed throughAlexander's hands to be added to the pile at the opposite end of thedesk. The man would do better, he thought, if he would have his stafftranscribe the papers to microfilm that could be read through aninterval-timed scanner. He might suggest that later. As for now, heshrugged and seated himself in the chair beside the desk. The quiet wasbroken only by the rustle of paper as the two rapt-faced men turned pageafter page with mechanical regularity. 

Finally Kennon turned the last page, paused, blinked, and performedthe necessary mental gymnastics to orient his time sense. Alexander, henoticed, was still engrossed, sunk in his autohypnotic trance. Kennonwaited until he had finished the legal folder which he was reading andthen gently intruded upon Alexander's concentration. 

Alexander looked up blankly and then went through the same mentalgyrations Kennon had performed a few minutes before. His eyes focusedand became hard and alert. 

"Well?" he asked. "What do you think of it?"

"I think it's the damnedest, trickiest, most unilateral piece oflegalistics I've ever seen, " Kennon said bluntly. "If that's the bestyou can offer, I wouldn't touch the job with a pair of forceps. "

Alexander smiled. "I see you read the fine print, " he said. There wasquiet amusement in his voice. "So you don't like the contract?"

"No sensible man would. I'm damned if I'll sign commitment papers justto get a job. No wonder you're having trouble getting professional help. If your contracts are all like that it's' a wonder anyone works foryou. "

"We have no complaints from our employees, " Alexander said stiffly. 

"How could you? If they signed that contract you'd have a perfect rightto muzzle them. "

"There are other applicants for this post, " Alexander said. 

"Then get one of them. I wouldn't be interested. "

"A spaceman's ticket is a good thing to have, " Alexander said idly. "It's a useful ace in the hole. Besides, you have had three other joboffers--all of which are good even though they don't pay fifteen Ems ayear. "

Kennon did a quick double take. Alexander's investigative staff wasbetter than good. It was uncanny. 

"But seriously, Dr. Kennon, I am pleased that you do not like thatcontract. Frankly, I wouldn't consider employing you if you did. "

"Sir?"

"That contract is a screen. It weeds out the careless, the fools, andthe unfit in one operation. A man who would sign a thing like thathas no place in my organization. " Alexander chuckled at Kennon's blankexpression. "I see you have had no experience with screening contracts. "

"I haven't, " Kennon admitted. "On Beta the tests are formal. TheMedico-Psych Division supervises them. "

"Different worlds, different methods, " Alexander observed. "But they'reall directed toward the same goal. Here we aren't so civilized. Wedepend more on personal judgment. " He took another contract from one ofthe drawers of his desk. "Take a look at this. I think you'll be moresatisfied. "

"If you don't mind, I'll read it now, " Kennon said. 

Alexander nodded. 

* * *

"It's fair enough, " Kennon said, "except for Article Twelve. "

"The personal privilege section?

"Yes. "

"Well, that's the contract. You can take it or leave it. "

"I'll leave it, " Kennon said. "Thank you for your time. " He rose to hisfeet, smiled at Alexander, and turned to the door. "Don't bother to callyour receptionist, " he said. "I can find my way out. "

"Just a minute, Doctor, " Alexander said. He was standing behind thedesk, holding out his hand. 

"Another test?" Kennon inquired. 

Alexander nodded. "The critical one, " he said. "Do you want the job?"

"Of course. "

"Without knowing more about it?"

"The contract is adequate. It defines my duties. "

"And you think you can handle them?"

"I know I can. "

"I notice, " Alexander observed, "that you didn't object to otherprovisions. "

"No, sir. They're pretty rigid, but for the salary you are paying Ifigure you should have some rights. Certainly you have the right toprotect your interests. But that Article Twelve is a direct violation ofeverything a human being should hold sacred besides being a violationof the Peeper Laws. I'd never sign a contract that didn't carry a fullPeeper rider. "

"That's quite a bit. "

"That's the minimum, " Kennon corrected. "Naturally, I won't objectto mnemonic erasure of matters pertaining to your business once mycontract's completed and I leave your employment. But until then therewill be no conditioning, no erasures, no taps, no snoopers, and nocheckups other than the regular periodic psychans. I'll consult with youon vacation time and will arrange it to suit your convenience. I'll evenagree to emergency recall, but that's the limit. " Kennon's voice wasflat. 

"You realize I'm agreeing to give you a great deal of personal liberty, "Alexander said. "How can I protect myself?"

"I'll sign a contingency rider, " Kennon said, "if you will specifyprecisely what security matters I am not to reveal. "

"I accept, " Alexander said. "Consider yourself hired. " He toucheda button on his desk. "Prepare a standard 2-A contract for Dr. Jac Kennon's signature. And attach two riders, a full P-P-yes, noexceptions--and a security-leak contingency, Form 287-C. Yes--that'sright--that one. And strike out all provisions of Article Twelve whichconflict with the Peeper Laws. Yes. Now--and finish it as soon as youcan. " He touched another button. "Well, that's that, " he said. "I hopeyou'll enjoy being a member of our group. "

"I think I shall, " Kennon said. "You know, sir, I would have waived partof that last demand if you had cared to argue. "

"I know it, " Alexander said. "But what concessions I could have wrungfrom you would be relatively unimportant beside the fact that you wouldbe unhappy about them later. What little I could have won here, I'd loseelsewhere. And since I want you, I'd prefer to have you satisfied. "

"I see, " Kennon said. Actually he didn't see at all. He looked curiouslyat the entrepreneur. Alexander couldn't be as easy as he seemed. Objectivity and dispassionate weighing and balancing were nice traitsand very helpful ones, but in the bear pit of galactic business theywouldn't keep their owner alive for five minutes. The interworld tradesharks would have skinned him long ago and divided the stripped carcassof his company between them. 

But Outworld was a "respected" company. The exchange reports saidso--which made Alexander a different breed of cat entirely. Still, hissurface was perfect--polished and impenetrable as a duralloy turret onone of the latest Brotherhood battleships. Kennon regretted he wasn't asensitive. It would be nice to know what Alexander really was. 

"Tell me, sir, " Kennon asked. "What are the real reasons that make youthink I'm the man you want?"

"And you're the young man who's so insistent on a personal privacyrider, " Alexander chuckled. "However, there's no harm telling you. Thereare several reasons. 

"You're from a culture whose name is a byword for moral integrity. Thatmakes you a good risk so far as your ethics are concerned. In additionyou're the product of one of the finest educational systems in thegalaxy-and you have proven your intelligence to my satisfaction. Youalso showed me that you weren't a spineless 'yes man. ' And finally, youhave a spirit of adventure. Not one in a million of your people would dowhat you have done. What more could an entrepreneur ask of a prospectiveemployee?"

Kennon sighed and gave up. Alexander wasn't going to reveal a thing. 

"All I hope, " Alexander continued affably, "is that you'll find OutworldEnterprises as attractive as did your predecessor Dr. Williamson. He waswith us until he died last month--better than a hundred years. "

"Died rather young, didn't he?"

"Not exactly, he was nearly four hundred when he joined us. Mygrandfather was essentially conservative. He liked older men, and OldDoc was one of his choices--a good one, too. He was worth every creditwe paid him. "

"I'll try to do as well, " Kennon said, "but I'd like to warn you that Ihave no intention of staying as long as he did. I want to build a clinicand I figure sixty thousand is about enough to get started. "

"When will you veterinarians ever learn to be organization men?"Alexander asked. "You're as independent as tomcats. "

Kennon grinned. "It's a breed characteristic, I guess. "

Alexander shrugged. "Perhaps you'll change your mind after you've workedfor us. "

"Possibly, but I doubt it. "

"Tell me that five years from now, " Alexander said--"Ah--here arethe contracts. " He smiled at the trim secretary who entered the roomcarrying a stack of papers. 

"The riders are as you asked, sir, " the girl said. 

"Good. Now, Doctor, if you please. "

"You don't mind if I check them?" Kennon asked. 

"Not at all. And when you're through, just leave them on thedesk--except for your copy, of course. " Alexander scrawled his signatureon the bottom of each contract. "Don't disturb me. I'll be in contactwith you. Leave your whereabouts with your hotel. " He turned to thepapers in front of him, and then looked up for the last time. "Just onemore thing, " he said. "You impress me as a cautious man. It would bejust as well if you carried your caution with you when you leave thisroom. "

Kennon nodded, and Alexander turned back to his work. 

CHAPTER III

"I'd never have guessed yesterday that I'd be here today, " Kennon saidas he looked down at the yellow waters of the Xantline Sea flashing tothe rear of the airboat at a steady thousand kilometers per hour as theysped westward in the middle traffic level. The water, some ten thousandmeters below, had been completely empty for hours as the craft hurtledthrough the equatorial air. 

"We have to move fast to stay ahead of our ulcers, " Alexander saidwith a wry smile. "Besides, I wanted to get away from the Albertsvilleoffices for awhile. "

"Three hours' notice, " Kennon said. "That's almost too fast. "

"You had nothing to keep you in the city, and neither did I--at leastnothing important. There are plenty of females where we are going andI need you on Flora--not in Albertsville. Besides I can get you therefaster than if you waited for a company transport. "

"Judging from those empty sea lanes below, Flora must be anout-of-the-way place, " Kennon said. 

"It is. It's out of the trade lanes. Most of the commercial traffic isin the southern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere is practicallyall water. Except for Flora and the Otpens there isn't a land area fornearly three thousand kilometers in any direction, and since the companyowns Flora and the surrounding island groups there's no reason forshipping to come there. We have our own supply vessels, a DiscoveryCharter, and a desire for privacy. --Ah! It won't be long now. There'sthe Otpens!" Alexander pointed at a smudge on the horizon that quicklyresolved into an irregular chain of tiny islets that slipped below them. Kennon got a glimpse of gray concrete on one of the larger islands, asmudge of green trees, and white beaches against which the yellow watersdashed in smothers of foam. 

"Rugged-looking place, " he murmured. 

"Most of them are deserted. Two support search and warning stations andautomatic interceptors to protect our property. Look!--there's Flora. "Alexander gestured at the land mass that appeared below. 

Flora was a great green oval two hundred kilometers long and about ahundred wide. 

"Pretty, isn't it?" Alexander said as they sped over the low rangeof hills and the single gaunt volcano filling the eastward end ofthe island and swept over a broad green valley dotted with fieldsand orchards interspersed at intervals by red-roofed structures whosepurpose was obvious. 

"Our farms, " Alexander said redundantly. The airboat crossed afair-sized river. "That's the Styx, " Alexander said. "Grandfather namedit. He was a classicist in his way--spent a lot of his time readingbooks most people never heard of. Things like the Iliad and Gone withthe Wind. The mountains he called the Apennines, and that volcano'sMount Olympus. The marshland to the north is called the PontineMarshes--our main road is the Camino Real. " Alexander grinned. "There'sa lot of Earth on Flora. You'll find it in every name. Grandfatherwas an Earthman and he used to get nostalgic for the homeworld. Well--there's Alexandria coming up. We've just about reached the end ofthe line. "

Kennon stared down at the huge gray-green citadel resting on a smallhill in the center of an open plain. It was a Class II Fortalice builton the efficient star-shaped plan of half a millennium ago--an uglyspiky pile of durilium, squat and massive with defensive shields andweapons which could still withstand hours of assault by the most modernforces. 

"Why did he build a thing like that?" Kennon asked. 

"Alexandria?--well, we had trouble with the natives when we first came, and Grandfather had a synthesizer and tapes for a Fortalice in hisship. So he built it. It serves the dual purpose of base and house. It'smostly house now, but it's still capable of being defended. "

"And those outbuildings?"

"They're part of your job. "

The airboat braked sharply and settled with a smooth, sickeninglyswift rush that left Kennon gasping--feeling that his stomach was stillfloating above him in the middle level. He never had become accustomedto an arbutus landing characteristics. Spacers were slower and steadier. The ship landed gently on a pitted concrete slab near the massiveradiation shields of the barricaded entranceway to the fortress. Projectors in polished dually turrets swivelled to point their uglynoses at them. It gave Kennon a queasy feeling. He never liked to trusthis future to automatic machinery. If the analyzers failed to decode theship's I. D. Properly, Kennon, Alexander, the ship, and a fair slice ofsurrounding territory would become an incandescent mass of dissociatedatoms. 

"Grandfather was a good builder, " Alexander, said proudly. "Thoseprojectors have been mounted nearly four hundred years and they're stillas good as the day they were installed. "

"I can see that, " Kennon said uncomfortably. "You ought to dismantlethem. They're enough to give a man the weebies. "

Alexander chuckled. "Oh--they're safe. The firing mechanism's safetied. But we keep them in operating condition. You never can tell when they'llcome in handy. "

"I knew Kardon was primitive, but I didn't think it was that bad. What'sthe trouble?"

"None--right now, " Alexander said obliquely, "and since we've shown wecan handle ourselves there probably won't be any more. "

"You must raise some pretty valuable stock if the competition tried torustle them in the face of that armament. "

"We do. " Alexander said. "Now if you'll follow me"--the entrepreneuropened the cabin door letting in a blast of heat and a flood of yellowsunlight. 

"Great Arthur Fleming!" Kennon exploded. "This place is a furnace!"

"It's hot out here on the strip, " Alexander admitted, "but its coolenough inside. Besides, you'll get used to this quickly enough--andthe nights are wonderful. The evening rains cool things off. Well--comealong. " He began walking toward the arched entrance to the greatbuilding some hundred meters away. Kennon followed looking aroundcuriously. So this was to be his home for the next five years? It didn'tlook particularly inviting. There was a forbidding air about the placethat was in stark contrast to its pleasant surroundings. 

They were only a few meters from the archway when a stir of movementcame from its shadow--the first life Kennon had seen since theydescended from the ship. In this furnace heat even the air was quiet. Two women came out of the darkness, moving with quiet graceful stepsacross the blistering hot concrete. They were naked except for aloincloth, halter, and sandals and so nearly identical in form andfeature that Kennon took them to be twins. Their skins were burned adeep brown that glistened in the yellow sun light. 

Kennon shrugged. It was none of his business how his employer ran hishousehold or what his servants wore or didn't wear. Santos was a planetof nudists, and certainly this hot sun was fully as brilliant as the onewhich warmed that tropical planet In fact, he could see some virtue inwearing as little as possible. Already he was perspiring. 

The two women walked past them toward the airboat. Kennon turned tolook at them and noticed with surprise that they weren't human. The longtails curled below their spinal bases were adequate denials of humanancestry. 

"Humanoids!" he gasped. "For a moment I thought-"

"Gave you a start-eh?" Alexander chuckled. "It always does when astranger sees a Lani for the first time. Well--now you've seen some ofthe livestock what do you think of them?"

"I think you should have hired a medic. "

Alexander shook his head. "No--it wouldn't be reason able or legal. You're the man for the job. "

"But I've no experience with humanoid types. We didn't cover that phasein our studies--and from their appearance they'd qualify as humansanywhere if it weren't for those tails!"

"They're far more similar than you think, " Alexander said. "It just goesto show what parallel evolution can do. But there are differences. "

"I never knew that there was indigenous humanoid life on Kardon, " Kennoncontinued. "The manual says nothing about it. "

"Naturally. They're indigenous only to this area. "

"That's impossible. Species as highly organized as that simply don'toriginate on isolated islands. "

"This was a subcontinent once, " Alexander said. "Most of it has beeninundated. Less than a quarter of a million years ago there was over ahundred times the land area in this region than exists today. Then theocean rose. Now all that's left is the mid continent plateau and a fewmountain tops. You noted, I suppose, that this is mature topographyexcept for that range of hills to the east. The whole land area at thetime of flooding was virtually a peneplain. A rise of a few hundred feetin the ocean level was all that was needed to drown most of the land. "

"I see. Yes, it's possible that life could have developed here underthose conditions. A peneplain topography argues permanence for hundredsof millions of years. "

"You have studied geology?" Alexander asked curiously. "Only as part ofmy cultural base, " Kennon said. "Merely a casual acquaintance. "

"We think the Lani were survivors of that catastrophe--and with theirprimitive culture they were unable to reach the other land masses, "Alexander shrugged. "At any rate they never established themselvesanywhere else. "

"How did you happen to come here?"

"I was born here, " Alexander said. "My grandfather discovered this worldbetter than four hundred years ago. He picked this area because it allcould be comfortably included in Discovery Rights. It wasn't until yearsafterward that he realized the ecological peculiarities of this region. "

"He certainly capitalized on them. "

"There was plenty of opportunity. The plants and animals here aredifferent from others in this world. Like Australia in reverse. "

Kennon looked blank, and Alexander chuckled. "Australia was asubcontinent on Earth, " he explained. "Its ecology, however, wasexceedingly primitive when compared with the rest of the planet. Flora'son the contrary, was--and is--exceedingly advanced when compared withother native life forms on Kardon. "

"Your grandfather stumbled on a real bonanza, " Kennon said. 

"For which I'm grateful, " Alexander grinned. "It's made me the biggestoperator in this sector of the galaxy. For practical purposes I own anindependent nation. There's about a thousand humans here, and nearly sixthousand Lani. We're increasing the Lani now, since we found they havecommercial possibilities. Up to thirty years ago we merely used them forlabor. "

Kennon didn't speculate on what Alexander meant. He knew. For practicalpurposes, his employer was a slave trader--or would have been if thenatives were human. As it was, the analogy was so close that it wasn'tfunny. 

They entered the fortress, passed through a decontamination chamber thatwould have done credit to an exploration ship, and emerged dressed intunics and sandals that were far more appropriate and comfortable inthis tropical climate. 

"That's one of Old Doc's ideas, " Alexander said, gesturing at the doorfrom which they had emerged. "He was a hound for sanitation and heinfected us with the habit. " He turned and led the way down an archedcorridor that opened into a huge circular room studded with iris doors. 

Kennon sucked his breath in with a low gasp of amazement. The room wasa gem of exquisite beauty. The parquet floor was inlaid with rarehardwoods from a hundred different worlds. Parthian marble veneercovered with lacy Van tapestries from Santos formed the walls. Delicateceramics, sculpture, and bronzes reflected the art of a score ofdifferent civilizations. A circular pool, festooned with lacelikeHalsite ferns, stood in the center of the room, surrounding a polishedblack granite pedestal on which stood an exquisite bronze of four Lanifemales industriously and eternally pouring golden water from vases heldin their shapely hands. "Beautiful, " Kennon said softly. 

"We like it, " Alexander said. 

"We?"

"Oh yes--I forgot to tell you about the Family, " Alexander said grimly. "I run Outworld, and own fifty per cent of it. The Family owns the otherfifty. There are eight of them--the finest collection of parasitesin the entire galaxy. At the moment they can't block me since I alsocontrol my cousin Douglas's shares. But when Douglas comes of age theywill be troublesome. Therefore I defer to them. I don't want to build aunited opposition. Usually I can get one or more of them to vote withme on critical deals, but I always have to pay for their support. "Alexander's voice was bitter as he touched the dilate button on the irisdoor beside him. "You'll have to meet them tonight. There's five of themhere now. "

"That isn't in the contract, " Kennon said. He was appalled at Alexander. Civilized people didn't speak of others that way, even to intimates. 

"It can't be helped. You must meet them. It's part of the job. "Alexander's voice was grim. "Mother, Cousin Anne, Douglas, and Eloiselike to play lord of the manor. Cousin Harold doesn't care--for whichyou should be grateful. "

The door dilated, and Alexander ushered Kennon into the room. The Lanisitting on the couch opposite the door leaped to her feet, her mouthopening in an O of surprise. Her soft snow-white hair, creamy skin, andbright china blue eyes were a startling contrast to her black loinclothand halter. Kennon stared appreciatively. 

Her effect on Alexander, however, was entirely different. His facedarkened. "You!" he snapped. "What are you doing here?"

"Serving, sir, " the Lani said. 

"On whose authority?"

"Man Douglas, sir. "

Alexander groaned. "You see, " he said, turning to Kennon. "Weneed someone here with a little sense. Like I was telling you, theFamily'd"--he stopped abruptly and turned back to the Lani. "Your nameand pedigree, " he demanded. 

"Silver Dawn, sir--out of White Magic--platinum experimentaltype--strain four. "

"I thought so. How long have you been inhouse?"

"Almost a month, sir. "

"You're terminated. Report to Goldie and tell her that Man Alexanderwants you sent back to your group. "

The Lani's eyes widened. "Man Alexander!--You?"

Alexander nodded. 

"Gosh!" she breathed. "The big boss!"

"Get moving, " Alexander snapped, "and tell Goldie to report to me in myquarters. "

"Yes, sir, right away, sir!" The Lath ran, disappearing through the doorthey had entered with a flash of shapely white limbs. 

"That Douglas!" Alexander growled. "Leave that young fool alone herefor six months and he'd disrupt the entire operation. The nerve of thatyoung pup--requisitioning an experimental type for household labor. Justwhat does he think he's doing?"

The question obviously didn't demand a reply, so Kennon kept discreetlysilent as Alexander crossed the room to the two doors flanking thecouch on which the Lani had sat. He opened the left-hand one revealing amodern grav-shaft that carried them swiftly to the uppermost level. Theywalked down a short corridor and stopped before another door. It openedinto a suite furnished with stark functional simplicity. It fitted theentrepreneur's outward personality so exactly that Kennon had no doubtthat this was Alexander's quarters. 

"Sit down, Kennon. Relax while you can, " Alexander said as he droppedinto a chair and crossed his sandaled feet. 

"I'm sure you have many questions, but they can wait. "

"You might as well get some rest. You'll have little enough later. TheFamily will probably put you through the meat grinder, but remember thatthey don't control this business. You're my man. "

Kennon had hardly seated himself in another chair when the door openedand a plump pink-skinned Lani entered. She was considerably olderthan the silver-haired one he had seen earlier, and her round face wassmiling. 

"Ah, Goldie, " Alexander said. "I understand Man Douglas has been givingyou quite a time. "

"It's high time you came back, sir, " she said. "Since Old Doc died, ManDouglas has been impossible. He's been culling the staff and replacingthem with empty-headed fillies whose only claim to usefulness is thatthey can fill out a halter. Pretty soon this place will be a pigsty. "

"I'll take care of that, " Alexander promised. "Now I'd like you to meetOld Doc's replacement. This is Dr. Kennon, our new veterinarian. "

"Pleased, I'm sure, " Goldie said. "You look like a nice man. "

"He is, " Alexander said, "but he's just as hard as Old Doc--and he'llhave the same powers. Goldie's the head housekeeper, " Alexander added. "She's an expert, and you'd do well to take her advice on assignments. "

Kennon nodded. 

"Have a maid bring us a light meal and something to drink, " Alexandersaid. "Have a couple of porters take Dr. Kennon's things to Old Doc'shouse. Find Man Douglas and tell him I want to see him at once. Tell theFamily that I've arrived and will see them in the Main Lounge at eighttonight. Tell Blalok I'll be seeing him at nine. That's all. "

"Yes, sir, " Goldie said and left the room, her tail curling buoyantly. 

"A good Lani, " Alexander commented. "One of the best. Loyal, trustworthy, intelligent. She's been running Alexandria for the past tenyears, and should be good for at least ten more. "

"Ten?--how old is she?"

"Thirty. "

"Thirty--years?"

Alexander nodded. 

"Good Lord Lister! I'd have guessed her at least three hundred!"

"Wrong life scale. Lani only live about one tenth as long as we do. They're mature at twelve and dead at fifty. "

Alexander sighed. "That's another difference. Even without agerone we'dlive to be a hundred. "

"Have you tried gerontological injections?"

"Once. They produced death in about two days. Killed five Lani withthem. " Alexander's face darkened at an unpleasant memory. "So we don'ttry any more, " he said. "There are too many differences. " He stretched. "I'd tell you more about them but it'll be better to hear it from EvaldBlalok. He's our superintendent. Steve Jordan can tell you a lot, too. He runs the Lani Division. But right now let's wait for Cousin Douglas. The pup will take his time about coming--but he'll do it in the end. He's afraid not to. "

"I'd rather not, " Kennon said. "It's poor manners to be injected into afamily affair--especially when I'm just one of the employees. "

"You're not just one of the employees. You are the Station Veterinarian, and as such you hold an authority second only to Blalok and myself. Youand Blalok are my hands, ears, and eyes on Flora. You are responsibleto me--and to me alone. While I defer at times to the desires ofthe Family, I do not have to. I run Outworld Enterprises and all theextensions of that organization. I possess control--and the Family knowsit. My men are respected and furthermore they know everything that goeson. " He smiled icily. "In a way it's quite a healthy situation. Itkeeps my relatives under control. Somehow they dislike being disciplinedbefore outsiders. Now think no more about it. " Alexander stood up andwalked over to one of the windows opening onto the broad roof gardens, and stood looking at the sun-drenched greenery. 

"Odd, isn't it, " Alexander said, "how beautiful nature is and how simplethings are in a state of nature. It's only when man interjects himselfonto a scene that things get complicated. Take Flora for instance. Before Grandfather came here, it must have been a pleasant place withthe simple natives happy in their paradise. But that's all changednow. We have taken over--and they, like other lesser creatures on otherworlds, have been bent to our will and uses. I could pity them, butbeing human I cannot afford that luxury. "

Kennon understood. He, too, had felt that sensation, that odd tighteningof the throat when he first saw a Varl on Santos. The Varl had been thedominant life form there until men had come. Now they were just anotheranimal added to humanity's growing list of pets and livestock. Thelittle Varl with their soft-furred bodies and clever six-fingered handsmade excellent pets and precision workmen. The products of those cleverhands, the tiny instruments, the delicate microminiaturized controlcircuits, the incredibly fine lacework and tapestries, formed the bulkof Santos' interstellar trade. 

He had owned a Varl once and had delighted in its almost humanintelligence. But the Varl weren't human and there lay their tragedy. Two thousand years of human domination had left them completelydependent on their conquerors. They were merely intelligent animals--andthat was all they would ever be until the human race changed itscultural pattern or was overthrown. The one alternative was as unlikelyas the other. Humanity had met some fierce competitors, but none withits explosive acquisitive nature, and none with its drive to conquer, colonize, and rule. And probably it never would. 

The little Varl were one race among hundreds that had fallen before thefierceness and the greed of men. But unlike most others, the Varl werenot combative. Therefore they had survived. 

Yet had it been necessary to reduce them to slavery? They would neverbe a threat. Not only were they essentially gentle and noncombative, buttheir delicate bodies could not stand the strains of spaceflight. They were trapped on their world. Why should they be forced into sosubordinate a role?--Why was humanity so jealous of its dominancethat no other species could exist except by sufferance? Why after fivethousand years of exploration, invasion, and colonization did the humanrace still consider the galaxy as its oyster, and themselves uniquelyqualified to hold the knife? He hadn't thought this way since he hadgiven the Varl to his girl friend of the moment, and had blasted off forBeta. Now the questions returned to haunt him. As a Betan, the hauntingwas even more acute, since Beta had a related problem that was alreadytroublesome and would become more acute as the years passed. 

He shrugged and laid the thought aside as a slim, dark-haired Lanientered pushing a service cart ahead of her. The two men ate silently, each busy with his own thoughts. And behind the view wall of Alexander'sapartment Kardon's brilliant yellow sun sank slowly toward the horizon, filling the sky with flaming colors of red and gold, rimmed by the bluesand purples of approaching night. The sunset was gaudy and blatant, Kennon thought with mild distaste, unlike the restful day-end displaysof his homeworld. 

CHAPTER IV

Douglas Alexander was a puffy-faced youngster with small intoleranteyes set in folds of fat above a button nose and a loose-lipped sensualmouth. There was an odd expression of defiance overlaid with fear on hispudgy features. Looking at him, Kennon was reminded of a frightened dog, ready either to bite or cower. 

But it wasn't Douglas who held his eye. It was the two Lani who followedhim into the room. Every line of their bodies was perfection that spokevolumes about generations of breeding for physical elegance. They movedwith a co-ordinated grace that made Douglas look even more clumsy bycontrast. And they were identical, twin cream-and-gold works of art. They were completely nude--and Kennon for the first time in his lifefully appreciated the beauty of an unclad female. To cover them wouldbe sacrilege, and ornaments would only detract from their exquisiteperfection. 

Kennon knew that he was staring like an idiot. Alexander's amused smiletold him that much. With an effort he composed his startled features. 

The pair looked at him with soft violet eyes--and it was as though somepsychic bathhouse attendant had poured ice water down his spine. For hehad seen that look before, that liquid introspective look in the velveteyes of cattle. He shivered. For a moment he had been thinking of themas human. And somehow the lack of that indefinable some thing calledhumanity robbed them of much of their glamour. They were stillbeautiful, but their beauty had become impersonal. 

"Don't take these as representative of the Lani, " Alexander saidsuddenly. "They're a special case, a very special case. " He glared athis cousin. "Damn your impudence, " he said without beat. "I sent foryou--not your toys. Send them away. "

Douglas sulkily thrust out his lower lip. "You can't talk to me likethat, Cousin Alex, " he began. "I'm just a--"

"You head me, Douglas. Out!" Alexander's voice didn't rise but it cutlike a whip. 

"Oh, very well, " Douglas said. "I can't fight you--yet. " He turned tothe humanoids. "You heard the Boss-man. Go home. "

The two nodded in unison and departed quickly. Somehow Kennon got theimpression that they were happy to leave. 

"Just wait, " Douglas said. "You can't boss me forever. Just wait. I'llreach my majority in five years. I can vote my shares then--and thenI'll fix you. You won't be so high and mighty then, Mr. Big. I'll throwin with the rest of the Family. They don't like you too much. "

"Don't hold your breath waiting for the Family to help you, " Alexandersaid. "They wouldn't have anyone else but me handle the finances. Theylove money too much. And until you get your inheritance remember onething--I'm master here. "

"I know it, " Douglas said, and then curiously--"Who's the oddball?" Hegestured at Kennon with a pudgy thumb. 

"Our new veterinarian, Dr. Kennon. "

"Oh--great! Now you tell me!"

"There's nothing like making a good first impression, " Alexander saidwith ironic emphasis. "I hope he cuts you off from the Lani. He'll havethe authority to do it, since he's taking Old Doc's place. "

"He can't. I'm an owner. I own-"

"You own nothing. You're a minor. And under the terms of Grandfather'swill, you'll own nothing except an allowance until you reach legal age. And that brings me to the reason I brought you here. Just when did yougain the right to reorganize the household staff? Just when did you getthe power to interfere with the experimental program?"

Douglas flushed dull red and bit his lip. "Do we have to go into this infront of strangers?"

"Kennon's my agent, " Alexander said coldly, "and he might as well learnabout you and the others from the start. "

"Well--what do you want him to do--watch me crawl?" Douglas askedbitterly. "You'll make me do it. You always do. Do you want me to beg, to say I was wrong, to promise I won't do it again?"

"You've done that already, " Alexander said. "Several times. You need alesson. I won't have you meddling with valuable animals. "

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"Put you where you can do no more damage. As of tomorrow you'll go toOtpen One. "

Douglas paled. His lips quivered, and his eyes flicked uneasily ashe watched Alexander's granite face. "You don't mean that, " he saidfinally. "You're joking. "

"I never joke about business. "

"But you can't do that! I'll tell the Family. They won't let you. "

"I already have their consent, " Alexander said. "I obtained it afteryour last escapade. You'll be happy out there. You can play tin god allyou like. Master of life and death on a two-acre island. No one willmind. You can also go to work. No one will mind that, either. AndMullins won't mind as long as you leave the troops alone. Now get out ofhere and get packed. You're leaving tomorrow morning. "

"But cousin Alex--"

"Move! I'm tired of the sight of you!" Alexander said. 

Douglas turned and shambled out of the room. His ego was thoroughlydeflated and he seemed more frightened than before. Obviously the Otpensweren't the pleasantest place in this world. 

"They're a military post, " Alexander said. "And Commander Mullinsdoesn't like Douglas. Can't say that I blame him. Douglas is athoroughly unpleasant specimen, and incidentally quite typical of therest of the Family. " Alexander sighed and spread his hands in a gesturethat combined disgust and resignation. "Sometimes I wonder why I havebeen cursed with my relatives. "

Kennon nodded. The implications behind the empty eyes of Douglas's Lanisickened him. There were several ways to produce that expression, all ofthem unpleasant. Hypnoconditioning, the Quiet Treatment, brainburning, transorbital leukotomy, lobectomy--all of the products of that diseasedperiod of humanity's thinking when men tampered with the brains of othermen in an effort to cure psychic states. Psychiatry had passed thatperiod, at least on the civilized worlds, where even animal experimentswere frowned upon as unnecessary cruelty. 

"You saw those two Lani, " Alexander said. "Grandfather had them madethat way as a birthday present for Douglas. He was getting senile. Hedied a year later. You'd think a man would be ashamed to keep thingslike that around--but not Douglas. He likes them. " Alexander's voice wastinged with contempt. "He knows they disgust me--so he parades them in. I could strangle that pup sometimes!"

"I wondered about it. I wouldn't like to work for a man who permittedsuch things. "

"That was done before I took over. For the past three years there havebeen no dockings, no mutilations. I can't see treating a helpless animallike that. "

"I feel better about it, " Kennon said. "I didn't think you were thatsort. "

"Understand me, " Alexander said. "I'm always opposed to senselesscruelty and waste--particularly when it's dangerous. Docked Lani are theheight of stupidity. Just because someone wants a pet that is an exactduplicate of a human being is no reason to risk a court action. ThoseLani, and a few others whose tails have been docked, could be a legalbombshell if they ever left Flora. "

Kennon was jolted. He had been thinking of mental mutilation andAlexander had been talking physical. Naturally they would be dangerousproperty. Anyone attempting to sell a docked Lani would probably bethrown in Detention and charged with slave trading. 

"Did you ever figure the cost of taking a legal action through our courtsystem?" Alexander asked. "Even the small ones set you back four or fivethousand, and a first-class action like a Humanity Trial could costover a million. Grandfather found that out. Sure, there are differencesbetween Lani and humans, but a smart lawyer can make them seem trivialuntil the final test and that would drag on for nearly two years untilall the requirements were satisfied--and by that time the unfavorablepublicity would drop sales to zero. The Family would be on my neck forlost dividends, and I'd lose much of the control I hold over them. 

"Sure, it's possible that prehensile tails could be produced bymutation, but so far as we know it hasn't happened in human history. Asa result, the tail serves as a trade-mark--something that can be easilyrecognized by anyone. So we sell them intact. " Alexander crossed hislegs and settled back in his chair. "Shocks you, doesn't it?"

Kennon nodded. "Yes, " he admitted. "It does. "

"I know. You can't help it. Most of our new employees think the Lani arehuman--at first. They learn better, but adjustment is always a strain. They keep confusing external appearances with the true article. Butremember this--Lani are not human. They're animals. And on this islandthey're treated as what they are--no more, no less. They are a partof our economics and are bred, fed, and managed according to soundlivestock principles. Despite some of the things you may see here inAlexandria, don't forget that. You are a veterinarian. Your job is tohandle disease problems in animals. Lani are animals. Therefore you willbe doing your job. I was disappointed in your reaction when you firstsaw them, but I suppose it was natural. At any rate this should clearthe air. "

"It does--intellectually, " Kennon admitted. "But the physicalresemblance is so close that it is difficult to accept. "

Alexander smiled. "Don't worry. You'll accept it in time. Now I thinkit's time that you met the Family. "

CHAPTER V

The main salon was crowded. The huge room, glittering with mirrors andcrystal, floored with thick carpets, and hung with rich drapes, hadsomething of the appearance of a Sarkian harem. Although there were onlyfive of the Alexander family present, there were at least twentyLani whose costumes ranged from the black G string and halter of thehousehold staff to the utter nudity of Douglas's playthings. They wereall female, and Kennon wondered for a moment what a male was like. 

Besides Alexander, there were two men and three women: Douglas, stillwith his sulky expression, an older man in his late nineties who lookedlike Douglas's eider brother, two mature women who could be any age fromfifty to three hundred, and a girl. She might have been thirty--perhapsyounger, perhaps older, a lean feminine edition of Alexander, with thesame intriguing face and veiled predatory look. There was a hardnessabout her that was absent in the others. Kennon had the feeling thatwhatever this girl did, she didn't do it half way. 

"My sister Eloise, " Alexander said in a low voice. "Watch out for her. She's as deadly as a puff adder and she collects men. The other man isDouglas's father, Henry. The plump redhead beside him is his wife, Anne. The other woman is my mother, Clara, even though Eloise and I don't looklike her. We take after Father. "

"Where's he?" Kennon whispered. 

"Dead, " Alexander replied. "He was killed twenty years ago. "

"I'd like to present Dr. Jac Kennon, our new veterinarian, " Alexandersaid into the hush that followed their entrance. The introductions thatfollowed were in proper form, and Kennon was beginning to feel more atease until Eloise sent one of her Lani with a summons. He looked aroundfor Alexander, but the entrepreneur was the center of a three-corneredargument, hemmed in by Douglas, Henry, and Anne. Henry's voice wasraised in bitter protest that Alexander was exceeding his authority. Heshrugged. There was no help there. 

"All right, " he said, "tell your mistress I'll be along in a moment. "

"Yes, Doctor, " the Lani said, "but the Woman Eloise says for you tocome, and she is not accustomed to being disobeyed. "

"Tell her what I said, " Kennon replied. "I shall be there directly. " Hecrossed to the table and examined it, selecting a cluster of odd purplefruit which looked more interesting than it tasted. When he had finishedhe walked leisurely over to where Eloise sat. 

She looked at him angrily. "I am accustomed to being obeyed by myemployees, " she said coldly. Her dark eyes, oddly like her brother's, traversed his hard body like twin scanners. 

He returned her appraising stare with one of his own. "I'm not youremployee, " he said bluntly. "I was hired by your brother, and there'sa full peeper rider on my contract. " His eyes traveled slowly over hercarefully arranged hair, her make-up, her jewelry at throat andarms, her painted finger- and toenails, and then across the slimsmall-breasted lines of her body half revealed under her thinankle-length tunic of Lyranian silk. 

"Satisfied?" she asked. 

"On Beta, " he said bluntly, "your appearance would qualify you for aparasite camp. Six months of hard labor would do you no end of good. You're soft, lazy, and undisciplined. "

Eloise gasped. "Why, you--" she sputtered. 

"And perhaps next time you'll learn to be polite, " Kennon continuedimperturbably. "After all, the superficial attributes of good breedingare not too hard to counterfeit. "

To his surprise, Eloise giggled. "You bite, don't you?" she asked. "Remind me to remember that. "

"I shall. "

"Of course, your actions weren't good breeding either. "

"Admitted--but I've never pretended to be what I'm not. I'm the son of aspaceship skipper, and I'm a veterinarian. That's all. "

"That's not all. You are also a man. " Her face was sober, "It's beensome time since I've met one. I'd almost forgotten they existed. "

"There's your brother. "

"Alex?--he's a money making machine. Come--sit beside me and let'stalk. "

"About what?"

"You--me--your job, your life--anything you wish?"

"That line isn't exactly new, " Kennon grinned. 

"I know, " she admitted, "but it usually works. "

"I'm immune. "

"That's what you think. " Eloise's eyes were frankly appraising. "I thinkI could become interested in you. "

"I have a job here. I don't think I would have time to give you theattention you'd demand. "

"I get bored easily. It probably wouldn't be long before I would betired of you. "

"Perhaps--and perhaps not, I can't afford to take the chance. "

"You seem confident. "

"You forget. I was a sailor. "

"And spacemen have a reputation, eh?" Eloise chuckled. 

"At that, you might be right. I remember the first officer of--" she letthe thought die. "But I became tired of him, " she finished. 

Kennon smiled. "I've never had that complaint. "

"Perhaps you'd like to make the acid test?" she asked. 

"Perhaps, " he said. "But not tonight. "

"Tomorrow then? Alex will be leaving in the morning. He never stays morethan a few hours. " Eloise's eyes were bright, her lips moist and red. 

"I'll pick the time, " Kennon said--and added to himself, "If ever. "Despite her wealth Eloise was no different from the port-of-call girls. If anything, she was worse since she had enough money to implement herdesires. They were merely in the trade for business reasons. No--Eloisewould be something to steer clear of. Alexander was right. She was amantrap. He stood up and bowed Betan fashion. "I see your brother isfree now. He wants to brief me on my duties here. We were discussing itbefore we entered. "

Eloise pouted. "You can always do that. "

"You said yourself that Alexander never stays here very long. I would bea poor employee if I delayed him. " He grinned knowingly at her and shesmiled back with complete understanding. 

"Very well, then. Get your business done. Your pleasure can wait. "

Kennon steered Alexander over to an open window that led to a balcony. "Whew!" he said. "I see what you mean. "

"She's a tartar, " Alexander agreed. "I suspect that she's anymphomaniac. "

"You suspect?" Kennon asked. "By this time you should know. Let's getout of here. I've had about all of your sister I care to take. "

"Can't say as I blame you. I'll show you to your quarters. Maybe Old Docleft a bottle or two, although I suspect the old sinner hung on untilthe last one was empty. "

"If he had to put up with your relatives as a steady diet, I can't saythat I blame him, " Kennon said. 

"Careful, Doctor. You're talking about my kinfolk, " Alexander saidwryly. "At that, though, you have a point. " The two men slipped quietlyfrom the room. Apparently none of the Family was conscious of theirdeparture except Eloise, who watched them leave with an enigmaticexpression on her narrow face. 

They left the fortress through the rear gate and walked slowly down thewinding path that led to the cluster of buildings in the valley below. It was a beautiful night, calm and clear with the stars shining downfrom the dark vault of the heavens. The constellations were strange, andKennon missed the moons. Beta had three, two of which were always in thesky, but Kardon was moonless. Somehow it gave the sky an empty look. 

A damp coolness rose from the ground as the evening rain evaporatedmistily into the still air. Kennon sniffed the odor of soil and growingvegetation, clean pleasant odors in contrast to what he had left. In thedistance a bird called sleepily from one of the fortress turrets and wasanswered by some creature Kennon couldn't identify. A murmur of blendedsound came from the valley below, punctuated by high-pitched laughter. Someone was singing, or perhaps chanting would be a better description. The melody was strange and the words unrecognizable. The thin whineof an atomotor in the fortress's generating plant slowly built up to akeening undertone that blended into the pattern of half-perceived sound. 

"Nice, isn't it?" Alexander remarked as they rounded another turn on theswitchback path. 

"Yes. You can't hear a sound from back there except for that generator. It's almost as though we shut those people out of existence by merelyclosing a door. "

"I wish it were that simple, " Alexander said. "But doors that can beclosed can also be opened. Well--think you'll like it here?"

"I think so, providing I don't have to entertain your relatives. ''

"You mean Eloise? Don't worry about her. She's as fickle as the wind. "

"I've never seen anyone so frankly predatory, " Kennon said. "She worriesme. "

"They'll all be gone tomorrow--except for Eloise, " Alexander said withmock comfort. "Douglas is on the Otpens for a year, and the others areoff somewhere. "

"You'll be staying, I suppose. "

"No--I'm afraid I can't. "

"I hoped you'd help me get organized. This whole thing has beensomething of a shock. I was expecting something entirely different. "

"Sorry--someone has to run the business. But Blalok'll brief you. Actually he's more qualified than I. He knows everything worth knowingabout this place. We're going past his house in a minute--want to stopin and see him?"

"It's pretty late. "

"Not for Blalok. He's a Mystic--a nocturnal. He's probably doing hiswork now. "

"Perhaps we shouldn't disturb him. "

"Nonsense. He's used to it. I visit him frequently at night. "

"Sure--but you're the boss. "

"Well--in a sense you are too. At least in the veterinary end of thisbusiness. " Alexander swung sharply to the left and climbed a shortflight of stairs that led to the nearest house. Lights flared on thedeep porch, and the old-fashioned iris door dilated to frame the blacksilhouette of a stocky, broad-shouldered man. 

"Good evening, sir, " he said. "I was expecting you. That the new vetwith you?"

"Your pipeline's still working, I see, " Alexander said. "Yes, this isDr. Kennon--Evald Blalok--I wanted you two to meet. "

Kennon liked the gray middle-aged man. He looked honest and competent, a solid quiet man with a craggy face and the deep-set eyes of a Mystic. His skin had the typical thickness and pore prominence of the dwellerson that foggy world from which he came. But unlike the natives of Myst, his skin was burned a dark brown by Kardon's sun. He seemed out of placeon this tropic world, but Kennon reflected wryly that there was probablymore than one misplaced human here, himself included. 

"I've been going over Station Fourteen's records with Jordan, '' Blaloksaid as he ushered them into the house. A tall black-haired man rose asthey entered. 

"Skip the formality, Jordan. Sit down, " Alexander said, "and meet Dr. Kennon--Steve Jordan--Jordan runs the Lani Division. "

Kennon nodded acknowledgment as Alexander continued, "What's thistrouble at Fourteen?"

"I don't know. We've got an epizootic of something. Another youngsterdied this morning, and there's three more that look pretty bad, jaundice, no appetite, complaining of muscular pains. Same symptoms astook the others. The one this morning makes the fourth this month, andwe're only half through it. "

"Are all your losses in this one station?" Kennon asked. 

"No--but it's worst there. "

"I don't like losses like that, " Alexander said. 

"Neither do I, " Jordan replied. 

"This isn't Jordan's fault, sir, " Blalok said quickly. "As you know, wehaven't had a vet for three months. "

"Two, " Alexander corrected. 

"Three--Old Doc wasn't around at all the month before he died, " Blaloksaid. "As a result we've got a problem. We need professional help. "

"Well here he is--use him, " Alexander said. He looked at Kennon, a traceof amusement on his face. "There's nothing like getting into thingsearly. "

"Particularly when one comes into them stone cold, " Kennon added. "It'sa poor way to start a career. "

"We can't afford to wait, " Jordan said. "We need help. "

"I'll see what can be done, " Kennon replied. "Have you saved the body?"

"Every one of them, " Jordan said. "They're in the hospital in theautopsy room. "

"That was sensible. A post-mortem might give us an answer. Where's thehospital?"

"I'll show you, " Jordan offered. 

"Count me out, " Alexander said. "I have a weak stomach. "

"I'll go along if it's necessary, " Blalok said. 

"There's a staff there, Old Doc trained them, " Jordan said. 

"Then it shouldn't be necessary, " Kennon said. 

Blalok sighed with relief and turned to Alexander. "We could check therecords while those two are about their bloody work. "

"I'd rather check a long strong drink, " Alexander replied. "What withthe Family and this, it's too much to take for one evening. "

Kennon hid a smile. Alexander had a weak spot. He was squeamish. Thatwas a good thing to know. 

CHAPTER VI

Jordan opened the door of the two-story building below Blalok's house. "This is it, " he said, "just outside your front door. Convenient--no?"

"Too convenient, " Kennon said, "also too quiet. Isn't anyone on duty?"

"I wouldn't know. Old Doc never kept the place open at night. "

There was a stir of movement in the darkness, the lights flashed on, and a sleepy-eyed Lani blinked at them in the sudden glare. She lookedblankly at Kennon and then brightened as she saw Jordan. "What's thetrouble, sir?" she asked. 

"Nothing. We want to look at the Lani I sent down this morning--Dr. Kennon would like to inspect the carcass. "

"You're the new doctor?" the Lani asked. "Thank goodness you've come!I'll get the staff. I'll be back in a moment. " She stepped quickly overto the switchboard beside the door and punched five buttons. Four morehumanoids came into the room, followed a little later by a fifth. 

"Where's the emergency?" one asked. 

"He is--it's our new doctor. "

"More females, " Kennon muttered to himself. He turned to Jordan. "Aren'tthere any males in this crew?"

Jordan stared at him with mild surprise. "No, sir--didn't you know?There are no male Lani. "

"What?"

"Just that, " Jordan said. "Only females. There hasn't been a male on theisland since Old Man Alexander took over. He killed them all. "

"But that's impossible! How do they reproduce?"

"Ever hear of artificial fertilization?"

"Sure--but that's a dead end. The offspring are haploids and they'resterile. The line would die out in a generation. "

"Not the Lani--you can see for yourself. We've been using the techniquehere for better than four centuries, and we're still doing all right. Over forty generations so far, and from the looks of things we can go onindefinitely. "

"But how is it done?"

"I don't know. That's Alexander's secret. The Boss-man doesn't tell useverything. All I know is that we get results. Old Doc knew how it wasdone, and I suppose you will too, but don't ask me. I'm dumb. "

Kennon shrugged. Maybe--maybe not. At any rate there was no sense inbelaboring the point. He turned to the staff. Five of them were thesame big-boned heavy-framed type that apparently did most of themanual labor. The sixth, the late arrival, was an elegant creature, abronze-skinned, green-eyed minx with an elfin face half hidden under awavy mass of red-brown hair. Unlike the others, she had been docked--andin contrast to their heavy eyes and sleep-puffed features she was alertand lively. She flashed him an impish grin, revealing clean white teeth. 

Kennon smiled back. He couldn't help it. And suddenly the tension andstrangeness was broken. He felt oddly at ease. "Which of you are onduty?" he asked. 

"All of us, " the redhead replied, "if it's necessary. What do you wantus to do?"

"He's already told me. He wants that last carcass prepped for apost-mortem, " the nightcall Lani said. 

"Good, " the redhead said. "It'll be nice to get to work again. " Sheturned to face Kennon. "Now, Doctor--would you like to see your office?Old Doc left a fine collection of notes on Lani anatomy and perhaps youcould do with a little review. "

"I could do with a lot of it, " Kennon admitted. "Unless the innerstructure of a Lani is as similar to human as their outer. "

"There are differences, " the redhead admitted. "After all, we aren'tquite alike. "

"Perhaps I'd better do some reading, " Kennon said. 

"You need me any more?" Jordan asked. 

"No--I think not. "

"Good. I'll get back. Frankly, I don't like this any better than Blalokor the boss, but I'm low man on that pole. See you later. "

Kennon chuckled as Jordan left. "Now, let's get ready for that cadaver, "he said. 

"Carcass, doctor, " the redhead corrected. "A cadaver is a dead humanbody. " She accented the "human. "

Even in death there is no equality, Kennon thought. He nodded andthe Lani led the way to a door which opened into a good-sized office, liberally covered with bookshelves. An old-fashioned plastic desk, someoffice cybernetics, a battered voicewriter, and a few chairs completedthe furnishings. The redhead placed several large folio volumes in frontof him and stepped back from the desk as he leafed rapidly throughthe color plates. It was an excellent atlas. Dr. Williamson had been acareful and competent workman. 

Half an hour later, well fortified with a positional knowledge ofLani viscera, Kennon looked up at the redhead. She was still standingpatiently, a statue of red-gold and bronze. 

"Get a smock and let's go, " he said. "No--wait a minute. "

"Yes, sir?"

"What's your name? I don't want to say 'Hey you!'"

She smiled. "It's Copper Glow--want my pedigree too?"

"No--it wouldn't mean anything to me. Do they call you Copper or Glow?or both?"

"Just Copper, sir. "

"Very well, Copper--let's get going. "

* * *

The body of the dead Lani lay on the steel table, waxy and yellowish inthe pitiless light of the fluorescents. She had been hardly more than achild. Kennon felt a twinge of pity--so young--so young to die. And ashe looked he was conscious of another feeling. 

It had been an open secret among his classmates that he had refusedan offer to study human medicine because of his aversion to dissectingcadavers. The sarcoplastic models were all right, but when it came toflesh, Kennon didn't have the stomach for it. And now, the sight of thedead humanoid brought back the same cold sweat and gut-wrenching nauseathat had caused him to turn to veterinary medicine eight years ago. 

He fought the spasms back as he approached the table and made theexternal examination. Icterus and a swollen abdomen--the rest wasessentially normal. And he knew with cold certainty that he could notlay a scalpel edge upon that cold flesh. It was too human, too like hisown. 

"Are you ready, Doctor?" the Lani standing across the table from himasked. "Shall I expose the viscera?"

Kennon's stomach froze. Of course! He should have realized! Nopathologist did his own dissection. He examined. And that he could do. It was the tactile, not the visual sensations that upset him. He nodded. "The abdominal viscera first, " he said. 

The Lani laid back the skin and musculature with bold, sure strokes. An excellent prosectress, Kennon thought. Kennon pointed at the swollenliver and the Lani deftly severed its attachments and laid the organout for inspection. The cause of death was obvious. The youngster hadsuccumbed to a massive liver-fluke infestation. It was the worst hehad ever seen. The bile ducts were thick, calcified and choked withliterally thousands of the gray-green leaf-shaped trematodes. 

"Let's look at the others, " he said. 

Two more post-mortems confirmed the diagnosis. Except for minordifferences, the lesions were identical. He removed a few of the flukesand set them aside for further study. 

"Well that's that, " he said. "You can clean up now. "

He had found the criminal, and now the problem assumed the fascinatingqualities of a crime hunt. Now he must act to prevent further murders, to reconstruct the crime, to find the modus operandi, to track the fluketo its source, and to execute it before it could do more harm. 

Photographs and tri-dis would have to be taken, the parasite would haveto be identified and its sensitivity to therapy determined. Studieswould have to be made on its life cycle, and the means by which itgained entrance to its host. It wouldn't be simple, because thistrematode was probably Hepatodirus hominis, and it was tricky. Itadapted, like the species it parasitized. 

Kennon leaned back from the microscope and studied the illustrations inthe parasitology text. No matter how much Hepatodirus changed its lifecycle, it could not change its adult form. The arrangements of thesuckers and genital structures were typical. Old Doc's library onparasites was too inadequate for more than diagnosis. He would have towait for his own books to be uncrated before he could do more than applysymptomatic treatment. He sighed and rose slowly to his feet. Tomorrowwas going to be a busy day. 

The door opened behind Mm and Copper slipped quietly into the office. She looked at him curiously, a faint half-shy smile on her face. 

"What is it?" Kennon asked. 

"Are you ready to fill out the autopsy protocol? It's customary. "

"It's also customary to knock on a door before entering. "

"Is it? Old Doc never mentioned it. "

"I'm not Old Doc. "

"No, you're not, " she admitted. "You're much younger--and far morebeautiful. Old Doc was a fat, gray old man. " She paused and eyed Kennonappraisingly with a look on her pointed face that was the virtual twinof Eloise's. "I think I'll like working for you if you're as nice as youare pretty. "

"You don't call a man beautiful or pretty!" Kennon exploded. 

"Why not?"

"It just isn't done. "

"You're a funny human, " she said. "I called Old Doc beautiful, and hedidn't mind. "

"That's different. He was an old man. "

"What difference does that make?"

"I don't like it, " Kennon said, hitting on the perfect answer. 

She stiffened. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I won't do it again. " She looked downat him, head cocked sideways. "I guess I have a lot to learn about you. You're much different from Old Doc. He didn't snap at me. " She pausedfor a moment, then drew a deep breath. 

Kennon blinked. 

"About that report, " she said. "Regulations require that eachpost-mortem be reported promptly and that a record of the Lani concernedbe posted in the death book together with all pertinent autopsy data. Man Blalok is very fussy about proper records. " She drew one of thechairs to a spot beside the desk and sat down, crossed her long legs, and waited expectantly. 

Kennon's mouth was suddenly dry. This situation was impossible. How inthe name of Sir Arthur Fleming could he dictate a coldly precise reportwith a naked redhead sitting beside him? "Look, " he said. "I won't needyou. I can operate a voicewriter. You can pick up the material later andtranscribe it. "

Her face fell. "You don't like me, " she said, her green eyes fillingwith quick tears. "Old Doc never--"

"Oh, damn Old Doc!" Kennon snapped. "And stop that sniveling--or getout. Better yet--get out and stop sniveling!"

She leaped to her feet and fled. 

Kennon swore. There was no reason for him to act that way. He hadbeen more brutal than necessary. But the girl--no, the Lani--wasdisconcerting. He felt ashamed of himself. He had behaved like aprimitive rather than a member of one of the oldest human civilizationsin the galaxy. He wouldn't bark at a dog that way. He shook his head. Probably he was tired. Certainly he was irritable, and unclad femalesvirtually indistinguishable from human weren't the most soothing objectsto contemplate. 

He wondered if his exasperation was real or merely a defense mechanism. First Eloise, and then this! Confound it! He was surrounded! He felttrapped. And it wasn't because he'd been away from women too long. Aweek was hardly that. He grinned as he recalled the blonde from Thuleaboard the starship. Now there was a woman, even though her ears werepointed and her arms were too long. She didn't pressure a man. She lethim make the advances. 

He grinned. That was it. He was on the defensive. He was the one who wasbeing pursued--and his male ego had revolted. He shrugged and turnedhis attention to the autopsy report, but it was hopeless. Hecouldn't concentrate. He jotted a few notes and dropped them on thedesk--tomorrow would be time enough. What he needed now was a stiffdrink and eight hours' sleep. 

CHAPTER VII

Kennon stopped at Blalok's house long enough to tell the superintendentwhat was causing the trouble. Blalok scowled. "We've never had flukeshere before, " he said. "Why should they appear now?"

"They've been introduced, " Kennon said. "The thing that bothers me ishow Dr. Williamson missed them. "

"The old man was senile, " Blalok said. "He was nearly blind the last sixmonths of his life. I wouldn't doubt that he let his assistants do mostof his work, and they could have missed them. "

"Possibly, but the lesions are easy to see. At any rate, the culprit isknown now. "

"Culprit?"

"Hepatodirus hominis--the human liver fluke. He's a tricky littlefellow--travels almost as far as men do. "

"I'm glad it's your problem, not mine. All I can remember about flukesis that they're hard to eradicate. "

"Particularly H. Hominis. "

"You can tell me about it later. Right now Mr. Alexander's over atOld--your house. Probably he's looking for you. "

"Where's Jordan?"

"He went up to Station Fourteen. We'll see him tomorrow. "

"I'll say good night then, " Kennon said. 

"I'm glad you're here. It's a load off my shoulders. See you tomorrow. "Blalok waved a friendly good night and left the lights on long enoughfor Kennon to make his way to his quarters. 

Alexander was seated in a heavily upholstered chair listening to a tapedsymphony in the stereo, his eyes half closed, an expression of peaceon his face. An elderly Lani stood beside him. It was a comfortablepicture. 

The humanoid saw Kennon and gasped, a tiny indrawn sound of surprise. Alexander's eyes snapped open. "Oh--it's you, " he said. "Don't worry, Kara--it's your new doctor. "

Kara smiled. "You startled me, " she said. "I was dreaming. "

"On your feet?" Alexander interjected idly. 

"I should have known you at once, Doctor. There's talk about you allover the yards, ever since you arrived. "

"They know what is going on around here better than any of us, "Alexander chuckled. "The grapevine is amazingly efficient. Well--what'sthe story?"

"Liver fluke. "

"Hmm--not good. "

"I think it can be stopped. I looked at the records. It doesn't seem tohave been here too long. "

"I hope you're right. How long will it take?"

"Several months, maybe a year, maybe more. I can't say. But I'll try toclean it up as quickly as possible. I'm pretty sure of the fluke, andit's a hard one to control. "

"Hepatodirus?"

Kennon nodded. 

"That's an offworld parasite, isn't it?"

"Yes. It originated on Santos. Parasitized the Varl originally, butliked humans better. It's adapted to a hundred different planetaryenvironments, and it keeps spreading. It's a real cutie--almostintelligent the way it behaves. But it can be licked. "

"Good--get on it right away. "

"I'm starting tomorrow. "

"Fine--I thought you'd be the right man. Kara! Fix the doctor a drink. We might as well have a nightcap--then I'll go back to the house andlisten to Henry and Anne's screams about poor mistreated Douglas, andthen back to Albertsville tomorrow. Duty and the credits call. "

With mild surprise, Kennon realized that Alexander was drunk. Notobnoxiously, but enough to change his character. Intoxicated, he was afriendlier person. If there was any truth in the ancient clicheabout alcohol bringing out a man's true character, then Alexander wasbasically a very nice person indeed. 

"Well--here's your home for the next five years, " Alexander said. "Eightrooms, two baths, a freshener, and three Lani to keep the place running. You've got it made. "

"Perhaps--we'll see when we tackle this fluke infestation. Personally, Idon't think I'm going to have an easy time. Tomorrow I'm going to be upto my neck in trouble trying to save your profits. "

"You'll do it. I have confidence in you. "

"I still think you should have hired a medic. "

"This isn't all of your job, " Alexander said. "And besides I can'tafford to do it. Oh--not the money, but it might be admitting that theLani might be human. And we've gone to a great deal of trouble to provethey're not. " He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "There's a storybehind this. "

"I wouldn't doubt it. "

"Maybe it'd be better if I told it. It goes back over four centuries. Grandfather was a clever man. After he had secured this island hebecame worried about the surviving Lani. He didn't want to be accusedof genocide, since the Lani were so human in appearance. So he had hismedical officer make a few autopsies. The M. D. Reported that while therewas similarity, the Lani were probably not human. 

"That was enough for Grandfather. He requested a Court of Inquiry. Thecourt was sitting in Halsey and the hearing was private. Even so, itleaked and Grandfather was highly unpopular for a time until the labreports came in. It cost him over eight hundred Ems and nearly twoyears' time to finish the case, but when it was over the Lani weredeclared alien, and Grandfather had ironclad discovery rights. 

"They really put him through the mill. Grandfather furnished the bodiesand three court-appointed M. O. 's went through them with microscopes. They didn't miss a thing. Their reports are so detailed that they'reclassics of their kind. They're almost required reading for anyonewho wants to learn Lani structure and function. The court renderedan interim decision that the Lani were nonhuman, and armed with this, Grandfather prepared the final tests which were run by a team ofcourt-appointed medics and biologists, who made in vitro and live testson a number of Lani female prisoners. The tests ran for over two yearsand were totally negative. So the Alexander family acquired Flora andthe Otpens, and a legal status. " Alexander stood up. "Well--that's acapsule summary. The records are in the library if you'd care to checkthem. "

"Why?"

"Just to prove we're honest. " He moved carefully toward the door, openedit, and disappeared into the night. 

Silently Kennon watched him descend the porch steps. He seemed steadyenough. For a moment Kennon debated whether he should see him home--andthen decided against it. If Alexander needed help he'd have asked forit. As it was, it was better to leave things alone. Certainly he didn'tknow Alexander well enough to act as a guardian. He turned back to theliving area. The stereo was playing something soft and nostalgic asKennon sank into the chair Alexander had vacated. He let his body relax. It had been as full a day as he had ever spent filled with changesso abrupt that they were exhausting. He felt confused. There were noprecedents he could apply. Neither his studies nor his travels hadprepared him for living in a situation like this. 

Legally and biologically the Lani weren't human. But they wereintelligent, upright, bipedal mammals whose morphology was so close toman's that it had taken the ultimate test to settle their status. Andbeing a Betan, Kennon was suspicious of the accuracy of that ultimatetest. 

But the Brotherhood of Man was based upon it. The feeling of unity thatpervaded mankind's expanding empire was its product. From almost thebeginning of mankind's leap to the stars it had been recognized that menmust help each other or perish. The spirit of co-operation against thecommon enmity of alien worlds and cultures transcended the old pettyrivalries on Earth. Men--all men--were brothers in arms. 

And so the Brotherhood was born--and the concept born of necessitydeveloped its muscles in a thousand battles on a thousand hostileworlds. And ultimately it evolved into the only form of centralauthority that men would accept. Yet basically it was not a government. It was an attitude of mind. Men accepted its decisions as they wouldaccept the rulings of a family council, and for the same reasons. 

The Brotherhood laid down certain rules but it did not attempt toenforce them. After all, it didn't need to. It also arbitrated disputes, admitted new worlds to membership, and organized concerted human effortagainst dangerous enemies. And that was all. Yet in its sphere theauthority of the Brotherhood was absolute. 

There was only one criterion for membership in theBrotherhood--membership in the human race. No matter how decadent orprimitive a population might be, if it was human it was automaticallyeligible for Brotherhood--a free and equal partner in the society ofhuman worlds. 

Kennon doubted that any nonhuman race had ever entered the select circleof humanity, although individuals might have done so. A docked Lani, forinstance, would probably pass unquestioned as a human, but the Lani racewould not. In consequence they and their world were fair prey, and hadbeen attacked and subjugated. 

Of course, proof of inhumanity was seldom a problem. Most alien lifeforms were obviously alien. But there were a few--like the Lani--wheresimilarities were so close that it was impossible to determine theirstatus on the basis of morphology alone. And so the Humanity Test hadcome into being. 

Essentially it was based upon species compatibility--on the concept thatlike can interbreed with like. Tests conducted on every inhabited worldin the Brotherhood had proven this conclusively. Whatever changes hadtaken place in the somatic characteristics of mankind since the Exodus, they had not altered the compatibility of human germ plasm. Man couldinterbreed with man--aliens could not. The test was simple. The resultswere observable. And what was more important, everyone could understandit. No definition of humanity could be more simple or direct. 

But was it accurate?

Like other Betans, Kennon wondered. It was--so far--probably. Thequalifying phrases were those of the scientist, that strange breed thatrefuses to accept anything as an established fact until it is provenbeyond a shadow of a doubt. After all, the human race had beenspaceborne for only six thousand years--scarcely time for any realdifferences to develop. But physical changes had already appeared--andit would only be a question of time before these would probably befollowed by genetic changes. And in some groups the changes might beextensive enough to make them genetic strangers to the rest of humanity. 

What would happen then? No one knew. Actually no one bothered to thinkabout it except for a few far-seeing men who worried as they saw. 

Probably. 

Might. 

Possibly. 

If. 

Four words. But because of them the Betans were slowly withdrawing fromthe rest of humanity. Already the radiations of Beta's variant-G sun hadproduced changes in the population. Little things like tougherepidermis and depilation of body hair--little things that held alarmingimplications to Beta's scientists, and to Beta's people. Not too manygenerations hence a Betan outside his home system would be a rarity, and in a few millennia the Betan system itself would be a closed enclavepeopled by humans who had deviated too far from the basic stock tomingle with it in safety. 

Of course, the Brotherhood itself might be changed by that time, butthere was no assurance that this would happen. And mankind had a historyof dealing harshly with its mutants. So Beta would play it safe. 

Kennon wondered if there were other worlds in the Brotherhood that hadcome to the same conclusion. Possibly there were. And possibly therewere worlds where marked deviations had occurred. There wasn't a yearthat passed that didn't bring some new human world into the Brotherhood, and many of these had developed from that cultural explosion during theFirst Millennium known as the Exodus, where small groups of colonists ininadequate ships set out for unannounced goals to homestead new worldsfor man. Some of these survived, and many were being discovered evenat this late date. But so far none had any difficulty in proving theirhuman origin. 

The Lani, conceivably, could have been descendants of one of thesegroups, which probably explained the extreme care the Brotherhoodcourts had taken with their case. But they had failed the test, andwere declared animals. Yet it was possible that they had mutated beyondgenetic compatibility. If they had, and if it were proved, here was atest case that could rock the galaxy--that could shake the Brotherhoodto its very foundations--that could force a re-evaluation of thecriteria of humanity. 

Kennon grinned. He was a fine employee. Here he was, less than a fullday on the job, dreaming how he could ruin his employer, shake thefoundation of human civilization, and force ten thousand billion humansto change their comfortable habit patterns and their belief in theunchangeable sameness of men. He was, he reflected wryly, an incurableromantic. 

CHAPTER VIII

"Wake up, Doctor, it's six A. M. " A pleasant voice cut through Kennon'sslumber. He opened one eye and looked at the room. For a moment thestrange surroundings bothered him, then memory took over. He stirreduncomfortably, looking for the owner of the voice. 

"You have your morning calls at seven, and there's a full day ahead, "the voice went on. "I'm sorry, sir, but you should get up. " The voicedidn't sound particularly sorry. 

It was behind him, Kennon decided. He rolled over with a groan ofprotest and looked at his tormentor. A gasp of dismay left his lips, for standing beside the bed, a half smile on her pointed face, wasCopper--looking fresh and alert and as disturbing as ever. 

It wasn't right, Kennon thought bitterly, to be awakened from a soundsleep by a naked humanoid who looked too human for comfort. "What areyou doing here?" he demanded. 

"I'm supposed to be here, " Copper said. "I'm your secretary. " Shegrinned and flexed a few curves of her torso. 

Kennon was silent. 

"Is there anything wrong?" she asked. 

For a moment Kennon was tempted to tell her what was wrong--but he heldhis tongue. She probably wouldn't understand. But there was one thinghe'd better settle right now. "Now look here, young lady--" he began. 

"I'm not a lady, " Copper interrupted before he could continue. "Ladiesare human. I'm a Lani. "

"All right, " Kennon growled. "Lani or human, who cares? But do you haveto break into a man's bedroom and wake him in the middle of the night?"

"I didn't break in, " she said, "and it isn't the middle of the night. It's morning. "

"All right--so it's morning and you didn't break in. Then how inHalstead's sacred name did you get here?"

"I sleep next door, " she said jerking a thumb in the direction of anopen door in the side wall. "I've been there ever since you dismissed melast night, " she explained. 

The explanation left Kennon cold. The old cliche about doing as theSantosians do flicked through his mind. Well, perhaps he would intime--but not yet. The habits of a lifetime couldn't be overturnedovernight. "Now you have awakened me, " he said, "perhaps you'll get outof here. "

"Why?"

"I want to get dressed. "

"I'll help you. "

"You will not! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I've beendressing myself for years. I'm not used to people helping me. "

"My--what a strange world you must come from. Haven't you ever had aLani before?"

"No. "

"You poor man. " Her voice was curiously pitying. "No one to make youfeel like the gods. No one to serve you. No one to even scrub yourback. "

"That's enough, " Kennon said. "I can scrub my own back. "

"How?--you can't reach it. "

Kennon groaned. 

"Weren't there any Lani on your world?"

"No. "

"No wonder you left it. It must be quite primitive. "

"Primitive!" Kennon's voice was outraged. "Beta has one of the highestcivilizations in the Brotherhood!"

"But you don't have Lani, " she said patiently. "So you must beprimitive. "

"Halstead, Fleming, and Ochsner!" Kennon swore. "Do you believe that?"

"Naturally, isn't it obvious? You can't possibly be civilized unless youtake responsibility for intelligent life other than your own race. Until you face up to your responsibilities you are merely a member of adominant race, not a civilized one. "

Kennon's reply caught in his throat. His eyes widened as he looked ather, and what he was about to say remained unspoken. "Out of the mouthsof humanoids--" he muttered oddly. 

"What does that mean?" Copper asked. 

"Forget it, " Kennon said wildly. "Leave me alone. Go put on someclothes. You embarrass me. "

"I'll go, " Copper said, "but you'll have to be embarrassed. Onlyhousehold Lani wear cloth. " She frowned, two vertical furrows dividingher dark brows. "I've never understood why inhouse Lani have to bedisfigured that way, but I suppose there's some reason for it. Menseldom do anything without a reason. "

Kennon shook his head. Either she was grossly ignorant, which hedoubted, or she was conditioned to the eyeballs. 

The latter was more probable. But even that was doubtful. Her trenchantremark about civilization wasn't the product of a conditioned mind. Butwhy was he worrying about her attitudes? They weren't important--shewasn't even human. He shook his head. That was a sophistry. The factthat she wasn't human had nothing to do with the importance of herattitude. "I suppose there is a reason, " he agreed. "But I don't knowit. I haven't been here long enough to know anything about such things. "

She nodded. "That does make a difference, " she admitted. "Many newmen are bothered at first by the fact that we Lani are naked, but theyadjust quickly. So will you. " She smiled as she turned away. "You see, "she added over her shoulder as she left the room, "we're not human. We're just another of your domestic animals. "

Was there laughter in her voice? Kennon wasn't sure. His sigh wascomposed of equal parts of relief and exasperation as he slipped out ofbed and began to dress. He'd forgo the shower this morning. He had nodesire for Copper to appear and offer to scrub his back. In his presentstate of mind he couldn't take it. Possibly he'd get used to it in time. Perhaps he might even like it. But right now he wasn't acclimatized. 

* * *

"Man Blalok called, " Copper said as she removed the breakfast dishes. "He said that he'd be right over to pick you up. He wants to show youthe operation. " "When did he call?"

"About ten minutes ago. I told him that you were at breakfast. He saidhe'd wait. " She disappeared in the direction of the kitchen. 

"There's a nightmare quality to this, " Kennon muttered as he slipped hisarms into the sleeves of his tunic and closed the seam tabs. "I havethe feeling that I'm going to wake up any minute. " He looked at hisreflection in the dresser mirror, and his reflection looked worriedlyback. "This whole thing has an air of plausible unreality: theadvertisement, the contract, this impossible island that raiseshumanoids as part of the livestock. " He shrugged and his mirrored imageshrugged back. "But it's real, all right. No dream could possibly bethis detailed. I wonder how I'm going to take it for the next fiveyears? Probably not too well, " he mused silently. "Already I'm talkingto myself. Without even trying, that Lani Copper can make me feel like aSarkian. " He nodded at his image. 

The Sarkian analogy was almost perfect, he decided. For on that grimlybackward world females were as close to slaves as the Brotherhood wouldpermit; raised from birth under an iron regimen designed to producecomplaisant mates for the dominant males. Probably that was the reasonSark was so backward. The men, having achieved domestic tranquillity, had no desire to do anything that would disturb the status quo. Andsince no Sarkian woman under any conceivable circumstances would annoyher lordly master with demands to produce better mousetraps, householdgadgetry, and more money, the technological development of Sark had cometo a virtual standstill. It took two sexes to develop a civilization. 

Kennon shrugged. Worlds developed as they did because people were asthey were, and while passing judgment was still a major human pursuit, no native of one world had a right to force his customs down theunwilling throat of another. It would be better to accept his presentsituation and live with it rather than trying to impose his Betanconception of morality upon Lani that neither understood nor appreciatedit. His business was to treat and prevent animal disease. What happenedto the animals before infection or after recovery was none of hisaffair. That was a matter between Alexander and his conscience. 

Blalok was waiting for him, sitting behind the wheel of a square boxyvehicle that squatted with an air of unpolished efficiency on thegraveled drive behind his house. He smiled a quick greeting as Kennonapproached. "It's about time you showed up, " he said. "You'll have toget into the habit of rising early on this place. We do most of our workearly in the morning and late in the afternoon. During the day it's toohot to breathe, let alone work. Well, let's get going. There's stilltime to visit the outer stations. "

Kennon climbed in and Blalok started the vehicle. "I thought we'd take ajeep today, " he said. "They aren't very pretty, but they get around. " Heturned onto the surfaced road that ran down the hill toward the hospitaland the complex of red-roofed buildings clustered about it. "About thoseflukes, " he said. "You have any plans to get rid of them?"

"Not yet. I'll have to look the place over. There's more detective workthan medicine involved in this. "

"Detective work?"

"Sure--we know the criminal, but to squelch him we have to learn hishangouts, study his modus operandi, and learn how to make his victimssecure from his activities. Unless we do that, we can treat individualsfrom now to infinity and all we'll have is more cases. We have to applymodern criminology tactics--eliminate the source of crime--stop up thesoft spots. In other words, kill the flukes before they enter the Lani. "

"Old Doc never said anything about this, " Blalok said. 

"Probably he never knew about it. I was looking over the herd books lastnight, and I saw nothing about trematodes, or anything that looked likea parasite pattern until the last few months. "

"Why not?"

"My guess is that he was one of the first deaths. "

"You mean this thing attacks human beings?"

"Preferentially, " Kennon said. "It's strange, too, because it originatedon Santos so far as we know. In fact, some people think that the Varlbred it for a weapon to use against us before we conquered them. Theycould have done it. Their biological science was of a high enoughorder. "

"But how did it get here?"

"I wouldn't know--unless you've hired a Santosian or someone else whowas affected. "

"We did have a man from Santos. Fellow called Joe Kryla. We had to lethim go because he was a nudist. It made a bad impression on the Lani. But that was over a year ago. "

"That's about the right time to build up a good reservoir of infection. The fatal cases usually don't show up before an area is pretty wellseeded. "

"That's not so good. "

"Well, there's one thing in our favor. The Lani are pretty wellconcentrated into groups. And so far there doesn't seem to be anyinfestation outside of Hillside Station--except for two deaths in Lanirecently sent from there. If we quarantine those stations and work fast, may be we can stop this before it spreads all over the island. "

"That's fine, but what are you going to do now?"

"Treat those that show symptoms. There should be some Trematox capsulesat the hospital. If there aren't we'll get them. We'll take thesick ones back to the hospital area and push therapy and supportivetreatment. Now that we know the cause, we shouldn't have any more deathlosses. "

"Old Doc didn't treat at the hospital, " Blalok said. 

"I'm not Old Doc. "

"But it's going to mess up our operations. We're using the wardbuildings to finish training the Lani scheduled for market. "

"Why?"

"It's convenient. Most of the ward space is filled right now. " Blaloksaid. There was a touch of disgust in his voice. 

"They're well, aren't they?" Kennon demanded. 

"Of course. "

"Then get them out of there. "

"But I told you-"

"You told me nothing. The hospital area is needed for something morethan a training center. Perhaps Old Doc was trained in outcall work, butI'm not. I work from a hospital. The only things I do on outcalls arediagnoses, vaccinations, and emergencies. The rest of the patients cometo the hospital. "

"This isn't going to set well with Jordan and the division chiefs. "

"That's not my concern, " Kennon said. "I run my business in the best waypossible. The patients are of more concern than the personal comfort ofany straw boss or administrator. You're the administrator--you calm themdown. "

"You have the authority, " Blalok admitted. "But my advice to you is togo slow. "

"I can't, " Kennon said. "Not if we want to prevent any more losses. There simply won't be time to run all over the island dosing withTrematox and taking temperatures, and while that sort of thing isroutine, it should be supervised. Besides, you'll see the advantages ofthis method. Soon enough. "

"I hope so, " Blalok said as he braked the jeep to a stop in front of thehospital. "I suppose you'll want to take some things along. "

"So I will, " Kennon said. "I'll be back in a minute. " Kennon slid fromthe seat, leaving Blalok looking peculiarly at his departing back. 

The minute stretched to nearly ten before Kennon returned followed bytwo Lani carrying bags which they loaded into the back of the jeep. "I had to reorganize a little, " Kennon apologized, "some things wereunfamiliar. "

"Plan on taking them?" Blalok said, jerking a thumb at the two Lani. 

"Not this time. I'm having them fit up an ambulance. They should be busymost of the day. "

Blalok grunted and started the turbine. He moved a lever and the jeepfloated off the ground. 

"An airboat too, " Kennon remarked. "I wondered why this rig was soboxy. "

"It's a multipurpose vehicle, " Blalok said. "We need them around herefor fast transport. Most of the roads aren't so good. " He engaged thedrive and the jeep began to move. "We'll go cross country, " he said. "Hillside's pretty far out--the farthest station since we abandonedOlympus. "

The air began whistling past the boxlike body of the jeep as Blalokincreased the power to the drive and set the machine on automatic. "We'll get a pretty good cross-section of our operations on this trip, "he said over the whine of the turbine. "Look down there. "

They were passing across a series of fenced pastures and Kennon wasimpressed. The size of this operation was beginning to sink in. Ithadn't looked so big from the substratosphere in Alexander's ship, butdown here close to the ground it was enormous. Fields of grain, wideorchards, extensive gardens. Once they were forced to detour a hugesupply boat that rose heavily in front of them. Working in the fieldswere dozens of brown-skinned Lani who paused to look up and wave asthe jeep sped by. Occasional clusters of farm buildings and the lowbarrackslike stations appeared and disappeared behind them. 

"There's about twenty Lani at each of these stations, " Blalok said, "They work the farm area under the direction of the stationmaster. "

"He's a farmer?"

"Of course. Usually he's a graduate of an agricultural school, but wehave a few who are descendants of the crew of the first Alexander, andthere's one old codger who was actually with him during the conquest. Most of our stationmasters are family men. We feel that a wife andchildren add to a man's stability--and incidentally keep him fromfooling around with the Lani. "

A series of fenced pastures containing hundreds of huge grayish-whitequadrupeds slipped past. 

"Cattle?" Kennon asked. 

"Yes--Earth strain. That's why they're so big. We also have sheep andswine, but you won't see them on this run. "

"Any native animals?"

"A few--and some which are native to other worlds. But they'reluxury-trade items. The big sale items are beef, pork, and mutton. "Blalok chuckled. "Did you think that the Lani were our principalexport?"

Kennon nodded. 

"They're only a drop in the bucket. Agriculture--Earth-styleagriculture--is our main source of income. The Lani are valuableprincipally to keep down the cost of overhead. Virtually all of themwork right here on the island. We don't sell more than a hundred a yearless than five per cent of our total. And those are surplus--too lightor too delicate for farm work. "

"Where do you find a market for all this produce?" Kennon asked. 

"There's two hundred million people here, and quite a few billion morein space-train range. We can produce more cheaply than any competitor, and we can undersell any competition, even full automation. " Blalokchuckled. "There are some things that a computer can't do as well asa human being, and one of them is farm the foods on which humanity isaccustomed to feed. A man'll pay two credits for a steak. He could get aChlorella substitute for half a credit, but he'll still buy the steakif he can afford it. Same thing goes for fruit, vegetables, grain, andgarden truck. Man's eating habits have only changed from necessity. Those who can pay will still pay well for natural foods. " Blalokchuckled. "We've put quite a dent in the algae and synthetics operationsin this sector. "

"It's still a luxury trade, " Kennon said. 

"You've eaten synthetic, " Blalok replied. "What do you prefer?"

Kennon had to agree that Blalok was right. He, too, liked the real thingfar better than its imitations. 

"If it's this profitable, then why sell Lani?" Kennon asked. 

"It's the Family's idea. Actually--since the export type is surplus itdoes us no harm. We keep enough for servants--and the others would beinefficient for most farm work. So disposal by sale is a logical andprofitable way of culling. But now the Boss-man is being pressured intobreeding an export type. And this I don't like. It's too commercial. Smells like slavery. "

"You're a Mystic, aren't you?" Kennon asked. 

"Sure--but that doesn't mean I like slavery. Oh, I know some of thosefatheaded Brotherhood economists call our system economic slavery--andI'll admit that it's pretty hard to crack out of a spherical trust. But that doesn't mean that we have to stay where we are. Mystics aren'towned by their entrepreneurs. Sure, it's a tough haul to beat theboss, but it can be done. I did it, and others do it all the time. Thesituation isn't hopeless. "

"But it is with the Lani, " Kennon added. 

"Of course. That's why they should be protected. What chance does aLani have? Without us they can't even keep going as a race. They'retechnological morons. They don't live long enough to understand moderncivilization. To turn those poor helpless humanoids out into humansociety would be criminal. It's our duty to protect them even whilewe're using them. "

"Man's burden?' Kennon said, repeating the old cliche. 

"Exactly. " Blalok scowled. "I wish I had guts enough to give theBoss-man the facts--but I can't get nerve enough to try. I've a good jobhere--a wife and two kids--and I don't want to jeopardize my future. "Blalok glanced over the side. "Well, here we are, " he said, and begandescending into the center of a spokelike mass of buildings radiatingoutward from a central hub. 

"Hmm--big place, " Kennon murmured. 

"It should be, " Blalok replied. "It furnishes all of our Lani forreplacement and export. It can turn out over a thousand a year atfull capacity. Of course we don't run at that rate, or Flora would beoverpopulated. But this is a big layout, like you said. It can maintaina population of at least forty thousand. Old Alexander had big ideas. "

"I wonder what he planned to do with them?" Kennon said. 

"I wouldn't know. The Old Man never took anyone into his confidence. "

Jordan came up as the jeep settled to the ground. "Been expecting youfor the past half hour, " he said. "Your office said you were on yourway. --Good to see you, too, Doc. I've been going over the records withHank Allworth--the stationmaster here. " Jordan held out his hand. 

"You're an Earthman, eh?" Kennon asked as he grasped the outstretchedhand. The gesture was as old as man, its ritualistic meaning lost inantiquity. 

"No--Marsborn--a neighbor world, " Jordan said. "But our customs andEarth's are the same. "

"You're a long way from home, " Kennon said. 

"No farther than you, Doc. " Jordan looked uncomfortable. "But we cancompare origins later. Right now, you'd better come into the office. I've run across something peculiar. "

CHAPTER IX

"There are twelve bays to this station, " Jordan said. "Under our presentsetup two are used for breeding and the other ten for maturation. Werotate the youngsters around the bay--a different bay each year untilthey're age eleven. Then they're sorted according to type and sent outfor a year of further specialized training after which they go onto thefarms, or to inhouse or export. 

"Now here's the peculiar part. There's no trouble in Bays One throughNine, but Bay Ten has had all our losses except two that have occurredat the training stations. "

"That's good news, " Kennon said. "Our parasite can't have had time tomigrate too far. We have him pinpointed unless--say how many trainingcenters are there?"

"Three, " Jordan said. 

"Quarantine them, " Kennon replied. "Right now. Nothing goes in or outuntil we've checked them and completed prophylaxis. "

Jordan looked at Blalok inquiringly. 

"He's the boss, " Blalok said. "Do as you're told. This is his problem. "

"Why the quarantine?" Jordan asked. 

"I want to get any carriers. We can check them with antigen, and thengive Trematox. "

"All that concentration in Bay Ten, " Jordan said. "Does it meansomething?"

"Blalok said that there was a Santosian in your division. "

"Yeah--Joe Kryla--and come to think of it, he ran Bay Ten!"

"That's a help--now let's see what makes that bay different from theothers. "

"Why?"

"I'll tell you--but you may not understand, " Kennon said. 

"I'll take a chance. "

Kennon grinned. "All right, you asked for it. The parasite that's doingthe damage is a flatworm, a trematode called Hepatodirus hominis. AsI've told Blalok, it's a tricky thing. Like all trematodes it has athree-stage life cycle, but unlike every other fluke, its life cycle isnot fixed to definite intermediate hosts. Depending upon where it is, the fluke adapts. It still must pass through its life cycle, but itsintermediate host need not be one species of snail, fish, or copepod. Any cold-blooded host will do. What you have here is a Kardonian variantwhich has adapted to some particular intermediate host on this world. Until now, its final host was either man or Varl. Now we have a third, the Lani. And apparently they are the most susceptible of the three. It never kills Varl. And humans, while they're more susceptible, onlyoccasionally succumb, but the Lani appear to be the most susceptible ofall. I've never seen an infestation like those Lani had. Their liverswere literally crawling with flukes. " Kennon paused and looked atJordan. "You following me?" he asked. 

"Slowly and poorly, " Jordan said. "You're assuming too much knowledge onmy part. "

Kennon chuckled. "You can't say I didn't warn you. "

"Well--I'm really interested in only one thing--how do you break theparasite up in business?"

"There's only one sure way--and that's to break the life cycle. Thetechnique is thousands of years old, but it's just as good today as itwas then. "

"Good--then let's do it. "

"To make a varrit stew, " Kennon said, "one must first catch the varrit. "

"Huh?"

"We have to learn the beastie's life cycle before we can break it, and like I said, it adapts. Its intermediate host can be any one of ahundred cold-blooded animals. "

"Is there no place else where it can be attacked?"

"Sure, in the body of the final host, or on its final encysting place. But that won't eliminate the bug. "

"Why not?"

"It'll still survive in its infective form and enough Lani will getsubacute dosage to propagate it until the time is right for anotherepizootic. We have to kill its intermediate host--or hosts if it hasmore than one. That will keep it from growing and will ultimatelyeradicate it. "

Judson scratched his head. "It sounds complicated. "

"It is. It's so complicated that once the fluke becomes well establishedit's virtually impossible to eradicate. "

"And you think it can be done here?"

"We can give it the old college try. But it's going to take somedetective work. "

"Where do we start?"

"With Bay Ten. We look it over real well. Then we check the diet andhabits of the Lani. Then we check each individual Lani. Then we checkthe life cycle of the parasite. Somewhere along the line if we're luckywe'll find a weak point that can be attacked. "

"That's a big order, " Blalok said. 

"It can't be helped. That's the way it is. Of course, we're lucky thatwe're on an isolated land mass. That gives us an advantage. We should beable to clean this up. "

"How long do you think it will take?"

"It depends on how well the fluke is established. Six months at theminimum--and I wouldn't care to guess at the maximum. However, I hopethe minimum will be time enough. "

"So do I, " Blalok said. 

"Well, " Kennon said, "let's get on with it. "

"I hope it won't interrupt our program, " Jordan said. 

"Of course it will interrupt it, " Kennon replied. "It can't help it. Getthe idea in your head that you're facing something here that can crippleyou--maybe abort your whole operation. You have a choice--interrupt nowor abort later. And half measures won't work. To eradicate this pestrequires an all-out effort. "

"But I can't see why we can't merely bypass Bay Ten--" Jordan said. 

"Take my word for it, " Kennon said. "You can't. There's no accurate wayof telling how far this spreads until the death losses occur. Our testsfor fluke infestation aren't that good. We have to work thoroughly andcarefully. We can't be butting heads over this--either we all co-operateor this whole operation will blow up in our faces. 

"Look at the record. Six months ago you ended a year with no deaths fromdisease. Five months ago Old Doc and two Lani were ill. Four months agoone of the two Lani was dead and Old Doc was too ill to be effective. Three months ago Old Doc and the other Lani were dead, and before theend of the month two more followed them. Two months ago six died, lastmonth eight, and so far this month you've lost four and you have overtwo weeks to go. Up to now they've all been from here, but two thismonth were at other stations. In six months if nothing is done, we'llbe having losses there unless we're lucky. And the losses will keepon increasing. Apparently you don't know what it is to live withparasites--so let me tell you. It isn't pleasant!"

Blalok shrugged. "You needn't get hot about it, " he said. "After all, you're the Doc--and we'll co-operate. "

Jordan nodded. "We will, " he said. "All the way. "

CHAPTER X

There is a special providence that looks over recent veterinarygraduates, Kennon reflected as he checked the monthly reports from theStations. Since the time he had laid down the law to Judson and Blalok, he had had no trouble from the production staff. And for the past fourmonths there had been no further trouble with Hepatodirus. That unwantedvisitor had apparently been evicted. At that, they had been lucky. Theparasite had been concentrated at Hillside Station and had failed toestablish itself in the training area. The intermediate host, it hadturned out, was a small amphibian that was susceptible to commercialinsecticide. It had been no trouble to eradicate. Systemic treatment andcooking of all food had cleaned up the infective cercaria and individualinfections, and after six months of intensive search, quarantine, andinvestigation, Kennon was morally certain that the disease had beeneradicated. The last four reports confirmed his belief. 

He sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Blalok was at last convincedthat his ideas were right. The hospital was operating as a hospitalshould, with a staff of twelve Lani kept busy checking the full wards. Actually, it was working better than it should, since stationmasters allover the island were now shipping in sick animals rather than treatingthem or requesting outpatient service. 

"Hi, Doc, " Blalok said as he pushed the door open and looked into theoffice. "You doing anything?"

"Not at the moment, " Kennon said. "Something troubling you?"

"No--just thought I'd drop in for a moment and congratulate you. "

"For what?"

"For surviving the first year. "

"That won't be for two months yet. "

Blalok shook his head. "This is Kardon, " he said. "There's only threehundred and two days in our year, ten thirty-day months and two specialdays at the year's end. "

Kennon shrugged. "My contract is Galactic Standard. I still have twomonths to go. But how come the ten-month year? Most other planets havetwelve, regardless of the number of days. "

"Old Alexander liked thirty-day months. "

"I've wondered about that. "

"You'll find a lot more peculiar things about Flora when you get to knowher better. This year has just been a breaking-in period. "

Kennon chuckled. "It's damn near broken me, " he admitted. "You know, Ithought that the Lani'd be my principal practice when I came here. "

"You didn't figure that right. They're the easiest part. They'reintelligent and co-operative. "

"Which is more than one can say about the others. " Kennon wiped thesweat from his face. "What with this infernal heat and their eternalstubbornness, I've nearly been driven crazy. "

"You shouldn't have laid out that vaccination program. "

"I had to. Your hog business was living mostly on luck, and the sheepand shrakes were almost as bad. You can't get away from soil saprophytesno matter how clean you are. Under a pasture setup there's alwaysa chance of contamination. And that old cliche about an ounce ofprevention is truer of livestock raising than anything else I can thinkof. "

"I have some more good news for you, " Blalok said. "That's why I cameover. We're going to have another species to treat and vaccinate. "

Kennon groaned. "Now what?"

"Poultry. " Blalok's voice was disgusted. "Personally I think it's amess, but Alexander thinks it's profitable. Someone's told him thatpound for pound chickens are the most efficient feed converters of allthe domestic animals. So we're getting a pilot plant: eggs, incubator, and a knocked-down broiler battery so we can try the idea out. The Boss-man is always hot on new ideas to increase efficiency andproduction. The only trouble is that he fails to consider the workinvolved in setting up another operation. "

"You're so right. I'll have to brush up on pullorum, ornithosis, coccidosis, leukosis, perosis, and Ochsner knows how many other-osisesand--itises. I was never too strong on fowl practice in school, and I'dbe happier if I never had anything to do with them. "

"So would I, " Blalok agreed. "I can't see anything in this but trouble. "

Kennon nodded. 

"And he's forgotten something else, " Blalok added. "Poultry needconcentrated feed. We're going to have to install a feed mill. "

Kennon chuckled. "I hope he'll appreciate the bill he gets. "

"He thinks we can use local labor, " Blalok said gloomily. "I wish he'drealize that Lani are technological morons. "

"They could learn. "

"I suppose so--but it isn't easy. And besides, Allworth is the only manwith feed-mill experience, and he's up to his ears with Hillside Stationsince that expansion order came in. "

"I never did get the reason for that. After we complained about theslavery implications and got the Boss-man's okay to hold the line, whydo we need more Lani?"

"Didn't you know? His sister's finally decided to try marriage. Foundherself some overmuscled Halsite who looked good to her--but shecouldn't crack his moral barrier. " Blalok grinned. "I thought you'd bethe first to know. Wasn't she interested in you?"

Kennon chuckled. "You could call it that. Interested--like the way adog's interested in a beefsteak. It's a good thing we had that flukeproblem or I'd have been chewed up and digested long ago. That womanfrightens me. "

"I could be scared by uglier things, " Blalok said. "With the Boss-man'ssister on my side I wouldn't worry. "

"What makes you think she'd be on my side? She's a cannibal. "

"Well, you know her better than I do. "

He did--he certainly did. That first month had been one of the worst hehad ever spent, Kennon reflected. Between Eloise and the flukes, he hadnearly collapsed--and when it had come to the final showdown, he thoughtfor a while that he'd be looking for another job. But Alexander had beenmore than passably understanding and had refused his sister's passionatepleas for a Betan scalp. He owed a debt of gratitude to the Boss-man. 

"You're lucky you never knew her, " Kennon said. 

"That all depends on what you mean, " Blalok said as he grinned andwalked to the door. The parting shot missed its mark entirely as Kennonlooked at him with blank incomprehension. "You should have been aMystic, " Blalok said. "A knowledge of the sacred books would do you noend of good. " And with that cryptic remark the superintendent vanished. 

"That had all the elements of a snide remark, " Kennon murmured tohimself, "but my education's been neglected somewhere along the line. Idon't get it. " He shrugged and buzzed for Copper. The veterinary reportwould have to be added to the pile already before him, and the Boss-manliked to have his reports on time. 

Copper watched Kennon as he dictated the covering letter, her slimfingers dancing over the stenotype. He had been here a full year--butinstead of becoming a familiar object, he had grown so gigantic thathe filled her world. And it wasn't merely because he was young andbeautiful. He was kind, too. 

Yet she couldn't approach him, and she wanted to so desperately thatit was a physical pain. Other Lani had told her about men and what theycould do. Even her old preceptress at Hillside Station had given hersome advice when Man Allworth had tattooed the tiny V on her thigh thatmeant she had been selected for the veterinary staff. And when Old Dochad brought her from the Training Station to the hospital and removedher tail, she was certain that she was one of the lucky ones who wouldknow love. 

But love wasn't a pain in the chest, an ache in the belly and thighs, anunfulfilled longing that destroyed sleep and made food tasteless. Lovewas supposed to be pleasant and exciting. She could remember every wordher preceptress had spoken. 

"My little one, " the old Lani had said, "you now wear the doctor's mark. And soon no one will be able to tell you from a human. You will looklike our masters. You will share in their work. And there may be timeswhen you will find favor in their eyes. Then you may learn of love. 

"Love, " the old voice was soft in Copper's ears. "The word is almost astranger to us now, known only to the few who serve our masters. It wasnot always so. The Old Ones knew love before Man Alexander came. Andour young were the fruit of love rather than the product of our masters'cunning. But you may know the flower even though you cannot bear itsfruit. You may enter that world of pleasure-pain the Old Ones knew, thatworld which is now denied us. 

"But remember always that you are a Lani. A man may be kind to you. Hemay treat you gently. He may show you love. Yet you never will be hisequal. Nor must you become too attached to him, for you are not human. You are not his natural mate. You cannot bear his young. You cannotcompletely share. You can only accept. 

"So if love should come to you, take it and enjoy it, but do not try topossess it. For there lies heartache rather than happiness. And it isa world of heartache, my little one, to long for something which youcannot have. "

To long for something which one cannot have! Copper knew that feeling. It had been with her ever since Kennon had come into her life thatnight a year ago. And it had grown until it had become gigantic. Hewas kind--yes. He was harsh--occasionally. Yet he had shown her no moreaffection than he would have shown a dog. Less--for he would have petteda dog and he did not touch her. 

He laughed, but she was not a part of his laughter. He needed her, butthe need was that of a builder for a tool. He liked her and sometimesshared his problems and triumphs with her, and sometimes his defeats, but he did not love. There had never been for her the bright fierce lookhe had bent upon the Woman Eloise those times when she had come to him, the look men gave to those who found favor in their eyes. 

Had he looked at her but once with that expression she would have cometo him though fire barred the way. The Woman Eloise was a fool. 

Copper looked at him across the corner of the desk, the yellow hair, thebronze skin, firm chin, soft lips and long straight nose, thenarrowed eyes, hooded beneath thick brows, scanning the papers in hislean-tendoned hands. His nearness was an ache in her body--yet he wasfar away. 

She thought of how his hands would feel upon her. He had touched heronce, and that touch had burned like hot iron. For hours she had feltit. He looked up. Her heart choked her with its beating. She would diefor him if he would but once run his fingers over her tingling skin, andstroke her hair. 

The naked emotion in Copper's face was readable enough, Kennon thought. One didn't need Sorovkin techniques to interpret what was in her mind. And it would have been amusing if it weren't so sad. For what shewanted, he couldn't give. Yet if she were human it would be easy. Ahundred generations of Betan moral code said "never, " yet when he lookedat her their voices faded. He was a man--a member of the ruling race. She was an animal--a beast--a humanoid--near human but not near enough. To like her was easy--but to love her was impossible. It would bebestiality. Yet his body, less discerning than his mind, responded toher nearness. 

He sighed. It was a pleasant unpleasantness, a mixed emotion he couldnot analyze. In a way it was poetry--the fierce, vaguely disquietingpoetry of the sensual Santosian bards--the lyrics that sung of the joysof flesh. He had never really liked them, yet they filled him with avague longing, an odd uneasiness--just the sort that filled him now. There was a deadly parallel here. He sighed. 

"Yes, sir? Do you want something?" Copper asked. 

"I could use a cup of coffee, " he said. "These reports are getting medown. " The banality amused him--sitting here thinking of Copper andtalking about coffee. Banality was at once the curse and the savinggrace of mankind. It kept men from the emotional peaks and valleys thatcould destroy them. He chuckled shakily. The only alternative would beto get rid of her--and he couldn't (or wouldn't?--the question intrudedslyly) do that. 

Copper returned with a steaming cup which she set before him. Truly, this coffee was a man's drink. She had tried it once but the hotbitterness scalded her mouth and flooded her body with its heat. And shehad felt so lightheaded. Not like herself at all. It wasn't a drink forLani. Of that she was certain. 

Yet he enjoyed it. He looked at her and smiled. He was pleased withher. Perhaps--yet--she might find favor in his eyes. The hope was alwaysthere within her--a hope that was at once fear and prayer. And if shedid--she would know what to do. 

Kennon looked up. Copper's face was convulsed with a bright mixture ofhope and pain. Never, he swore, had he saw anything more beautiful orsad. Involuntarily he placed his hand upon her arm. She flinched, hermuscles tensing under his finger tips. It was though his fingers carrieda galvanic current that backlashed up his arm even as it stiffened hers. 

"What's the matter, Copper?" he asked softly. 

"Nothing, Doctor. I'm just upset. "

"Why?"

There it was again, the calm friendly curiosity that was worse than abath in ice water. Her heart sank. She shivered. She would never findher desire here. He was cold--cold--cold! He wouldn't see. He didn'tcare. All right--so that was how it had to be. But first she would tellhim. Then he could do with her as he wished. "I hoped--for the past yearthat you would see me. That you would think of me not as a Lani, but asa beloved. " The words came faster now, tumbling over one another. "Thatyou would desire me and take me to those worlds we cannot know unlessyou humans show us. I have hoped so much, but I suppose it's wrong--foryou--you are so very human, and I--well, I'm not!" The last three wordsheld all the sadness and the longing of mankind aspiring to be God. 

"My dear--my poor child, " Kennon murmured. 

She looked at him, but her eyes could not focus on his face, for hishands were on her shoulders and the nearness of him drove the breathfrom her body. From a distance she heard a hard tight voice that was herown. "Oh, sir--oh please, sir!"

The hands withdrew, leaving emptiness--but her heartbeat slowed and thepink haze cleared and she could see his face. 

And with a surge of terror and triumph she realized what she saw! Thathard bright look that encompassed and possessed her! The curved lipsdrawn over white, white teeth! The flared nostrils! The hungry demandupon his face that answered the demand in her heart! And she knew--atlast--with a knowledge that turned her limbs to water, that she hadfound favor in his eyes!

CHAPTER XI

Mixed emotion! Ha! The author of that cliche didn't even know itsmeaning! Kennon strode furiously down the dusty road toward Station Onetrying to sublimate his inner conflict into action. It was useless, ofcourse, for once he stopped moving the grim tug-of-war between trainingand desire would begin again, and no matter how it ended the resultwould be unsatisfactory. As long as he had been able to delude himselfthat he was fond of Copper the way a man is fond of some lesser species, it had been all right. But he knew now that he was fond of her as a manis of a woman--and it was hell! For no rationalization in the universewould allow him to define her as human. Copper was humanoid--somethinglike human. And to live with her and love her would not bemiscegenation, which was bad enough, but bestiality which was a thousandtimes worse. 

Although throughout most of the Brotherhood miscegenation was an unknownword, and even bestiality had become a loose definition on many worldswith humanoid populations, the words had definite meaning and moralforce to a Betan. And--God help him--he was a Betan. A lifetime oftraining in a moral code that frowned upon mixed marriages and shrankappalled from even the thought of mixing species was nothing to bringface to face with the fact that he loved Copper. 

It was odd, Kennon reflected bitterly, that humans could do with animalswhat their customs and codes prohibited them from doing to themselves. For thousands of years--back to the very dawn of history when men hadbred horses and asses to produce mules--men had been mixing speciesto produce useful hybrids. Yet a Betan who could hybridize plants oranimals with complete equanimity shrank with horror from the thought ofapplying the same technique to himself. 

What was there about a human being that was so sacrosanct? He shook hishead angrily. He didn't know. There was no answer. But the idea--thebelief--was there, ingrained into his attitudes, a part of his outlook, built carefully block by block from infancy until it now towered into amighty wall that barred him from doing what he wished to do. 

It would be an easier hurdle if he had been born anywhere except onBeta. In the rest of the Brotherhood, the color of a man's skin, theshape of his face, the quality and color of his hair and eyes made nodifference. All men were brothers. But on Beta, where a variant-G sunhad already caused genetic divergence, the brotherhood of man was a termthat was merely given lip service. Betans were different and from birththey were taught to accept the difference and to live with it. Mixing ofBetan stock with other human species, while not actually forbidden, wasso encircled with conditioning that it was a rare Betan indeed who wouldrisk self-opprobrium and the contempt of his fellows to mate with anoutsider. And as for humanoids--Kennon shuddered. He couldn't break theattitudes of a lifetime. Yet he loved Copper. 

And she knew he did!

And that was an even greater horror. He had fled from the office, fromthe glad light in her eyes, as a burned child flees fire. He needed timeto think, time to plan. Yet his body and his surface thoughts wanted noplans or time. Living with a Lani wasn't frowned upon on Flora. Many ofthe staff did, nor did anyone seem to think less of them for doingso. Even Alexander himself had half-confessed to a more than platonicaffection for a Lani called Susy. 

Yet this was no excuse, nor would it silence the cold still voice in hismind that kept repeating sodomite--sodomite--sodomite with a passionlessinflection that was even more terrible than anger. 

The five kilometers to Station One disappeared unnoticed beneath hisfeet as he walked, and he looked up in surprise to see the white wallsand red roofs of the station looming before him. 

"Good Lord! Doc! What's got into you?" the stationmaster said. "Youlook like you'd seen a ghost. And out in this sun without a helmet! Comeinside, man, before you get sunstroke!"

Kennon chuckled without humor. "Getting sunstroke is the least of myworries, Al, " he said, but he allowed Al Crothers to usher him inside. 

"It's odd that you showed up right now, " Al said, his dark face showingthe curiosity that filled him. "I just had a call from Message Centernot five minutes ago, telling me to have you call in if you showed up. "

Kennon sighed. "On this island you can't get away from the phone, " hesaid wryly. "O. K. , where is it?"

"You look pretty bushed, Doc. Maybe you'd better rest awhile. "

"And maybe it's an emergency, " Kennon interrupted. "And probably it isbecause the staff can handle routine matters--so maybe you'd better showme where you keep the phone. "

* * *

"One moment please, " the Message Center operator said. There were a fewclicks in the background. "Here's your party, " she continued. "Go ahead, Doctor. "

"Kennon?" a nervous voice crackled from the receiver. 

"Yes?"

"You're needed out on Otpen One. "

"Who is calling--and what's the rush?"

"Douglas--Douglas Alexander. The Lani are dying! It's an emergency!Cousin Alex'll skin us alive if we let these Lani die!"

Douglas! Kennon hadn't thought of him since the one time they had metin Alexandria. That was a year ago. It seemed much longer. Since theBoss-man had exiled his cousin to that bleak rock to the east of Florathere had been no word of him. And now--he laughed a sharp bark ofhumorless annoyance--Douglas couldn't have timed it better if he hadtried!

"All right, " Kennon said. "I'll come. What seems to be the trouble?"

"They're sick. "

"That's obvious, " Kennon snapped. "Otherwise you wouldn't be calling. Can't you tell me any more than that?"

"They're vomiting. They have diarrhea. Several have had fits. "

"Thanks, " Kennon said. "I'll be right out. Expect me in an hour. "

"So you're leaving?" Al asked as he cradled the phone. 

"That's a practitioner's life, " Kennon said. "Full of interruptions. CanI borrow your jeep?"

"I'll drive you. Where do you want to go?"

"To the hospital, " Kennon said. "I'll have to pick up my gear. It's anemergency all right. "

"You're a tough one, " Al said admiringly. "I'd hate to walk five kilosin this heat without a hat--and then go out on a call. "

Kennon shrugged. "It's not necessarily toughness. I believe in doing onejob at a time--and my contract reads veterinary service, not personalproblems. The job comes first and there's work to do. "

Copper wasn't in sight when Kennon came back to the hospital--a fact forwhich he was grateful. He packed quickly, threw his bags into the jeep, and took off with almost guilty haste. He'd contact the Hospital fromthe Otpens. Right now all he wanted was to put distance between himselfand Copper. Absence might make the heart grow fonder, but at the momentpropinquity was by far the more dangerous thing. He pointed the bluntnose of the jeep toward Mount Olympus, set the autopilot, opened thethrottle, and relaxed as best he could as the little vehicle sped at topspeed for the outer islands. A vague curiosity filled him. He'd neverbeen on the Otpens. He wondered what they were like. 

* * *

Otpen One was a rocky tree-clad islet crowned with the stellate mass ofa Class II Fortalice. But this one wasn't like Alexandria. It was fullymanned and in service condition. 

"Airboat!" a voice crackled from the dashboard speaker of the jeep, "Identify yourself! You are being tracked. "

Kennon quickly flipped the IFF switch. "Dr. Kennon, from Flora, " hesaid. 

"Thank you, sir. You are expected and are clear to land. Bring yourvehicle down in the marked area. " A section of the roof turned a garishyellow as Kennon circled the building. He brought the jeep in lightly, setting it carefully in the center of the area. 

"Leave your vehicle, " the speaker chattered. "If you are armed leaveyour weapon behind. "

"It's not my habit to carry a gun, " Kennon snapped. 

"Sorry, sir--regulations, " the speaker said. '"This is S. O. P. "

Kennon left the jeep and instantly felt the probing tingle of a searchbeam. He looked around curiously at the flat roof of the fortresswith its domed turrets and ugly snouts of the main battery projectorspointing skyward. Beside him, the long metal doors of a missile launchermade a rectangular trace on the smooth surface of the roof. Behind himthe central tower poked its gaunt ferromorph and durilium outline intothe darkening sky bearing its crown of spiderweb radar antennae turningsteadily on their gimbals covering a vast hemisphere from horizon tozenith with endless inspection. 

From the base of the tower a man emerged. He was tall, taller even thanKennon, and the muscles of his body showed through the tightness ofhis battle dress. His face was harsh, and in his hands he carried aBurkholtz magnum--the most powerful portable weapon mankind had yetdevised. 

"You are Dr. Kennon?" the trooper asked. 

"I am. "

"Your I. D. , please. "

Kennon handed it over and the big man scanned the card with practicedeyes. "Check, " he said. "Follow me, sir. "

"My bags, " Kennon said. 

"They'll be taken care of. "

Kennon shrugged and followed the man into the tower. A modern grav-shaftlowered them to the ground floor. They passed through a gloomycaricature of the Great Hall in Alexandria, through an iris, and down along corridor lined with doors. 

A bell rang. 

"Back!" the trooper said. "Against the wall! Quick! Into the doorway!"

"What's up?"

"Another practice alert. " The trooper's voice was bored. "It gets sothat you'd almost wish for a fight to relieve the monotony. "

A trooper and several Lani came down the corridor, running indisciplined formation. Steel clanged on steel as they turned the cornerand moments later the whine of servos came faintly to their ears. Fromsomewhere deep in the pile a rising crescendo of generators under fullbattle load sent out vibrations that could be sensed rather than heard. A klaxon squawked briefly. There was another clash of metal, and a harshvoice boomed through the corridors. "Fourteen seconds. Well done. Securestations!"

The trooper grinned. "That ties the record, " he said. "We can go now. "

The corridor ended abruptly at an iris flanked by two sentries. Theyconferred briefly with Kennon's guide, dilated the iris, and motionedfor Kennon to enter. The pastel interior of the modern office was ashocking contrast to the gray ferromorph corridors outside. 

Douglas Alexander was standing behind the desk. He was much the same. His pudgy face was haggard with uncertainty and his eyes darted backand forth as his fingers caressed the knobby grip of a small Burkholtzjutting from a holster at his waist. There were new, unpleasant furrowsbetween his eyes. He looked older and the indefinable air of cruelty wasmore pronounced. He had been frightened the last time Kennon had seenhim, and he was frightened now. 

"I'm not sure whether I am glad to see you, Kennon, " he saiduncertainly. "But I suppose I have to be. "

Kennon believed him. 

"How have you been?" Kennon asked. 

"Not too bad until this afternoon. Things have been going pretty well. "He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. "I suppose CousinAlex will skin me for this, but there's nothing else I can do. " Helicked his lips. "You've been here long enough--and you'll have to knoweventually. " He fidgeted and finally sat down behind the desk. "Wehave trouble. Half the Lani were stricken about four hours ago. It wassudden. No warning at all. And if they die--" his voice trailed off. 

"Well--what are we waiting for? Get someone to bring my bags down hereand we'll look them over. "

"Do you have to?--Can't you prescribe something?"

"How? I haven't examined the patients. "

"I can tell you what's wrong. "

Kennon smiled. "I hardly think that's the way to do it. Even thoughyour description might be accurate, you still might miss something ofcritical importance. "

Douglas sighed. "I thought that's what you'd say, " he said. "Oh--verywell--you might as well see what we have out here. "

"You can't possibly believe that I don't already know, " Kennon said. "You have male Lani. "

Douglas looked at him, his face blank with surprise. "But--how did youknow? No one on the main island does except the Family. And we nevertalk about it. Did Eloise tell you? I noticed she was struck with youthe day you came, and the Lani who have come out here since have beentalking about you two. Did she do it?"

Kennon shook his head. "She never said a word. "

"Then how--"

"I'm not stupid, " Kennon said. "That story you've spread aboutartificial fertilization has more holes in it than a sieve. Thattechnique has been investigated a thousand times. And it has neverworked past the first generation. If you had been using it, the Laniwould long ago have been extinct. Haploids don't reproduce, and the onlyway the diploid number of chromosomes can be kept is to replace thoselost by maturation division of the ovum. You might be able to keep thediploid number by using immature ova, but the fertilization techniquewould be far more complex than the simple uterine injections you use atHillside Station. "

Douglas looked at him blankly. 

"Besides, " Kennon added, "I have a microscope. I checked your so-calledfertilizing solution. I found spermatozoa, and spermatozoa only comefrom males. What's more, the males have to be the same species as thefemales or fertilization will not take place. So there must be maleLani. Nothing else fits. You've been using artificial inseminationon the main-island Lani. And from the way this place is guarded, it'sobvious that here is your stud farm. "

Douglas shrugged and spread his hands in a gesture of resignation. "Isuppose, " he said, "that's the way Old Doc found out too. We never toldhim, but he knew before he ever came out here. "

"The only thing that puzzles me, " Kennon went on, "is how you managed toeliminate the Y-chromosome carriers within the sperm. "

"Eh?"

"The male sex-determinant. Half the sperm carry it, but so far as Iknow, there's never been a male born on the main island. "

"Oh--that. It's something that's done in the labs here. Probably one ofthe technicians could tell you. It's called electro--electro freezingor something like that. "

"Electrodiaphoresis?"

Douglas nodded. "That sounds like it. I don't know anything aboutit. One of Grandfather's men did the basic work. We just followinstructions. " He shrugged. "Well--since you know the secret there's nosense in hiding the bodies. Come along and tell me what's wrong. "

It was a peculiar feeling to walk down the row of cubical rooms withtheir barred doors. The whole area reminded him of a historical novel, of the prisons of early human history where men confined other men forinfractions of social customs. The grimness of the place was appalling. The male Lani--impressive in their physical development--were inmiserable condition, nauseated, green-faced, retching. The sickeningodors of vomit and diarrhea hung heavily on the air. Douglas coughed andheld a square of cloth to his face, and even Kennon, strong-stomachedas he was, could feel his viscera twitch in sympathy with the cagedsufferers. 

"Great Fleming, man!" Kennon exploded. "You can't keep them here. Getthem out! Give them some fresh air! This place would make a well mansick. "

Douglas looked at him, "I wouldn't take one of them out unless I had himshackled and there was an armed guard to help me. Those males are themost vicious, cunning, and dangerous animals on Kardon. They exist withbut one thought in mind--to kill!"

Kennon looked curiously through a barred door at one of the Lani. He layon a bare cot, a magnificently muscled figure with a ragged black beardhiding his face. There were dozens of scars on his body and one angrypurple area on his thick right forearm where flesh had been torn awaynot too long ago. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead and softmoaning noises came from his tight lips as he pressed his abdomen withthick-fingered hands. "He doesn't look so dangerous, " Kennon said. 

"Watch it!" Douglas warned. "Don't get too close!" But the warning wastoo late. Kennon touched the bars, and as he did, the Lani moved withfluid speed, one huge hand clutching Kennon's sleeve and pulling himagainst the bars while the other darted for his throat. Fingers bitinto Kennon's neck and tightened in a viselike grip. Kennon reactedautomatically. His arms came up inside the Lani's and crashed down, elbows out, tearing the Lani loose. He jumped back, rubbing his bruisedthroat. "That fellow's not sick!" he gasped. "He's crazy!"

The Lani glared at him through the bars, disappointment written on hisscarred and bearded face. 

"I warned you, " Douglas said. His voice held an undertone of maliciouslaughter. "He must be sick or he would have killed you. George is cleverin a stupid sort of way. "

Kennon looked into the cubicle. The Lani glared back and growled. Therewas a beastlike note in his voice that made the short hairs on Kennon'sneck prickle. 

"That fellow needs a lesson, " he said. 

"You want to give it to him?" Douglas asked. 

"Not particularly. "

"Ha!--man!--you afraid!" the Lani taunted. His voice was thick andharsh. "All men fear me. All Lani, too. I am boss. Come close again manand I kill you!"

"Are they all that stupid?" Kennon asked. "He sounds like a homicidalmoron. "

"He's not stupid, " Douglas said. "Just uneducated. "

"Why is he so murderous?"

"That's his training. All his life he has fought. From childhood hislife has been based on his ability to survive in an environment whereevery male is his enemy. You see here the sublimation of individuality. He cannot co-operate with another male. He hates them, and they in turnhate him. George, here, is a perfect example of absolute freedom fromrestraint. " Douglas smiled unpleasantly. 

"His whole history is one of complete lack of control. As an infant, being a male, his mother thought she was favored by the gods and shedenied him nothing. In fact we were quite insistent that she gave himeverything he wanted. By the time he was able to walk and take care ofhimself, he was completely spoiled, selfish, and authoritative. 

"Then we took him and a dozen others exactly like him and put themtogether. " Douglas grinned. "You should see what happens when a dozenspoiled brats are forced to live together. It's more fun. The littlebeasts hate each other on sight. And we stimulate them to compete fortoys, food, and drink. Never quite enough to go around. You can imaginewhat happens. Instead of sharing, each little selfish individualistfights to get everything he can grab. Except for one thing wedon't punish them no matter what they do. If anyone shows signs ofco-operating he is disciplined severely, the first time. The next time, he is culled. But other than that, we leave them alone. They developtheir personalities and their muscles--and if one proves to be toomuch for his fellows we transfer him to a more advanced class where thecompetition is keener, and he learns what it is to lose. 

"At puberty we add sex drive to the basics, and by the time our malereaches maturity we have something like George. Actually, George ismore mature than either you or I. He has all the answers he needs. He'sstrong, solitary, authoritative, and selfish. He has no curiosity andresents encroachment. He's a complete individualist. If he proves out heshould make an excellent sire. "

"But isn't he dangerous to handle?" Kennon asked. 

"Yes, but we take precautions. "

Kennon grimaced with distaste. 

"Look at it objectively, " Douglas said. "We're trying to select the bestphysical type we can in the hope that he'll pass his qualities to hisoffspring, and there's no better practical way to select the strongestand hardiest than by natural selection. We control their environmentas little as possible and let Nature do our educating until they're oldenough to be useful. 

"Naturally, there are some things which we cannot provide, such asexposure to disease, to the elements, and to predators. The one isn'tselective about whom it infects, while the others would tend to produceco-operation as a matter of survival. "

"Isn't there a great deal of mortality under such a regimen?'' Kennonasked. 

"Not as much as you might expect. It's about twenty per cent. And thereis a great deal of compensation from a management viewpoint. We getessentially the same physical end product as we would from a closelymanaged operation, plus a great saving in labor. Males, you see, arefairly expendable. We only need a few a year. "

"It's brutal. "

"So it is, but life is brutal. Still, it's efficient for our purposes. We merely take advantage of natural impulses to produce a betterproduct. Grandfather got the idea out of an old book--something aboutthe noble savage, natural selection and survival of the fittest. Hethought it was great--said there was nothing like relentless competitionto bring out the strongest and hardiest types. And he's been right forcenturies. Can you imagine anything much better than George--from aphysical viewpoint?"

"He is a magnificent animal, " Kennon admitted as he eyed the Lani. "Butit seems to me that you could train some obedience into him. "

Douglas shook his head. "That would introduce a modifying factor, something bigger and more powerful than the male himself. And that wouldmodify the results. We can control them well enough with knockout gasand shackles. And those things, oddly enough, don't destroy their prideor self-esteem. They think that we use them because we are afraid, andit satisfies their egos. "

Kennon eyed the caged Lani dubiously. "This is going to be difficult. I must examine them and treat them, but if they're all as homicidal asthis one--"

"You fight me man, " George interrupted, his face twisted into lines oftransparent guile. "I am boss and others do as I say. You beat me, thenyou are boss. "

"Is this true?" Kennon asked. 

"Oh, it's true enough, " Douglas said. "George is the leader and if youbeat him you'd be top male until some other one got courage enough tochallenge you. But he's just trying to get his hands on you. He'd liketo kill. "

Kennon looked at the big humanoid appraisingly. George was huge, at least five centimeters taller and fifteen kilograms heavier thanhimself. And he was all muscle. "I don't think I'd care to accept thatchallenge unless I was forced to, " Kennon said. 

Douglas chuckled. "I don't blame you. "

Kennon sighed. "It looks like we are going to need reinforcements toget these brutes under control. I'm not going in there with them, and Ican't examine them from out here. "

"Oh, we can hold them all right. Paralysis gas and shackles will keepthem quiet. There's no need to bother the troopers. We can handle thisby ourselves. "

Kennon shrugged. "It's your baby. You should know what you're doing. "

"I do, " Douglas said confidently. "Wait here until I get the gascapsules and the equipment. " He turned and walked back to the entranceto the cell block. At the iris he turned. "Be careful, " he said. 

"Don't worry, I will. " Kennon looked at George through the bars and thehumanoid glared back, his eyes bright with hatred. Kennon felt theshort hairs prickle along the back of his neck. George roused a primalemotion--an elemental dislike that was deeper than reason--an antagonismintensely physical, almost overpowering--a purely adrenal response thathad no business in the make-up of a civilized human. 

He had thought the Lani had a number of human traits until he hadencountered George. But if George was a typical male--then the Lani werealien. He flexed his muscles and stared coldly into the burning blueeyes behind the bars. There would be considerable satisfaction inbeating this monstrosity to a quivering pulp. Millennia of humanpre-eminence--of belief that nothing, no matter how big or muscular, should fail to recognize that a man's person was inviolate--fed thefuel of his anger. The most ferocious beasts on ten thousand worldshad learned this lesson. And yet this animal had laid hands on himwith intent to kill. A cold corner of his mind kept telling him that hewasn't behaving rationally, but he disregarded it. George was a walkingneed for a lesson in manners. 

"Don't get the idea that I'm afraid of you--you overmuscled oaf, " Kennonsnapped. "I can handle you or anyone like you. And if you put your handson me again I'll beat you within an inch of your worthless life. "

The Lani snarled. "Let me out and I kill you. But you are like all men. You use gun and iron--not fair fight. "

Douglas returned with a gas capsule and a set of shackles. "All right, "he said. "We're ready for him. " He handed Kennon the shackles and a keyto the cell door--and drew his Burkholtz. 

"See, " the Lani growled. "It is as I say. Men are cowards. "

"You know gun?" Douglas asked as he pointed the muzzle of the Burkholtzat the Lani. 

"I know, " George growled. "Gun kill. "

"It does indeed, " Douglas said. "Now get back--clear back against thewall. "

George snarled but didn't move. 

"I'll count three, " Douglas said, "and if you're not back by thenI'll burn you down. You'll obey even if you won't do anythingelse. --one--two--"

George retreated to the far end of his cell. 

"Now face the wall. " Douglas tossed the gas capsule into the cell. Thethin-walled container broke, releasing a cloud of vapor. Georgecrumpled to the floor. "Now we wait a couple of minutes for the gas todissipate, " Douglas said. "After that he's all yours. You can go in andput the irons on him. "

"Will he be out long?" Kennon asked. 

"About five minutes. After that he'll have muscular control. " Douglaschuckled. "They're stupid, " he said. "They know what gas does to them, but they never have sense enough to hold their breath. They could betwice as much trouble as they are. All right, it's safe to go in now. "Douglas let the gun dangle in his hand. 

Kennon unlocked the door. 

And George rolled over, muscles bunched and driving! He hit the doorwith such force that Kennon was slammed against the wall, dazed--halfstunned by the speed of the attack. George--he had time to think in onebrief flash--wasn't stupid. He had held his breath for the necessary twominutes!

Douglas jerked the blaster up and fired, but his target was too quick. George dropped and rolled. The sizzling streak of violet flashed inchesabove his body and tore a six-inch hole through the back of the cell. And then George was on him! The huge, marvelously fast hands of thehumanoid wrenched the blaster out of Douglas's hands and jerked himforward. A scream burst from Douglas as George's hands closed around hisneck. Muscles sprang into writhing life in the humanoid's huge forearms. There was a soft, brittle crack, and Douglas sagged limp in the irongrip that held him dangling. 

"Faugh!" George grunted. He dropped Douglas as Kennon pushed the doorback and came out into the passageway. "Maybe you make better fight, "George said as he lowered his head into the muscular mass of his broadshoulders. 

Kennon eyed him appraisingly, swinging the irons in his right hand. 

This time the Lani didn't charge. He moved slowly, half crouched, longarms held slightly forward. Kennon backed away, watching the humanoid'seyes for that telltale flicker of the pupils that gives warningof attack. The expression on George's face never changed. It wassatisfied--smug almost--reflecting the feelings of a brute conditionedto kill and given an opportunity to do so. The Lani radiated confidence. 

Kennon shivered involuntarily. He wasn't frightened, but he had nevermet an opponent like this. A chill raced up the back of his legs andspread over his stomach and chest. His mouth was dry and his musclesquivered with tense anticipation. But his concentration never wavered. His hard blue eyes never left George's, searching with microscopicintentness for the faintest sign of the Lani's intentions. 

George charged--hands reaching for Kennon's throat, face twisted in asnarl of rage and hate. But even as he charged Kennon moved. He duckedbeneath the Lani's outstretched hands and drove his left fist deep intoGeorge's belly just below the breastbone. 

Air whistled out of the Lani's gaping mouth as he bent double from thepower of the blow. Kennon clipped him on the chin with a driving knee, snapping George's head back and smashed the bearded face with theshackles. Blood spurted and George screamed with rage. One of the Lani'sbig hands wrapped around the shackles and tugged. Kennon let go anddrove another left to George's ribs. 

The Lani threw the irons at Kennon, but his aim was poor. One of thehandcuff rings scraped across Kennon's cheek, but did nothing morethan break the skin. Half paralyzed by the blows to his solar plexus, George's co-ordination was badly impaired. But he kept trying. Kennonwrapped lean fingers about one of George's outstretched hands, bent, pivoted, and slammed the Lani with bone-crushing force against the barsof a nearby cell. But George didn't go down. "He's more brute than man, "Kennon thought. "No man could take a beating like that!" He moved asidefrom George's stumbling rush, feeling a twinge of pity for the batteredhumanoid. It was no contest. Strong as he was, George didn't know therudiments of hand-to-hand fighting. His reactions were those of ananimal, to close, clutch, bite, and tear. Even if he were completelywell, the results would have been the same. It would merely have takenlonger. Kennon drove a vicious judo chop to the junction of the Lani'sneck and shoulder. Brute strength was no match for the highly evolvedmayhem that every spaceman learns as a necessary part of his trade. George had never been on planet leave in a spaceport town. He knewnothing about the dives, the crimps, the hostile port police. His ideaof fighting was that of a beast, but Kennon was a civilized man to whomfighting was an art perfected by millennia of warfare. And Kennon knewhis trade. 

Even so it took longer than Kennon expected because George was big, George was strong, and George had courage and pride that kept him comingas long as the blazing will behind his blazing eyes could drive hisbattered body. But the end was inevitable. 

Kennon looked at his bloody arm where George's teeth had reached theirmark. It was hardly more than a scratch, but it had been close. Georgehad his lesson and Kennon felt oddly degraded. He sighed, dragged Georgeback into the cell, and locked the door. 

Then he turned to Douglas. The howls of hate from the caged Lani died toa sullen silence as Kennon gently examined the limp body. 

Douglas wasn't dead. His neck was dislocated, not broken, but he was inserious condition. Kennon was still bending over Douglas wondering howto call for help when three guards burst through the door, faces grim, weapons at the ready. 

"What's going on here?" the leader demanded. "The board showed anopen door down here. " He saw the body--"Mr. Douglas!" he gasped. "Thecommandant will have to know about this!" He took a communicator fromhis waist belt and spoke rapidly into it. "Arleson in stud cell block, "he said. "Attempted escape. One casualty--Douglas Alexander--yes, that's right. No--he's not dead. Send a litter and bearers. Inform thecommandant. I am making investigation on the spot. Out. " He turned tolook coldly at Kennon. 

"Who are you--and what happened here?" he asked. 

Kennon told him. 

"You mean you took George!" Arleson said. 

"Look in his cell if you don't believe me. "

The soldier looked and then turned hack to Kennon. There was awedrespect in his hard brown eyes. "You did that!--to him! Man, you're afighter, " he said in an unbelieving voice. 

A stretcher detail manned by two sober-faced Lani females came in, loaded Douglas's body on the stretcher, and silently bore it away. 

"Douglas was a fool, " Arleson said. "He knew we never handle this kindwithout maximum restraint. I wonder why he did it?"

"I couldn't say. He told me that gas and shackles would hold him. "

"He knew better. These Lani know gas capsules. All George bad to do washold his breath. In that cell George would have killed you. You couldn'thave stayed away from him. "

Kennon shrugged. Maybe that was what Douglas had wanted. Kennon sighed. He didn't have the answer. And it could just be that Douglas had triedto show off. Well, he would pay for it. He'd have a stiff neck formonths, and perhaps that was a proper way to end it. 

* * *

Commander Mullins, a thin gray-faced man with the hard cold eyes ofa professional soldier, came into the corridor followed by anothertrooper. 

His eyes took in the wreckage that had been George, the split lips, the smashed nose, the puffed eyes, the cuts and bruises, and then rakedacross Kennon. 

"Spaceman--hey?" he asked. "I've seen work like that before. "

Kennon nodded. "I was once. I'm station veterinarian now. Douglas calledme over--said it was an emergency. "

Mullins nodded. 

"Well--why aren't you tending to it?"

"I have to examine them, " Kennon said gesturing at the cells. "And Idon't want any more trouble like this. "

"Don't worry. You won't have it. Now that you've beaten George, you'llhave no trouble at all. You're top dog. " Mullins gestured at the cages. "They'll be good for a while. Now you'd better get on with your work. There's been enough disruption of routine for today. The men will helpyou. "

* * *

Kennon checked in at the commandant's office before he left for the mainisland. 

"How is Douglas?" he asked. 

"He's alive, " Mullins said. "We flew him to Albertsville--and goodriddance. How are the Lani?"

"They'll be all right, " Kennon said. "It's just food poisoning. Isuggest you check your kitchen and your food handlers. There's a breakin sanitation that could incapacitate your whole command. I found a fewthings wrong but there are probably more. "

"I'll check on it--and thanks for the advice, " Mullins said. "Sit down, Doctor. Your airboat won't be serviced for another few minutes. Tell mehow things are on the main island. How's Blalok?"

"You know him?"

"Of course. I used to be a frequent visitor there. But with that youngpup here, I couldn't leave. I didn't dare to. He'd have disruptedroutine in a single day. Look what he did in half an hour. Frankly, Iowe you a debt for getting him off my hands. " Mullins chuckled dryly. 

"That's a fine thing to say, " Kennon grinned. "But I can sympathize. Ittook us two months to straighten out Alexandria after the Boss-man senthim here. "

"I heard about that. "

"Well--we're under control now. Things are going pretty smoothly. "

"They'll be better here, " Mullins said. "Now that Douglas is gone. " Heshrugged. "I hope the Boss doesn't send him back. He's hard to handleand he makes discipline a problem. "

"Could you tell me--or would it be violating security?" Kennon said. "Why do you have a Class II installation on full war footing out here?"

Mullins chuckled. "It's no secret, " he said. "There was a commercialraid on this place about fifty years ago. Seems as though one of ourcompetitors didn't like us. Alexandria was on a war footing then andmanaged to hold them off. But it scared the Old Man. You see, ourcompetitive position is based on Lani labor. Our competitors didn't knowthat. Their intelligence wasn't so good. Up until that time, we'd beenkeeping the males out here in what was hardly more than a stockade. Those people could have taken a few dozen females and a couple of malesand they'd have been in business. But they didn't know. They tried tosmash Alexandria instead. Naturally they didn't have a chance. And afterit was over the Old Man got smart. He still had the tapes for Alexandriaso he built a duplicate out here and spent a few millions on modernarmament. The way we're set now it'd take a battle group to hurt us. "

"But how about security? Don't the others know about the Lani now?"

"It's a moot question. But it won't do them any good. They can't crackthis place, and without males, all the females on Flora wouldn't dothem enough long-term good to pay for the force they'd need to besuccessful. "

"So that's why the males are isolated. "

"There's another reason--two of them in fact. One is physical. Eventhe best male is a dangerous beast. They have a flair for violence thatmakes them useless as labor and their training doesn't help matters. And the other is mental. The females on the main island believe that wehumans are responsible for the continuation of their breed. This tendsto keep them in line. We have a great deal more trouble with them outhere once they know the truth. We've had a number of cases of femalestrying to engineer a male's escape. But they're never repeated, " Mullinssaid grimly. "Actually, it would be an interesting life out here, exceptfor the abattoir. " He grimaced. "That's an unpleasant chore. "

"You mean--" Kennon said. 

"Why, certainly. What else could we do with senile animals?"

"But that's murder!"

Mullins shook his head. "No more than killing a cow for beef. "

"You know, " Kennon said, "I've never thought of what happened to agedLani. Sure, I've never seen one, but--Lord Lister!--I'm a fool. "

"You'll get used to the idea, " Mullins said. "They aren't human, andexcept for a few, they aren't as intelligent as a Santosian Varl. I knowthat they look like us except for those tails, but that's as far as itgoes. I've spent two hundred years with them and I know what I'm talkingabout. "

"That's what Alexander says. "

"He should know. He's lived with them all his life. "

"Well--perhaps. But I'm not convinced. "

"Neither was Old Doc--not until the day he died. "

"Did he change then?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there. But Old Doc was a stubborn cuss. "

Kennon stood up. "I've given instructions for treatment to yourcorpsman, " he said. "Now I think I'd better be getting back. I have somereports to finish. "

Mullins smiled grimly. "You know, " he said, "I get the feeling that youdon't approve of this operation. "

"Frankly, I don't, " Kennon said, "but I signed a contract. " He turnedtoward the door and gestured to the two Lani who waited outside with hisbags. "I can find my way to the roof, " he said. 

"Well--good luck, " Mullins said. "We'll call you again if we need you. "

"Do that, " Kennon replied. He wanted to leave, to get away from thisplace and back to the main island. He wanted to see Copper. He'd bedamned if anyone was going to butcher her. If he had to stay here untilshe died of old age, he'd do it. But nobody was going to hurt her. 

CHAPTER XII

Kennon wondered if his colleagues in human medicine felt toward theirpatients as he did toward the Lani, or if they ultimately lost theirindividuality and became mere hosts for diseases, parasites, and tumors--vehicles for the practice of surgical and medicalskills--economic units whose well-being meant a certain amount ofcredits. Probably not, he decided. They were human and their veryhumanity made them persons rather than things. 

But the possession of individuality was not an asset in the practice ofanimal medicine where economics was the main factor and the satisfactionof the owner the principal personality problem. The normal farm animals, the shrakes, cattle, sheep, morks, and swine were no problem. They weremerely a job. But the Lani were different. They weren't human, but theywere intelligent and they did have personality even though they didn'tpossess that indefinable quality that separated man from the beasts. Itwas hard to treat them with dispassionate objectivity. In fact, it wasimpossible. 

And this lack of objectivity annoyed him. Should he be this way? Was heright to identify them as individuals and treat them as personsrather than things? The passing months had failed to rob them of theirpersonalities: they had not become the faceless mass of a herd of cattleor a flock of sheep. They were still not essentially differentfrom humans--and wouldn't men themselves lose many of their humancharacteristics if they were herded into barracks and treated asproperty for forty generations? Wouldn't men, too, approach the animalcondition if they were bred and treated as beasts, their pedigreesrecorded, their types winnowed and selected? The thought was annoying. 

It would be better, Kennon reflected, if he didn't have time to think, if he were so busy he could drop to his bed exhausted each night andsleep without dreaming, if he could keep on the run so fast that hewouldn't have time to sit and reflect. But he had done his work toowell. He had trained his staff too thoroughly. They could handle thepetty routines of minor treatment and laboratory tests as well as he. Hehad only the intellectual stimulation of atypical cases and these wereall too rare. The routine inspections were boring, yet he forced himselfto make them because the filled the time. The hospital wards werevirtually empty of patients, the work was up to date, the whole islandwas enjoying a carnival of health, and Kennon was still impaled uponthe horns of his dilemma. It wasn't so bad now that the first shock wasover, but it was bad enough--and showed no signs of getting better. Nowthat Copper realized he wanted her, she did nothing to make his lifeeasier. Instead she did her best to get underfoot, usually in someprovocative position. It was enough to try the patience of a marblestatue Kennon reflected grimly. But it did have its humorous sideand were it not for the fact that Copper wasn't human could havebeen thoroughly enjoyable. That, however, was the real hell of it. Hecouldn't relax and enjoy the contest--his feet were on too slipperyground. And Copper with her unerring female instinct knew just what todo to make the footing slipperier. Sooner or later, she was certain thathe would fall. It was only a question of applying sufficient pressure atthe right spot and the right time. Now that she knew he desired her, she was content to wait. The only thing that had bothered her was theuncertainty whether he cared or not. For Copper the future was a simplething and she was lighthearted about it. But not so Kennon. Even afterthe initial shock had passed there still remained the moral customs, theconditioning, and the prohibitions. But Copper--was Copper--and somehowthe conditioning lost its force in her presence. Perhaps, he thoughtwryly, it was a symptom of the gradual erosion of his moral character inthis abnormal environment. 

"I'm getting stale, " he confided to Copper as he sat in his office idlyturning the pages of the Kardon Journal of Allied Medical Sciences. "There's nothing to do that's interesting. "

"You could help me, " Copper said as she looked up from the pile of cardsshe was sorting. He had given her the thankless task of reorganizing thefiles, and she was barely half through the project. 

"There's nothing to do that's interesting, " he repeated. He cocked hishead to one side. From this angle Copper looked decidedly intriguing asshe bent over the file drawer and replaced a stack of cards. 

"I could suggest something, " Copper said demurely. 

"Yes, I know, " he said. "You're full of suggestions. "

"I was thinking that we could go on a picnic. "

"A what?"

"A picnic. Take a lunch and go somewhere in the jeep. Maybe up into thehills. I think it might be fun. "

"Why not?" Kennon agreed. "At least it would break the monotony. Tellyou what. You run up to the house and tell Kara to pack a lunch andwe'll take the day off. "

"Good! I hoped you'd say that. I'm getting tired of these dirty oldcards. " She stood up and sidled past the desk. Kennon resisted theimpulse to slap as she went past, and congratulated himself on hisself-control as she looked at him with a half-disappointed expressionon her face. She had expected it, he thought gleefully. Score one formorality. 

He smiled. Whatever the other Lani might be, Copper was different. Quick, volatile, intelligent, she was a constant delight, a flashingkaleidoscope of unexpected facets. Perhaps the others were the same ifhe knew them better. But he didn't know them--and avoided learning. Inthat direction lay ulcers. 

"We'll go to Olympus, " he said. 

Copper looked dubious. "I'd rather not go there. That's forbiddenground. "

"Oh nonsense. You're merely superstitious. "

She smiled. "Perhaps you're right. You usually are. "

"That's the virtue of being a man. Even if I'm wrong, I'm right. " Hechuckled at the peculiar expression on her face. 

"Now off with you--and get that lunch basket packed. "

She bowed. "Yes, master. Your slave flies on winged feet to execute yourcommands. "

Kennon chuckled. Copper had been reading Old Doc's romances again. Herecognized the florid style. 

* * *

Kennon landed the jeep in a mountain meadow halfway up the slope ofthe peacefully slumbering volcano. It was quiet and cool, and the lightbreeze was blowing Olympus's smoky cap away from them to the west. Copper unpacked the lunch. She moved slowly. After all, there was plentyof time, and she wasn't very hungry. Neither was Kennon. 

"Let's go for a walk, " Copper said. "The woods look cool--and maybe wecan work up an appetite. "

"Good idea. I could use some exercise. That lunch looks big enough tochoke a horse and I'd like to do it justice. "

They walked through the woods, skirting scant patches of underbrush, slowly moving higher on the mountain slopes. The trees, unlike thoseof Beta, did not end abruptly at a snow line, but pushed green fingersupward through passages between old lava flows, on whose black wrinkledsurfaces nothing grew. The faint hum of insects and the piping calls ofthe birdlike mammals added to the impression of remoteness. It was hardto believe that scarcely twenty kilometers from this primitive microcosmwas the border of the highly organized and productive farmlands ofOutworld Enterprises. 

"Do you think we can see the hospital if we go high enough?" Coppersaid. She panted a little, unaccustomed to the altitude. 

"Possibly, " Kennon said. "It is a long distance away. But we should beable to see Alexandria, " he added. "That's high enough and big enough. "He looked at her curiously. "How is it that you're so breathless?"he asked. "We're not that high. You're getting fat with too much softliving. "

Copper smiled. "Perhaps I'm getting old. "

"Nonsense, " Kennon chuckled. "It's just fat. Come to think of it youare plumper. Not that I mind, but if you're going to keep that sylphlikefigure you'd better go on a diet. "

"You're too good to me, " Copper said. 

"You're darn right I am. Well--let's get going. Exercise is always goodfor the waistline, and I'd like to see what's up ahead. "

Scarcely a kilometer ahead they came to a wall of lava that barred theirpath. "Oh, oh, " Kennon said. "We can't go over that. " He looked at thewrinkled and shattered rock with its knifelike edges. 

"I don't think my feet could take it, " Copper admitted. 

"It looks like the end of the trail. "

"No--not quite, " Kennon said. "There seems to be a path here. " Hepointed to a narrow cleft in the black rock. "Let's see where it goes. "

Copper hung back. "I don't think I want to, " she said doubtfully. "Itlooks awfully dark and narrow. "

"Oh, stop it. Nothing's going to hurt us. Come on. " Kennon took herhand. 

Unwillingly Copper allowed herself to be led forward. "There's somethingabout this place that frightens me, " she said uncomfortably as the highblack wails closed in, narrowing until only a slit of yellow sky wasvisible overhead. The path underfoot was surprisingly smooth and freefrom rocks, but the narrow corridor, steeped in shadows, was gloomy anddepressingly silent. It even bothered Kennon, although he wouldn'tadmit it. What forces had sliced this razor-thin cleft in the denserock around them? Earthquake probably. And if it happened once it couldhappen again. He would hate to be trapped here entombed in shatteredrock. 

Gradually the passage widened, then abruptly it ended. A bleak vista ofvolcanic ash dotted with sputter cones opened before them. It was aflat tableland, roughly circular, scarcely half a kilometer across, a desolation of black rock, stunted trees and underbrush, and grayvolcanic ash. A crater, somewhat larger than the rest, lay with itsnearest edge about two hundred meters away. The rock edges were firepolished, gleaming in the yellow sunshine, and the thin margin of treesand brush surrounding the depression were gnarled and shrunken, twistedinto fantastic shapes. 

"Hey! what's this?" Kennon asked curiously. "That crater looks peculiar, like a meteor had struck here--but those stunted plants--hmm--theremust have been some radioactivity too. " He looked at the craterspeculatively. "Now I wonder--" he began. 

Copper had turned a sickly white. "No!" she said in a half-strangledvoice--"oh, no!"

Kennon looked at her. "You know what this is?" he demanded. 

"No, " Copper said. But her voice was unsteady. 

"You're lying. "

"But I don't know. " Copper wailed. "I'm only guessing. I've never seenthis place before in my life! Please!--let's get out of here!"

"Then you know about this, " Kennon demanded. 

"I think it's the Pit, " Copper said. "The redes don't say where it is. But the description fits--the Circle of Death, the Twisted Land--it'sall like the redes say. "

"Redes?--what are redes? And what is this business about circles ofdeath? There's something here that's peculiar and I want to know what itis. "

"It's nothing. Truly. Just let's go back. Let's leave this place. It'sno good. It's tabu. "

"Tabu? You've never used that word before. "

"Forbidden. "

"Who forbids it?"

"The Gods--the Old Ones. It is not for Lani. Nor for you. " Her voice washarsh. "Come away before it is too late. Before the Silent Death strikesyou down. "

"I'm going to have a look at this. "

"You'll be killed!" Copper said. "And if you die, I die too. "

"Don't be foolish. There's nothing here that can hurt me. See thosetrees and plants growing right up to the crater's edge. If they cantake it permanently, I can stand it for a few moments. If there's anyradioactivity there, it's not very much. "

"But the redes say--"

"Oh, forget those redes. I know what I'm doing. Besides, I'm a Betan andcan stand more radiation than most men. A brief exposure isn't going tohurt me. "

"You go and I go too, " Copper said desperately. 

"You'll stay here where it's safe, " Kennon said flatly. 

"I'm going with you, " Copper repeated. "I don't want to live withoutyou. "

"I tell you I won't be hurt. And one quick look isn't going to botherwhatever's down there. "

"That's what Roga the Foolish said when he opened Lyssa's tower. Buthe brought men to Flora. And your little look may bring an even greatercalamity. "

Kennon shrugged, and started Walking toward the crater's edge. 

Copper followed. 

He turned to order her back, but the words died on his tips as he sawthe terror and determination on her face. Neither commands nor pleaswould move her. If he went she would follow. The only way he could stopher would be with violence, and he didn't want to manhandle her. He feltan odd mixture of pride, tenderness, and admiration for her. Were theirsituations reversed, he doubted whether he would have the courage shewas showing. He sighed. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps he did need anantiradiation suit. 

"All right, " he said. "You win. I'll get some protective clothing andlook at it later. "

Her knees sagged, but he caught her before she fell, and held her erectuntil her strength returned. Belatedly he understood the emotionalstrain that had been gripping her. "If you come back later, sir, you'lltake me with you. " The words were a statement, not a question. 

He nodded. "Providing you wear a radiation suit, " he said. 

She grimaced with distaste and he chuckled. Clothing and Copper simplydidn't get along together. 

"Well?"

"All right, " she said unhappily. 

"And there's one more condition. "

"What's that?" she asked suspiciously. 

"That you tell me about this place. You obviously know something aboutit, and with all your talking, you've never mentioned it to me. "

"It is forbidden to talk of these things to men, " Copper said--and then, perversely, "Do you want me to tell you now?"

"No--it can wait. We have come a long way and I am hungry. I listenpoorly on an empty stomach. Let's go back to the jeep and you can tellme later. "

Copper smiled. "That's good, " she said. "I'd feel better away from thisplace. "

CHAPTER XIII

"I was a poor learner of the redes, " Copper confessed. "And I'll have toskip the Mysteries. I never even tried to learn them. Somehow I was sureI'd never be a preceptress. " She settled herself more comfortably on thetawny grass and watched him as he lay on his back beside her. 

"Eh?" Kennon said, "Preceptress?"

"The guardians of our traditions. They know the redes and mysteries byheart. "

"And you have kept your religion alive that way all these years?"

"It isn't exactly religion, " Copper said. "It's more like history, welearn it to remember that we were once a great race--and that we maybe again. Someday there will come a male, a leader to bring us out ofbondage, and our race will be free of dependence on men. There willbe pairings again, and freedom to live as we please. " She lookedthoughtfully at Kennon. "You might even be the one--even though you arehuman. You're different from the others. "

"You're prejudiced. " Kennon smiled. "I'm no different. Well--not verydifferent at any rate. "

"That is not my thought, " Copper said. "You are very different indeed. No man has ever resisted a Lani as long as you have. "

Kennon shook his head. "Let's not go into that now. What are theseredes?"

"I do not remember them all, " Copper apologized. "I was--"

"You've said that before. Tell me what you do know. "

"I remember the beginning fairly well, " she said. "It goes back to thetime before Flora when everything was nothing and the Master Himself waslonely. "

Without warning her voice changed to a rhythmic, cadenced chant thatwas almost a song. Her face became rapt and introspective as she rockedslowly from side to side. The rhythm was familiar and then he recognizedit--the unintelligible music he had often heard coming from the barrackslate at night when no men were around--the voiceless humming that theLani sang at work. 

First there was Darkness--starless and sunless

Void without form--darker than night

Then did the Master--Lord of Creation

Wave His right hand, saying, "Let there be light!"

Verse, Kennon thought. That was logical. People remember poetry betterthan prose. But the form was not what he'd normally expect. It wasadvanced, a style that was past primitive blank verse or heroicpentameter. He listened intently as Copper went on. 

 Light filled the heavens, bright golden glowing, Brought to the Void by His wondrous hand; Then did the Master--Lord of Creation-- Nod His great head, saying, "Let there be land!" Air, land, and water formed into being, Born in the sight of His all-seeing eyes; Then did the master--Lord of Creation-- Smile as He murmured, "Let life arise!" All of the life conceived by the Master, Varied in shape as the grasses and birds; Hunters and hunted, moveless and moving, Came into form at the sound of His words. 

"That's a great deal like Genesis, " Kennon said with mild astonishment. "Where could you have picked that up?"

"From the beginning of our race, " Copper said. "It came to us with Ulfand Lyssa--but what is Genesis?"

"A part of an ancient religion--one that is still followed on some ofthe Central Worlds. Its followers call themselves Christians. They sayit came from Earth, the mother-world of men. "

"Our faith has no name. We are children of Lyssa, who was a daughter ofthe Master. "

"It is an odd similarity, " Kennon said. "But other races have hadstories of the Creation. And possibly there may be another explanation. Your ancestors could have picked this up from Alexander's men. They camefrom Earth originally and some of them could have been Christians. "

"No, " Cooper said. "This rede is long before Man Alexander. It isthe origin of our world, even before Ulf and Lyssa. It is the firstBook--the Book of the God-spell. Man Alexander came in the sixthBook--the Book of Roga. "

"There's no point in arguing about it, " Kennon said. "Go on--tell me therest. "

"It's going to be a long story, " Copper said. "Even though I haveforgotten some of it, I can chant the redes for hours. "

Kennon braced his back against one of the fat tires of the jeep. "I'm agood listener, " he said. 

She chuckled. "You asked for this, " she said--and took up the verseswhere she had left off. And Kennon learned the Lani version of creation, of the first man and woman, cast out of Heaven for loving each otherdespite the Master's objection, of how they came to Flora and foundedthe race of the Lani. He learned how the Lani grew in numbers and power, how they split into two warring groups over the theological point ofwhether Ulf or Lyssa was the principal deity, how Roga the Foolishopened Lyssa's tower to find out whether the Ulfians or Lyssans wereright, and brought the Black Years to Flora. 

He heard the trial of Roga and the details of his torture by the priestsof Ulf and the priests of Lyssa--united by this greatest sacrilege. Andhe heard the Lani version of the landing of Alexander's ship and man'sconquest of Flora. 

It was a story of savagery and superstition, of blood and intolerance, of bravery and cowardice, of love and beauty. Yet through it all, eventhrough the redes that described the Conquest, there was a curiousremoteness, a lack of emotion that made the verses more terrible as theyflowed in passionless rhythm from Copper's lips. 

"That's enough!" Kennon said. 

"I told you you wouldn't like it. "

"It's horrible. How can you remember such things?"

"We begin to learn them as soon as we can talk. We know the redes almostour entire lives. " Copper was silent for a moment. "There's lots more, "she said, "but it's all about our lives since the Man Alexander--the oldone--took possession of us. And most of the newer redes are pretty dull. Our life hasn't changed much since the men came. The Book of Man isboring. " Copper sighed. "I have dared a great deal by telling you thesethings. If the others knew, they would kill both of us. "

"Then why tell me?" he asked. 

"I love you, " she said simply. "You wanted to know--and I can deny younothing. "

A wave of tenderness swept over him. She would give her life forhim--and what would he give? Nothing. Not even his prejudices. His facetwisted. If she was only human, If she wasn't just an animal. Ifhe wasn't a Betan. If, if, if. Resentment gorged his throat. It wasunfair--so damned unfair. He had no business coming here. He should havestayed on Beta or at least on a human world where he would never havemet Copper. He loved her, but he couldn't have her. It was Tantalus andSisyphus rolled into one unsightly package and fastened to hissoul. With a muttered curse he rose to his feet, and as he did hestopped--frozen--staring at Copper as though he had never seen herbefore. 

"How did you say that Roga was judged responsible for Alexander cominghere?" he demanded. 

"He went into Lyssa's tower--where Ulf and Lyssa tried to callHeaven--and with his foolish meddling set the tower alight with a glowthat all could see. Less than a week later the Man Alexander came. "

"Where was this tower?"

"Where Alexandria now stands. Man Alexander destroyed it and built hishouse upon its ruins. "

"And what was that place of the Pit?"

"The Shrine of Ulf--where the God-Egg struck Flora. It is buried in thepit, but the Silent Death has protected it from blasphemy--and besidesMan Alexander never learned about it. We feared that he would destroy itas he did Lyssa's tower. "

A wild hope stirred in Kennon. "We're going home, " he announced. 

"Good. "

"And we're going to get a pair of radiation suits--and then we're comingback. We'll have a good look at that Pit, and if what's in there is whatI think it is"--his face was a mixture of grimness and eagerness--"we'llblow this whole operation off this planet!"

Copper blanched. "It is death to meddle with the God-Egg, " she said. 

"Superstition!" Kennon scoffed. "If that Egg is what I think, it wasmade by men, and you are their descendant. "

"Perhaps you're right, but I can't help thinking you are wrong, " shesaid soberly. "Look at the trouble that came with Roga's meddling. Becareful that you do not bring us a worse fate. "

"I'll be very careful. We'll take every precaution. "

"We?"

"You're coming, of course. I can't imagine you staying away. "

Copper nodded. 

"You shouldn't worry so much, " Kennon teased. "You know we men liveforever. "

"That is true. "

"And if I'm right you're just as human as I. And you're capable ofliving as long as I do. "

"Yes, sir, " Copper said. Her voice was unconvinced, her expressionnoncommittal. 

"You females, " Kennon said in quick exasperation. "You drive a mancrazy. Get an idea in your head and it takes triatomate to blast it out. Now let's go. "

Two hours brought them back to the volcanic area, and knowing what tolook for, Kennon located the pockmarked mountain valley. From the air itlooked completely ordinary. Kennon was amazed at the perfection of thenatural camouflage. The Pit was merely another crater in the pittedground. He dropped to a lower altitude, barely a hundred feet above thesputter cones. "Look!" he said. 

Below them was the crater of the Pit and in its center a smoothbluish-black hemisphere protruded from the crater floor. It would havepassed unnoticed by the casual eye--nearly concealed by two giganticblocks of pumice. 

"The God-Egg!" Copper exclaimed. 

"Egg--ha! that's a spacer! I thought it would be. I'd recognize duriliumanywhere. Let's go down and look this over, but first we want a coupleof pictures. " He pointed a camera at the crater and snapped the shutter. "There--now let's have a closer look at our baby. "

"Do you expect me to get into that thing?" Copper said distastefully asshe prodded the shapeless green coveralls with a bare toe. She eyed thehelmet, gloves and boots with equal distaste. "I'd suffocate. "

"If you want to come with me, you'll wear it, " Kennon said. "Otherwiseyou won't come near that pit. Try it and I'll chain you to the jeep. "

"You wouldn't!"

"Just try me. "

"Oh--all fight. I'll wear the thing--but I won't be comfortable. ''

"Who cares about that? You'll be protected. "

"All right--show me how to put it on. I'd rather be with you than worryabout what you are doing. "

The suit was several sizes too large but it covered her adequately. Too adequately, Kennon decided. She looked like a pile of wrinkles withlegs. He chuckled. 

She glared. "So I'm funny, " she said. "Let me tell you something elsethat's funny. I'm hot. I'm sweating. I itch. Now--laugh!"

"I don't feel like laughing, " Kennon said. "I feel the same way. "

They approached the edge of the Pit carefully. Kennon kept checkingthe radiation counter. The needle slowly rose and steadied at one-halfroentgen per hour as he thrust the probe over the rim of the depression. "It's fine, so far, " he said encouragingly. "We could take this muchfor quite a while even without suits. " He lowered himself over the edge, sliding down the gentle slope. 

"How is it down there?" Copper called. The intercom crackled in his ear. 

"Fine--barely over one roentgen per hour. With these suits we couldstay here indefinitely. " The sigh of relief was music in her ears. "Thisplace is barely lukewarm. "

"That's what you think, " Copper said. 

"I mean radiation warm, " Kennon said. "Stay up there and watch me. I mayneed some things. "

"All right. " Copper squirmed inside the hot suit. The thing was an oven. She hoped that Kennon didn't plan to work in the daytime. It would beimpossible. 

Kennon gingerly approached the ship. It was half buried in the loosedebris and ash that had fallen or blown into the pit during thecenturies it had rested there. It was old--incredibly old. The hulldesign was ancient--riveted sheets of millimeter-thick durilium. Shipshadn't been built like that in over two thousand years. And the ovoidshape was reminiscent of the even more ancient spindizzy design. Ahyperspace converter like that couldn't be less than four millenniaold. It was a museum piece, but the blue-black hull was as smooth andunblemished as the day it had left fabrication. 

Space travel would have gotten nowhere without durilium, Kennonreflected. For five thousand years men had used the incredibly toughsynthetic to build their spacecraft. It had given man his empire. Kennongave the hull one quick glance. That part of the ship didn't worry him. It was what he would find inside that bothered him. How much damage hadoccurred from two thousand or more years of disuse? How much had theoriginal travelers cannibalized? How much could be salvaged? What sortof records remained? There were a thousand questions that the interiorof that enigmatic hull might answer. 

The upper segment of the airlock was visible. It was closed, which was agood sign. A few hours' work with a digger should expose it enough to beopened. 

"Copper, " he said, "we're going to have to dig this out. There's a smallexcavator in the cargo bed of the jeep. Do you think you can bring itdown here?"

"I think so. "

"Good girl!" Kennon turned back to the ship. He was eager to enter it. There might be things inside that would settle the question of the Lani. The original crew had probably recognized the value of the hull asa repository as well as he did. But in the meantime there would bework--lots of it. And every step must be recorded. 

It was the rest of the day's work to expose the emergency airlock. Thelittle excavator toiled over the loose ash for hours before it displacedenough to make the port visible, and the ash was not yet cleared awaysufficiently to open the portal when darkness brought a halt to thework. 

It would be impossible to unearth the spaceship with their low-capacitydigger, Kennon decided. It would be difficult enough to clear theemergency airlock in the nose. But if the tubes and drive were stillall right, by careful handling it should be possible to use the drive toblast out the loose ash and cinders which surrounded the hull. 

Kennon reluctantly gave up the idea of entering the spaceship. Thatwould have to wait until tomorrow. Now they would have to conceal thework and call it a day. A few branches and the big blocks of pumicewould suffice for temporary camouflage. Later they could make somethingbetter. Anything in the jeep which might be useful was cached along withthe radiation suits in the passageway through the lava wall--and in asurprisingly short time they were heading homeward. 

Kennon was not too displeased. Tomorrow they would be able to enterthe ship. Tomorrow they would probably have some of the answers to hisquestions. He looked ahead into the gathering night. The gray mass ofthe abandoned Olympus Station slipped below them as he lined the jeepalong the path indicated by the luminous arrow atop the main building, set the controls on automatic, and locked the craft on the guide beaconin Alexandria's tower. In a little less than an hour they would be home. 

CHAPTER XIV

Kennon was morally certain that the Lani were of human stock. Evolved, of course. Mutated. Genetic strangers to the rest of humanity. Buthuman. The spaceship and the redes proved it as far as he was concerned. But moral certainty and legal certainty were two different things. Whathe believed might be good enough to hold up in a Brotherhood court, buthe doubted it. Ulf and Lyssa might be the founders of the Lani race, butthey had come to Kardon nearly four thousand years ago and no recordsexisted to prove that the Lani weren't here before they came. Redespassed by word of mouth through hundreds of generations were notevidence. Even the spaceship wasn't the absolute proof that would beneeded to overturn the earlier legal decision. Other and betterproof was needed--something that would stand up in any court in theBrotherhood. He hoped the spaceship would hold that proof. 

But Kennon's eagerness to find out what was inside the ancient spacerwas tempered by hard practicality. Too much depended on what he mightfind inside that hull. Every step of the work must be documented beyondany refutation. Some method of establishing date, time, and location hadto be prepared. There must be a record of every action. And that wouldrequire equipment and planning. There must be no mistake that could betwisted by the skillful counsel that Alexander undoubtedly retained. 

He had no doubt that the Family would fight. Too much money andprestige were involved. To prove the Lani human would destroy OutworldEnterprises on Kardon. Yet this thought did not bother him. To hissurprise he had no qualms of conscience. He was perfectly willing toviolate his contract, break faith with his employers, and plot theirruin. The higher duty came first--the duty to the human race. 

He smiled wryly. It wasn't all higher duty. There were some personaldesires that leavened the nobility. To prove Copper human was enoughmotivation--actually it was better than his sense of duty. Events, Kennon reflected, cause a great deal of change in one's attitude. Although not by nature a plotter, schemes had been flitting through hismind with machinelike regularity, to be examined and discarded, or to beset aside for future reference. 

He rejected the direct approach. It was too dangerous, depended too muchon personalities, and had too little chance for success. He consideredthe possibility of letters to the Brotherhood Council but ultimatelyrejected it. Not only was the proof legally insufficient to establishhumanity in the Lani, but he also remembered Alexander's incredibleknowledge of his activities, and there was no reason to suppose thathis present didn't receive the same scrutiny as the past. And if he, who hadn't written a letter in over a year, suddenly began to write, thecorrespondence would undoubtedly be regarded with suspicion and wouldprobably be examined, and Dirac messages would be out for the samereason. 

He could take a vacation and while he was away from the island hecould inform the Brotherhood. Leaving Flora wouldn't be particularlydifficult, but leaving Kardon would be virtually impossible. Hiscontract called for vacations, but it expressly provided that they wouldbe taken on Kardon. And again, there would be no assurance that hisactivities would not be watched. In fact, it was probable that theywould be. 

There was nothing that could be done immediately. But there were certainlong-range measures that could be started. He could begin preparing acase that could be presented to the Council. And Beta, when it knew, would help him. The situation of the Lani was so close to Beta's ownthat its obvious merit as a test case simply could not be ignored. Ifhe could get the evidence to Beta, it would be easy to enlist the aidof the entire Medico-Technological Civilization. It would take time andattention to detail; the case, the evidence, everything would have tobe prepared with every safeguard and contingency provided, so that therewould not be the slightest chance of a slip-up once it came to court. 

And perhaps the best method of bringing the evidence would be totransport it under its own power. The thought intrigued him. Actually itwouldn't be too difficult. Externally the Egg wasn't in bad shape. Thevirtually indestructible durilium hull was still intact. The controlsand the engines, hermetically sealed inside the hull, were probably asgood as the day they stopped running. The circuitry would undoubtedly bebad but it could be repaired and restored, and new fuel slugs could beobtained for the engine and the converter. But that was a problem forthe future. 

The immediate problem was to get into the ship in a properly documentedfashion. 

It took nearly two months, but finally, under the impersonal lenses ofcameras and recorders, the entrance port of the God-Egg swung open andrevealed the dark interior. Kennon moved carefully, recording every stepas he entered the black orifice in the spaceship's side. His handtorchgave plenty of light for the recorders as he moved inside--Copper at hisheels, both of them physically unrecognizable in antiradiation suits. 

"Why are we moving so slowly?" Copper said. "Let's go ahead and find outwhat's beyond this passageway. "

"From a superstitious coward you've certainly become a recklessexplorer, " he said. 

"The Egg hasn't hurt us, and we've been around it many times, " she said. "Either the curse has become too old to hurt us, or there never was anyin the first place. So let's see what is ahead. I'm curious. "

Kennon shook his head. "In this business we must hurry slowly--veryslowly. You know why. "

"But I want to see. "

"Patience, girl. Simmer down. You'll see soon enough, " Kennon said. "Nowhelp me set up this camera. "

"Oh, all right--but isn't there any excitement in you?"

"I'm bubbling over with it, " Kennon admitted, "but I manage to keep itunder control. "

"You're cold-blooded. "

"No--I'm sensible. We want to nail this down. My future, yours, and thatof your people depend upon how carefully we work. You wouldn't want tolet us all down by being too eager, would you?"

She shook her head. "No--you're right of course. But I still would liketo see. "

They moved cautiously through the airlock and into the control room. 

"Ah!" Kennon said with satisfaction. "I hoped for this, but I didn'tdare expect it. "

"What?"

"Look around. What do you see?"

"Nothing but an empty room. It's shaped like half an orange, and it hasa lot of funny instruments and dials on the walls, and a video screenoverhead. But that's all. Why--what's so unusual about it? It looks justlike someone had left it. "

"That's the point. There's nothing essential that's missing. They didn'tcannibalize the instruments--and they didn't come back. "

"Why not?"

"Maybe because that curse you mentioned a few minutes ago was real. "

Copper drew back. "But you said it wouldn't hurt us--"

"Not now. The heat's practically gone, but when whoever flew this cratecame here, the whole shell could have been as hot as a Samarian summer. "

"But couldn't they have come back when it cooled?"

"Not with this kind of heat. The hull was probably too radioactive toapproach from the outside. And radioactivity cools off slowly. It mighttake several lifetimes for its level to become low enough to approach ifthere was no decontamination equipment available. "

"I suppose that's why the early ones thought the Egg was cursed. "

Kennon nodded. "Now let's check--oh! oh! what's this?" He pointed to ametal-backed book lying on the control panel. 

"It looks like a book, " Copper said. 

"I'm hoping it's the book. "

"The book?"

"Yes--the ship's log. It's possible. And if it is, we may have all theevidence we need--Copper!--Don't touch it!"

"Why not?"

"Because its position has to be recorded first. Wait until we get thecamera and recorders set up. "

* * *

Gingerly Kennon opened the ancient book. The sheets inside werebrittle--crumbling with age--but he could make out the title U. N. S. S. Wanderer with the date of launching and a lower line which read "Ship'sLog. " Kennon was thankful for his medical training. The four yearsof Classical English that he had despised so much were essential now. Stumbling over unfamiliar words and phrases, he moved slowly throughthe log tracing the old ship's history from pleasure craft to short-haulfreight tractor to obsolescence in a space dump orbiting around a worldcalled Heaven. 

There was a gap of nearly ten years indicated by a blank page before theentries resumed. 

"Ah--this is it!" Kennon said. 

"What is it?" Copper said curiously. "I can't read the writing. "

"Of course you can't. It's in English--a language that becameobsolete during the Interregnum. I had to learn it, since most medicalterminology is based on it. "

"What is an Interregnum?" Copper interrupted. "I've never heard that wordbefore. "

"It's a period of confusion when there is no stable government. The lastone came after the Second Galactic War--but never mind that--it happenedlong ago and isn't important now. The important thing that did happenwas the Exodus. "

"What was that?"

"A religious revival and a tremendous desire to see what was happeningbeyond the next star. During that century men traveled wider and fartherthen they ever have before or since. In that outward explosion withits mixed motivations of religion and practicality, colonists andmissionaries went starward to find new worlds to tame, and new races tobe rescued from the darkness of idolatry and hell. Almost any sortof vehicle capable of mounting a spindizzy converter was pressed intoservice. The old spindizzies were soundly engineered converters ofalmost childlike simplicity that could and did carry ships enormousdistances if their passengers didn't care about subjective time-lag, anda little radioactivity. 

"And that's what happened to this ship. According to this log it wasbought by Alfred and Melissa Weygand--a missionary couple with the ideaof spreading the Christian faith to the heathen. 

"Alfred and Melissa--Ulf and Lyssa--they were a part of this ancientexplosion that scattered human seed across parsecs of interstellarspace. It seems that they were a unit in a missionary fleet that hadgone out to the stars with flame in their hearts and Gospel on theirlips to bring the Word to the benighted heathen on other worlds. "Kennon's lips curled with mild contempt at their stupid foolhardinesseven as his pulse quickened to their bravery. They had been fanatics, true enough, but theirs was a selfless fanaticism that would risktorture and death for what they believed--a fanaticism that was moresublime than the concept of Brotherhood which had evolved from it. Theyknew nothing of the enmity of race, of the incessant struggle manhad since waged with alien intelligences all too willing to destroyintruders who encroached upon their worlds. Mankind's early selflessnesshad long ago been discarded for frank expansionism and dominance overthe lesser races that stood in their way. And in a way it was too bad. 

The ship's log, meticulously kept in neat round English script, told astory that was more than the bare bones of flight. There was passionand tenderness and a spiritual quality that was shocking to a modernman steeped in millennia of conquest and self-interest. There was agreatness to it, a depth of faith that had since been lost. And asKennon slowly deciphered the ancient script he admired the courage evenas his mind winced with dismay at the unheeding recklessness. 

The Weygands had lost contact with the others, and had searched for themin hyperspace, doubling and twisting upon their course until they hadbecome hopelessly lost, and then, with their fuel nearly exhausted, hadbroken out into the normal three-space continuum to find Kardon's sunand the world they called Flora. 

How little they had known and how lucky they had been. 

It was only by the grace of their God that they had found this worldbefore their fuel was exhausted. And it was only by further grace thatthe planet was habitable and not populated with intelligent life. Theyhad more luck than people were entitled to in a dozen lifetimes. Againstodds of a million to one they had survived. 

It was fascinating reading. 

But it was not proof. 

The last entry read: "We have circled this world and have seen nobuildings--no sign of intelligent life. We are lost, marooned on thisempty world. Our fuel supplies are too low for us to attempt to find theothers. Nor could we. The constellations in the sky are strange. We donot know which way to go. Therefore we shall land upon the great islandin the center of the yellow sea. And perhaps someday men will come to ussince we cannot return to them. Melissa thinks that this is an exampleof Divine Providence, that the Lord's mercy has been shown to us thatwere lost in the vastness of the deep--that we have been chosen, likeEve and Adam, to spread the seed of man to yet another world. I hopeshe is right, yet I fear the radiation level of the ship has becomeinordinately high. We may well be Eve and Adam, yet an Adam that cannotbeget and an Eve that is not fruitful. I am trimming the ship forlanding, and we shall leave it immediately after we have landed, takingwith us only what we absolutely need. There is too much radiation fromthe spindizzy and the drive to remain here longer--and God knows how hotthe outer hull may be. "

And that was all. Presumptive evidence--yes. Reasonable certainty--yes. But not proof. Lawyers could argue that since no direct exploration wasmade there was no valid reason to assume that the Lani did not alreadyinhabit Kardon. But Kennon knew. His body, more perceptive than hismind, had realized a truth that his brain would not accept until he readthe log. It was at once joy and frustration. Joy that Copper was human, frustration that he could not obtain for her and her race the rightsto which they were entitled. But the immediate problem was solved. Hisconditioning was broken now he was convinced that Copper was a memberof the human race. It was no violation of his code to love her. Thegreatest barrier was broken, and with it gone the lesser ones wouldyield. Relief that was almost pain washed through him and left him weakwith reaction. 

"What is it?" Copper asked as he turned to her. "What is this thing thathas turned your face to joy?"

"Can't you guess?"

She shook her head. "I have seen nothing but you reading this ancientbook, yet you turn to me with the look in your eyes that the redes sayUlf had for Lyssa. "

"You're human!"

Copper shrugged. "You're mad. I'm a Lani. I was born a Lani--and I shalldie one. "

"Don't you understand? All Lani are human. You all are the descendantsof two humans who came here thousands of years ago. "

"Then there is no reason why you cannot love me. "

Kennon shook his head. "No, " he said. "There is no reason. "

Copper laughed. It was a sound so merry and gay that Kennon looked ather in surprise. She looked as happy as she sounded. 

Simple and savage, Kennon thought. She cared nothing for the future, andprobably very little about the injustice of her present. The thing thatmattered was that what had kept them apart was gone. She was probablyoffering mental sacrifices to the Old Ones who had caused this changein the man she loved. She didn't really care about what had caused thechange. To her it was sufficient that it had happened. 

For a moment Kennon wished that it could be as simple for him as itapparently was for her. The fact that Copper was human posed a greaterproblem than the one it solved. The one had been personal. The other wasinfinitely greater. He could not let it lie. The very morality which hadkept him from doing what he wished when he thought she was a humanoidnow forced him to do what he did not wish. Every instinct said to leaveit alone. The problem was too great for one man to solve, the situationtoo complicated, the evidence too inconclusive, the opposition toopowerful. It would be far better to take his happiness and enjoy it. It was not his problem to solve. He could turn the evidence over tothe Brotherhood once his contract was over, and better and more capablepeople than he could settle the Lani legal status. But the inner voicethat had called him bestial now called him shirker, coward, and slacker. And this, too, could not be borne. The case of the Lani would have tobe pursued as vigorously as he could do it. They were entitled to humanrights--whether they wanted them or not. 

His first idea of making the spacer operational was a good one, Kennondecided as they finished the inspection of the ship. Even if it wasnever used it would make a good means of retreat. He grinned wryly. In aguerrilla operation such as the one he was considering it would be wiseto have a way out if things got too hot. The heavy parts, the enginesand the controls, were in workable condition and would merely requirecleaning and oiling. Some of the optical equipment would have to bereplaced and fuel slugs would have to be obtained for the drive--butnone of these would be too hard to accomplish. The slugs from any of thepower reactors on the island would serve nicely. All that would haveto be done would be to modify the fuel ports on the ship's engine. Thespindizzy would have to be disassembled and checked, and the main leads, embedded in time-resistant plastic, would have to be examined. The mostserious problem, however, wouldn't involve these things. The controlboard wiring and circuitry was where the trouble would lie. Normalinsulation and printed circuitry wasn't designed to last for thousandsof years. Each wired circuit would have to be removed, duplicated, andreplaced. Every printed panel would have to be cleaned and receive a newcoat of insulating varnish. Working full time, a four-man electronicsteam could do the job in a week. Working part-time the two of them mightget it done in three months. And the other jobs would take at leastanother. Add a month for errors in judgment, lack of materials, andmistakes--and another for unavoidable delays--it would be at least sixmonths before the Egg would be spaceworthy. 

Six months. 

Not too long if everything went well, but far too long if there wereany mistakes. He would have to be careful, yet he must not give theimpression of being careful. He shook his head. Being a subversive wasgoing to require a greater amount of acting ability than he had everbeen called upon to display. 

And what of Copper? How would she behave under the double strain ofknowledge that she was human and knowledge of the spaceship? Womenweren't noted for their tight-lipped reticence. Would she tell the otherLani? Would she crack under the pressure? Did she have the qualities ofa good conspirator?

As it turned out, he didn't need to worry. As a partner in crime, Copperwas all that could be wished. Everything was normal. She was stillobedient, helpful, and gay as ever. To watch her, no one would everthink that her bright head was full of knowledge that could rock Florato its foundations. Never by look or word did she betray the slightesttrace of strain or guilt. 

And in her other moments she was ecstatic in her love and helpful withthe repair work on the Egg whenever Kennon could get time to visit theold spaceship. 

"You amaze me, " Kennon said as they eased the cover of the spindizzyin place and spun the bolts on the lugs that held it to the outershielding. He picked up a heavy wrench and began methodically to seatthe bolts as Copper wiped the white extrusion of the cover sealant fromthe shining case. 

"How?"

"The way you hide your knowledge of this ship from the others. I knowyou better than anyone else on this island, and yet you would fool me. "

"We Lani are used to hiding things. You men have been our masters forcenturies, yet you do not know our redes. Nor do you know what we think, We obey you, but there are parts of us you do not own. It is easy tohide a little thing like this. "

Kennon nodded. It figured. He seated another bolt. Three more andthe drive room would be restored and they could start on the controlcircuits. "I wish you were as clever about adopting human customs as youare about hiding guilty knowledge, " he said. 

Copper laughed. "You mean those silly things you have been teaching me?Why should I learn them? I'm happy as I am. I love you, you love me, andthat is all that matters. "

"It's not all that matters. Can't you get it through your head thatcivilized customs are necessary in a civilized society?" He gave thenext-to-last bolt an extra-vicious wrench. "You'll have to know them ifyou expect to get along on Beta. "

"But I will never see Beta. "

"I am going there when my duty here is over. And you're going with me. "

"When will that be?"

"Three years. "

"So long? Well--we can think of it then, but I don't think Man Alexanderwill let you take me. "

"Then I shall take you without his consent. "

She smiled. "It would be easier to stay here. In another fifteen years Iwill be old and you will not want me. "

"I'll never do that. I'll always want you. "

"You swear too easily, " she said gently. "You men live forever. We Laniare a short-lived race. "

"But you needn't be. It's obviously--"

"It's been tried, my love--and those who were treated died. ManAlexander tried many years ago to make us long-lived like you. But hefailed. You see, he loved one of us too. "

"But--"

"Let us think no more of it. Let us enjoy what we have and be gratefulto the Gods for the love we enjoy--or do you have any Gods?"

"One. "

"Two are better. More, anyway. And besides, Ulf and Lyssa and theGod-Egg are responsible for our joy. "

"They are indeed, " Kennon said. 

"Then why should you think of leaving the place where they rule? Youshould stay here. There will be other Lani when I am gone. You will behappy always. "

"Not without you, " Kennon said. "Don't you understand that I love you?"

"And I you. But I am a Lani. You are a man. "

"You're as human as I am, " Kennon said abruptly. 

"That is what you say, " Copper replied. "I am not so sure. I need moreproof than this. " She waved her hand at the ship. 

"What proof do you need?"

"The same as the proof you men require. If I should have your child, then I would believe that I was human. "

"I've told you a thousand times that the radiation on this ship musthave affected Ulf and Lyssa's germ plasm. Can't you understand that?"

"I can understand it all right, but it does not change things. Ulf andLyssa may have been human before they came here, but they were not whenthey landed. They were Lani, and their children were Lani. "

"But they were of human stock. "

"The law that lets men become our masters does not agree with you. "

"Then the law is wrong. It should be changed. "

Copper shrugged. "Two people cannot change a law. "

"They can try--particularly if the law is unjust. "

Copper sighed. "Is it not enough for us to love? Must you try to runthrough a wall?"

"When the wall stands in the way of right and justice I must. "

Copper looked at him with pity in her green eyes. "This I do notunderstand. I know nothing of right and justice. What are these things?Just words. Yet you will endanger our happiness for them. If it is myhappiness you wish--then leave this foolishness alone. I have fifteenyears I can live with you before I am old and you tire of me. With thoseyears I can be content. "

"But I can't, " Kennon said. "Call me selfish if you wish, but I want youwith me as long as I live. I don't want to live my life without you. "

"You want too much, " Copper said softly. "But if it makes you happy totry to get it, I shall help. And if we do not succeed you will at leastbe happier for trying. And if you are happy"--she shrugged--"then therest makes little difference. "

That was the crux of the matter, Kennon reflected bitterly. He wasconvinced she was human. She was not. And until her mind could bechanged on that point she would help him but her heart wouldn't be init. And the only thing that would convince her that she was human wouldbe a child--a child of his begetting. He could perhaps trick her withan artificial insemination of Lani sperm. There were drugs that couldsuspend consciousness, hypnotics that would make her believe anythingshe was told while under their influence. 

But in the end it would do no good. All witnesses in Brotherhood courtactions were examined under psychoprobe, and a hypnotic was of no valueagainst a lie detector that could extract the deepest buried truth. And he would be examined too. The truth would out--and nothing would begained. In fact--everything would be lost. The attempt at trickery wouldprejudice any court against the honest evidence they had so painfullycollected. 

He sighed. The only thing to do was to go on as they were--and hope thatthe evidence would hold. With Betan legal talent at their back itmight. And, of course, they could try to produce a child as nature hadintended. They could try--but Kennon knew it would not succeed. It neverhad. 

CHAPTER XV

Copper had been acting strangely of late, Kennon thought as he rolledover in his bed and watched her standing before the full-length mirroron the bathroom door. She pivoted slowly before the glass, eying herselfcritically, raising her arms over her head, holding them at her sides, flexing her supple spine and tightening muscles that moved like silkencords beneath her golden skin. 

"What are you trying to do--become a muscle dancer?" Kennon asked idly. 

She whirled, a crimson blush deepening the tan of her face. "You weresupposed to be asleep, " she said. 

"I'm an unregenerate heel, " he replied, "and I don't sleep too wellnowadays unless you're beside me. "

"Well--I suppose you might as well know now as later, " she said. "You'llknow in any event. "

"Know what?"

"That you're right. I am human. "

"And what brought on this sudden change of--" He stopped abruptly, hiseyes widening. 

"Yes, " Copper said. "I am with child. Your child. "

"But that's impossible. "

She shook her head. "It's a miracle perhaps, but it's not impossible. It's happened. Can't you see the difference?"

"See what? You look just as you always do. "

"I suppose you can't see it yet, " she admitted. "But I am with child. I'm two weeks past my time. "

Kennon's mind leaped to the obvious conclusion. Pseudo-pregnancy. He hadseen it before among Lani at Hillside Farm. It was an odd syndromewhich occasionally occurred in humans and animals. The brain, desiringchildren, made demands upon the body and the body responded to itsdesire by tricking the brain. Lani were fairly subject to its probablybecause they had better imaginations. He would run a few tests when theywent down to the hospital, and once she realized the practical joke herbody was playing everything would be all right. No wonder she seemedexcited. 

"We'll find out about that later, " he said equably. "We'll settle thiswhen we get back to the hospital. "

Copper smiled confidently and patted her stomach. "I know what you arethinking, but you're wrong. We Lani know about these things. In fortygenerations I am the first to conceive as the Master intended. "

"I hope you haven't, " Kennon said with such bitter sincerity that Copperlooked at him wide-eyed. "Not now. Because if you have, neither yourlife nor mine is safe. "

"Why?"

"The Alexanders. Do you think they'll take it lying down? We're notready for them yet. They'll fight, and the first thing they'll do iskill you and erase me so we would never be able to talk. You have beendeclared an animal, and you will not be allowed to change. "

"What can we do?" Copper asked. She shivered. "I do not want to die. "

"Nor do I want you to, " Kennon said. 

"I could tell the others. "

"And just what would that accomplish?"

"In a week every Lani on the island would know it. There would berevolt. For the Lani would no longer be dependent upon Men to survive. Their greatest hold on us would be gone. And we would be free again onour island world. "

"You would not!" Kennon said. "That sort of thinking is foolishness. Alexander would have men here within a week, and a week after that youwould be smashed. Don't you realize that there are thousands of millionsof men in the galaxy--and to every one of them you would be animals. Youknow nothing about what you would face. Your puny hundreds couldn't evenstand against a fraction of the power Alexander could mount against you. Have you seen a Burkholtz blaster work? Have you seen remote-controlantipersonnel missiles? Have you push-pull projectors, atomic warheads?All of these weapons Alexander can command. Don't you realize he's anentrepreneur?--one of the most powerful men in this sector?"

Copper shook her head. "No, " she said in a small voice. "I know nothingabout these things. "

"And do you think forty generations of absolute obedience to men can beovercome because one Lani says she is pregnant by a man?"

Copper frowned. "You put that in a different way. You talk as if it weremy belief rather than the truth. "

"What is truth?" Kennon said heavily. "Who would believe you? There arehundreds of others with child. 

"Sure you're human. You know it. I know it. I've been trying to convinceyou for the past two months. You're just as human as I am. But pray thatyou're not pregnant. We can't get out of here in less than four monthsand by then everybody will know about you. Someone will certainly checkthe records. And after that will come the psychoprobes. Everything willcome to light. The Egg will be destroyed. I will be erased. You will bedead. And that will be the end of it. " He looked down at her with an oddexpression of pity on his face. "You see?" he demanded harshly. 

Copper nodded. "I didn't understand, " she said. "Don't be angry with me. I shouldn't have told you. I thought you'd be happy. "

"I was never angry with you, but I am with myself. I was stupid. Ididn't figure on the remote possibility that we might be geneticallycompatible. I should have my head examined for putting you in suchdanger. However there's the possibility--the probability--that your bodyis playing a trick upon you. "

She shook her head. "You are wrong. I am not mistaken. I am with childand the child is yours. But the fault is no more yours than mine. Iwanted you before you looked on me. I still do and I do not feel atfault. That I am yours, that my child is yours is a thing of wonder andjoy. Never could I have expected so much. "

Kennon looked down at her smudged face, streaked with the suddenrivulets of tears, and bitterness galled his throat. Dear God--let herbe wrong, he prayed silently. Let it be pseudopregnancy this time. Letthe tests be negative. 

But they weren't. Unequivocally they confirmed Copper's diagnosis. Herewas the proof he needed. The final test that would prove the Lani human. And he had no way of getting it where it would do any good. It wouldtake at least four months of steady labor before the ship was ready, andhe didn't have that sort of time. He was needed here and his prolongedabsence would cause suspicion and investigation. Something would have tobe done--but what? He couldn't take Copper off the island in an airboat. They were checked with microscopic care by Otpen One's IFF. A jeepdidn't have enough range to take them to the mainland. And even if theygot there they couldn't get off the planet. Alexander knew everythingthat happened on Kardon's two spaceports. The Egg was the only way, butthe Egg was unfinished and unspaceworthy. 

Frantically Kennon considered concealing Copper. He shook his head. Itwouldn't work. It would be impossible, to hide a baby on a place whereevery birth was recorded. Nor could one hide evidence of pregnancy in aLani. Childbearing leaves telltale marks upon the body, and Copper, evenif she could be concealed for the duration of her pregnancy, could neversurvive the sharp-eyed scrutiny of her fellows or the other humans. Questions would inevitably be asked. 

There had to be a solution. He rubbed his forehead wearily. It wasstrange how so little a thing as the union of a spermatozoon and an ovumcould produce so much trouble. He looked across the office at Copperplacidly filing case cards. She wasn't worrying. With sublime faith, she was sure that he would find the answer, the one that would solveeverything. He shuddered. The only logical solution was abortion--andthat was unthinkable! He would not murder his child--nor would Copperpermit it if he was capable of doing so. 

It was almost a relief when his phone rang and Blalok's voice camecheerfully across the wire. 

"Tried to get you about an hour ago, " the superintendent said, "but yourgirl said you were busy. "

"I was. "

"You through now?"

"Yes. "

"Well, get up to the fortress. Alexander just flew in and he's calling ameeting. Something important has come up. "

Something important! A wave of ice rattled down Kennon's spine, and thenhe grinned feebly. Alexander didn't know. He couldn't know. It had to besomething else. 

"I'll be right up, " he said, marveling at the calmness in his voice. 

Kennon couldn't help comparing this meeting with the one a year ago. The location was different--the conference room in Alexandria was moreformal than Blalok's parlor but the same people were present: Alexander, Blalok, Jordan, and himself. Somehow Alexander seemed to have shrunk. Hewas no longer as impressive as he had been. But the man still radiatedforce, even though it didn't seem quite so overpowering. The year, Kennon thought, had done much to build his self-confidence. He feltassured rather than nervous. 

"Good to see you, Kennon, " Alexander said. "Reports say you're doing agood job. "

"I can't claim the credit, " Kennon said. "Eighty-five per cent of oursuccess is due to co-operation from the operating staff. And that'sBlalok's doing--he knocked the heads of the division managers togetherand they took care of their staffs. Otherwise we could have had a badtime. "

"But you didn't, " Alexander said. "And you were the motive force. "

"I've darn near motivated myself out of a job, " Kennon said. "Theyco-operate all too well nowadays. "

"Which goes to prove that my theories on preventive medicine are right, "Alexander said, turning to Blalok. 

"It looks that way, " Blalok admitted, "but that could be because youpicked a good man. "

"He's good in more ways than one, " Alexander said. "Or did he tell youhe saved Douglas's life out on Otpen One?"

"He's never said a word. "

Alexander smiled. "Another point in his favor. He knows how to keep hismouth shut. "

"Not when he's telling someone what to do about disease, " Jordoninterjected. 

"Or telling someone off when they haven't followed directions, '' Blaiokadded. 

"Better and better. I was sure that he was the one we needed when wefirst met. "

Kennon felt his ears turn flaming red. 

"But that's not the reason I brought you here. This isn't a Jac Kennonadmiration society. I called you because I want to expand the Lanibreeding program. "

"Why?" Jordan asked. 

Blalok stiffened. "You know my feeling about that, sir. I've never likedthe idea of selling them. If that's what's in your mind--"

Alexander shook his head. "Simmer down, " he said, as he seated himselfat the head of the table. "There's going to be no selling. The Lani aretoo valuable for that. We'll need them more than the money they'd bringon the market. You see--I've acquired a planet out on the periphery. Aplace called Phoebe. One of our ships found it, and I staked a discoveryclaim on the major land mass, and the crew made lesser claims thatcovered all the available land. Last month the Brotherhood allowed theclaims. Last week the crewmen sold me their land. Phoebe's a lovelyplace--quite a bit like Flora--and the ecological tests show it'scapable of supporting mammalian life. Just before I came here I sentthree shiploads of exterminators to clean it up and make it ready forus. It should be ready in two years. "

"What sort of an ecology are you exterminating?" Jordan asked. 

"Not that it makes any difference, " Alexander said, "but it's mainlyreptilian. Nothing over Group I. We'll restock with Floran animals. "

Jordan sighed. "Since that's the way it is, it doesn't make anydifference, " he said. "But it could have. The Lani are sensitive tothings like that. If they thought that they were walking in over a pileof bodies they'd do badly. It'd be like Olympus all over again. And wecouldn't keep them from knowing. We talk and we forget, but they'd telleach other--and they'd remember. "

"I know, " Alexander said, "somehow they've never forgotten thatGrandfather trapped the last of the Lani males on Olympus. "

Jordan nodded. "They can't stand the place. That's why we had to abandonthe station. "

"Does this new world have a moon?" Kennon asked abruptly. 

"Yes--in fact it has two. "

"Habitable?"

"No--they're too small to hold air. But men could live there indomes--but why do you?--oh! I see! I hadn't considered that point. "Alexander's hand darted to the phone beside him. "Get me Albertsville, "he snapped. "Yes, my offices--I want Mr. Oliver in purchasing andcontracting. Hello--Ward? Alexander here. Yes--everything's fine. Ihave a job for you--use your scrambler-pattern two. " Alexanderdialed the scrambler code on the second dial at the base of the phone, effectively preventing eavesdropping by beam tappers. "Yes, " he went on. "It's Project Phoebe. Have you secured title to the moons? You haven't?Well--you'd better do it before some of our competitors get brightideas. Sure they know about the project--do you think they're stupid?Warren over at Consolidated practically told me that he was onto ourscheme. So get title to those moons. Since they're uninhabitable andwithin the planet's primary field they come under the Spatial Debris Actand you should be able to get Kardonian title without any great amountof trouble. Naturally we want them. --For defense--what else? We'll havemost of our eggs in that basket. No--I don't know how we overlooked thatpoint. But if it wasn't for a bright young man out here we'd have leftourselves wide open. Now get cracking--get that leak plugged!" Alexanderdropped the phone back in its cradle and sighed. "Well--that's buttonedup, " he said. "Thanks, Kennon. "

Kennon looked at Alexander's grinning face, his own impassive, but ashattering certainty exploded in his mind--Alexander was a telepath!That was his difference! That was the thing that made him feared andrespected by his business associates. It wouldn't have been enough onthe Central Worlds, where men knew of sensitives and took precautionsagainst them. But out here on the periphery it was a deadly advantage. 

"So I gave it away, " Alexander said. "I suppose I was careless, but yourthoughts about the moons shocked me. "

"You practically told me once before, when you hired me, " Kennon said, "but I never realized it. "

"You were too excited then. "

"I wouldn't know, " Kennon said. "At any rate I didn't add the factscorrectly. " From somewhere deep in his memory an old quip came floatingto the surface: "An executive is a man who picks brains--others'brains. " By that definition Alexander was an executive of the firstclass. Alexander chuckled. 

Suddenly Kennon wanted to run. Panic flooded him! What had he beenthinking about? Had he thought of--two times two are four, four timesfour are sixteen, sixteen times sixteen are--let's see, six timessixteen is ninety-six, one times sixteen is--six, five, carryone--two--two hundred fifty-six. Two hundred fifty-six times--

"What's eating you?" Alexander demanded. 

"I'm angry, " Kennon said. "I told you the conditions I'd sign thatcontract, and you wrote a Peeper Clause into it. And then you peep inthe worst way possible. There's no defense against a Telep unlessyou know about him; you've had my whole mind bare! You've violated mypersonal privacy like no man has done before. Sure I'm mad. I expectedhonesty from you--and you peep!" The anger was stronger now--a wave ofraw emotion based on a lifetime of training in mutual respect of a man'sprivacy--a feeling intensified by his childhood environment of a crowdedplanetary ecology and the cramped crew quarters on a spaceship. ToKennon, Alexander had committed the ultimate sin. 

"I can see I made a mistake by not telling you, " Alexander said. Hisvoice was cold. "But you have no right to insult me. "

"I'm not saying it, am I?" Kennon snapped. The moonflower on thebookcase behind Alexander was a thing of beauty. Alexander liked beauty. He had said so, and the Great Hall below them bore it out. It was alovely room. Those four bronze Lani in the fountain were works of art. One of them looked remarkably like Copper. Copper in bronze. The littlewitch had probably posed for the casting. Maybe it had even been madefrom her body. 

"They're all of Susy, " Alexander said. "I can see why you are angry, andI don't blame you. But remember I warned you about Lani. "

Copper--Kennon wrenched his thoughts back to the moonflower. It hadtwelve petals, limpid white on the borders shading to deep blue in thecenter-from which the cream-colored stamen surrounded by transparentpistils sprang to burst into a golden glory of pollen that drippedin tiny yellow flecks to the broad petals below. It was a magnificentflower. There was nothing like it on Beta. That was a marvelous thingabout flowers--wherever one went in the universe, plants used the samemethods to fertilize their seed and spread their germ plasm. It was toobad that--Kennon jerked his attention to Alexander's face. He detestedthe thought that his mind was common property. A man should havesomething he can call his own. There had been a clinics instructorin Year Six who was a sensitive. The classes had protected themselvesagainst his prying with a circlet--a thought screen--he had done it too. Maybe he had brought the circlet with him. If he did, no one was goingto catch him without it. It was a dirty business, this reading ofothers' thought. Now where had he put that circlet? Was it among his oldbooks--or was it with his instruments?

"Why don't you go back to your house and find it?" Alexander snapped. "As you are, you're nothing but a disruption. I want you in on thismeeting, but not the way you're acting. "

"I'm not going to act any other way until I get some protection frompeeping, " Kennon said grimly. "And if you think this is bad wait till Istart going through comparative anatomy. ''

"What's the matter with you two?" Blalok asked. 

"Be quiet, " Alexander snapped. "This isn't your problem. Kennon isbehaving like a spoiled child!"

"He's a telepath!" Kennon said. "And he didn't tell me. "

"So what? I've known that for years. "

"And you stand for it?"

"I'm a Mystic, not a Betan, " Blalok said. "I don't have your insanedesire for privacy. "

"Go find that thought screen if you still have it!" Alexander said. "Idon't want any more of this. You're making me ill!"

Kennon grinned thinly as he rose to his feet. It was a good thing heremembered Alexander was squeamish and didn't like anatomy. The doorwas to his left, an iris door with eight leaves--terribly old-fashioned. About ten steps away. Count them--one--two--three--

Alexander sighed as Kennon left the room. "I certainly pushed the panicbutton on that young man, " he said. "He has a pathological attitudetoward telepathy. Wonder what he has to hide that he wants privacy sobadly? Even for a Betan this reaction was violent. "

"Oh, I don't know. He's a pretty emotional sort. Maybe he hates to looklike a fool. He's gotten himself mixed up with one of the Lani. Cutelittle thing by the name of Copper, " Blalok said. 

"Oh--that's it. I thought that was what he was hiding. A picture ofa girl kept popping up. " Alexander chuckled. "I suppose that's thetrouble. A man hardly likes to look a fool, particularly to someonewho has warned him. At that, I don't blame him. They are beautiful andaffectionate. And even with their superstitions and tabus they're betterthan most humans. "

"For pets, " Blalok said heavily. 

"They're not better at anything, " Jordan demurred. "They can't be--manis the best and always will be. "

"The eternal racial chauvinist, " Alexander murmured. He turned hisattention to Blalok. "But for awhile, Evald, I'd suggest you keep aneye on our young man. I still don't like his reaction. It was tooviolent--too defensive. I don't feel right about it. Perhaps Betans aremore sensitive than most people but it seems to me that he's tryingto conceal something. There was an undertone of fear--and somethingelse--beneath his defenses. "

"Couldn't you get any more than that?" Blalok asked. "You're pretty goodat this mind-reading business. "

"His defenses were remarkably good, " Alexander said dryly. 

* * *

Well he'd done it now, Kennon thought. He found the thought-screencirclet sandwiched between two books on comparative neuroanatomy whichhe hadn't bothered to unpack. He slipped it on and connected the leadwires to a portable battery pack. There was a half-forgotten tinglingas the weak field heterodyned his thought waves. Kennon sighed. IfAlexander wasn't suspicious of him now the man was a fool. He'd done aswell as he could with confusion and outrage, but it was hardly possibleto hide behind superficialities. Even the most disciplined mind couldn'tdo that without some preparation. Undoubtedly his concern about Copperhad leaked through. He could only hope that other and more importantthings had not. 

Well--he could go back to the conference now, but he would have to bedoubly careful from now on. He couldn't make daily trips to Olympus. Hisreaction had killed that plan. Alexander would be suspicious now--andunusual actions would crystallize suspicion to certainty. Now he neededa reason to be in that area. And then he grinned. He had a reason--agood one--one that would fit in with Alexander's plans and his own. The only problem would be to make Alexander buy it--and that might bedifficult. He'd have to work carefully--but with normal luck he couldput the idea across. He crossed his fingers as he trudged back up thepath to Alexandria. 

The conference dragged on. Unlike most meetings, this one accomplishedthings--which was a tribute to Alexander's ability to keep the subjectin hand. Details of the expansion program presented by Alexander wererapidly reduced to workable plans. They involved some rearrangement ofexisting facilities, and the construction of others. But the obvioussnags were rapidly disposed of, and the whole revamped operation wasoutlined on paper in surprisingly few hours. A deadline date was set, construction was authorized, and in the morning the first steps in thepractical implementation of the new program would be taken. 

"Well, that's that, " Alexander said with a sigh. "I think this calls fora drink. "

"There's one more thing, " Kennon said. "I know it isn't much, butJordan's remark started me thinking. "

"What remark?" Jordan asked. 

"The one you made at the beginning about Phoebe possibly being like theOlympus Station. I've often wondered why that particular location hasbeen so difficult to operate. Sure, I know the accepted explanation, but I think we should learn why it works and how to break a tabu. If wedon't, we might be in for trouble. "

"That's a good thought, " Alexander said. "I tried to find out once, butall I could discover was that it was tabu. The Lani simply didn't likeit. And despite the fact that I can read minds, I didn't learn any morethan that. There's a certain sex-linkage to telepathy, as you probablyknow. "

Kennon nodded. 

"All I could discover was that their dislike of Olympus was a basicemotion rather than reasoned thought. They were nervous, irritable, disobedient, and uncooperative while they were there--and even theydidn't know why. It was merely tabu. We even tried youngsters--but theattitude was the same. I'd like to know more about that basic emotion. "

"We should understand it, " Kennon agreed. "If we transship a largenumber of Lani to a strange world, we should know their deepestmotivations. We cannot take the chance that the transplant won't take, with all the money you're sinking into this project. "

"You have a point there. Have you any suggestions about how toaccomplish this?" Alexander's voice was interested. 

"I have. Hire a psychologist. And reopen Olympus. "

"It'll be the same story, " Jordan said. 

"Not if you apply experimental procedure, " Kennon said. "Divide theplace into a number of separate units in which groups of--say ten--Laniof various ages are kept. Let every group know where they are, but don'tlet them come in contact with one another. Observe them constantly. Putspy cells in the units. Couple them to recorders. Prepare a set of testsituations and observe how each group performs. Question individualsunder narcosynthesis. Observe and record any changes in physicalcondition--give them the works. Maybe we can collect some basic datathat will indicate the answer. "

"Not a bad idea, " Alexander said. 

"I don't like it, " Jordan said. "It sounds cumbersome. "

"It is, " Kennon agreed. "But it may save a great deal of trouble later. "

"I think you're right, Kennon, " Blalok said. "We should know everythingwe can. "

"What would you do first if you were heading this program?" Alexanderasked. He eyed Kennon critically. 

"Nothing, " Kennon said promptly. "I'm not qualified to run aninvestigation like this. You need a specialist. I am a practitioner. "

"Hmm--but you know experimental procedure. "

"Naturally--but I do not have the training to prepare a program orevaluate its results. The only thing I could do would be to check thephysical condition of the experimental groups. "

"Could you set up the physical facilities?" Alexander asked. 

"Possibly--I'd need a set of plans of the station, and I couldn'tguarantee that the specialist wouldn't want to make changes. But thephysical arrangements should be simple enough to construct. "

"How long would it take you to prepare a plan?"

"I could have it by tomorrow, or perhaps a day later. "

"If you can do it by then I'll stay over. I'd like to examine thisproposal more closely. It has merit. That's the second constructivesuggestion you've made tonight. Despite your peculiar desire forprivacy, I'm glad you came back. " Alexander smiled. 

Kennon smiled back. Apparently the entrepreneur had taken the bait. But it was too early to tell whether he had swallowed it withoutreservation. It all depended upon how much had been given away beforehe had discovered that Alexander was a telepath. Perhaps Alexander wasmerely leading him on. There were too many intangibles, and there was noway of predicting how it would turn out. But he felt mildly optimistic. 

Alexander closed the meeting, and Kennon left promptly. He had a goodexcuse. There was plenty of work to do if he was going to prepare anadequate plan for utilizing Olympus Station. Jordan went with him, but Blalok stayed behind. It was natural enough. Blalok was theadministrator, but Kennon felt uneasy. Nor would he have felt any betterif he could have heard what went on after he left. 

Alexander looked quizzically at Blalok after the door closed behind thetwo men. 

"Well, Evald, what do you think? Does it strike you that Kennon'ssincere--or does it sound as though he has something up his sleeve?"

"If he does, " Blalok said, "I don't know what it could be. I wouldn'ttake a job on Olympus if you gave it to me. "

"If he doesn't know about the place, " Alexander said thoughtfully, "it'sprobable that his suggestion was honest. I think it is but I'm not sure. He worries me now that I can't read him. I think I'll send Douglas backhere to watch him. "

"Why? In my book that'd be a poor choice. After all, you said Kennonsaved his life. He should be grateful. "

"You don't know Douglas, " Alexander said. "He hates Kennon's guts forwhat he did. "

"What did he do?"

"He made Douglas feel inferior. And there's no surer way to gain mycousin's undying enmity. " Alexander laughed. "I know, " he said. "He'dlike to kill me, too. "

Blalok shrugged. 

"But in the meantime I want you to keep an eye on Kennon. If his outlineis all right, I'm going to authorize him to set up this experiment. Iwant to give him every possible chance. I like him--and he's done goodwork. I wouldn't want him to feel that I distrust him. "

"Which you do, of course, " Blalok said dryly. 

Alexander smiled. "Actually, " he said with equal dryness, "I distrusteveryone. "

CHAPTER XVI

"If you think this job is easy, you have another think coming, " Kennonsaid bitterly. "I hired out as a veterinarian, not as a nursemaid fora bunch of psychoneurotic humans and superstitious Lani. The place isjinxed, they tell me. --Ha! Jinxed! Sure it's jinxed! What job wouldn'tbe with a bunch of goofballs like these I've got working on it. 

"I can't keep a Lani here for two weeks without having her throw acatfit, and the superstitious idiots are affecting the men--who ought toknow better! I wish I'd never have opened my big mouth to Alexander! Asfar as I'm concerned he can take this job and--"

"Hey--take it easy, man!" Blalok said. "You're heading straight for anervous breakdown. "

"And why shouldn't I?" Kennon asked. "Nothing goes right. There's alwaystrouble. I order materials--they don't arrive. There's worker trouble, equipment trouble, installation trouble. Everybody's cutting corners, trying to get done faster and away sooner--and all they do is mess upwork that should have been done right the first time. We should havebeen finished last week, but we have another week to go, at least unlesssome bumble-fingered beanbrain gets another bright idea that sets usback again. I'm sick to death of it!"

"I know, I know, " Blalok said soothingly, "and I'm sorry. "

"Sorry? What good is that? You and Jordan come up here in relays. Justwhat do you think you'll find? Or has Alexander dragged you into keepingan eye on me because I don't like someone snooping inside my skull?"

"It's not that, " Blalok said. "It's just--"

"Oh, don't make excuses. You know and I know the Boss-man issuspicious. " Kennon shrugged. "Normally I wouldn't blame him but it'sa damned nuisance with things the way they are. All we have is one morebay and a hall to finish--but if--"

"Now wait a minute, " Blalok said. "Get the kink out of your neck andsimmer down. Sure--the Boss-man told us to keep an eye on you--butthat's not why I'm here this time. "

"Well?"

"Douglas came back this morning. "

"What for?"

"I don't know. " Blalok's face wore the noncommittal look it always worewhen he was taking liberties with the truth. 

"You're probably the worst liar in the galaxy, " Kennon chuckled. "He'shere to breathe down my neck, isn't he?"

Blalok nodded. 

"Keep him off my back for another week and he can breathe all he wantsto. I'll be done then. "

"I can't promise a thing. "

Kennon shrugged. "It's too much to ask, I guess. "

"But I can try, " Blalok added. 

"That's enough for me. " Kennon grinned. "Has he turned Alexandria into ashambles yet?"

"Not yet, but everyone's uneasy. "

"I can't blame them. That young fellow's undiluted poison. By the way, how does he look?"

"About the same. "

"The medics must have done a good job, " Kennon said. 

"The Boss-man shipped him to Beta for treatment, " Blalok said. "Hedidn't trust the docs out here. "

"That figures. At any rate Douglas couldn't have gone to a betterplace. "

"What happened to him?"

"He stuck his nose where he shouldn't, " Kennon said pointedly. 

Blalok stiffened. 

"I'm sorry, Evald. Even if you knew, I couldn't talk about it. What Iknow about Douglas is classified!"

"Well--Douglas is doing plenty of talking. Claims his stay in thehospital was all your fault. "

Kennon shrugged. "That's his opinion. And as long as he stays out of myway he's welcome to it. "

Blalok looked at Kennon's haggard face with mild concern, "Doc, " hesaid, "you'd better take it easy. You're going to pieces. "

"I'll be through here in another week, I'll have this all wrapped up. "

"Providing you're not wrapped up first. "

"Eh?"

"In a shroud. You look like a walking corpse. "

Kennon chuckled wearily. "Sometimes I feel like one. But I'd like to getthis job finished. "

"Well, I'll do what I can, " Blalok said. "I'll try to keep him down atAlexandria for a few days. "

"It'll be enough, " Kennon said. More than enough--he added mentally. The coils of fuel wire were ready to load, and the power slugs for theship's reactor were already stored in the power plant building here atOlympus. Three more days and the old spacer would be as ready to fly asshe would ever be. And after that, it was in the lap of fate. 

He ushered Blalok to his jeep and watched until he disappeared. 

"I'm getting to be a first-class liar, " he remarked wryly to himselfas he turned back to the temporary quarters he was occupying at thestation. "And the bad thing about it is that I'm actually enjoying it. "

A few weeks ago an admission like that would have been inconceivable. It was odd, he thought, how one thing led to another and produced anend that could not be foreseen. Now he could lie and dissemble with thebest. He had no compunction about falsifying a requisition, or stealingwhat he could not obtain with apparent honesty. His character had sunkto an all-time low, he reflected with grim humor as he walked into theshadow of the main building. Neither Blalok's nor Jordan's frequentvisits bothered him. Both men were creatures of habit and both weremarried. They stayed home at night--and it was nighttime that he workedon the spacer. The project afforded him a perfect cover and it was onlyminutes by jeep away from the crater. 

Even so, the double duty was an appalling task. And it would have beenimpossible if it wasn't for Copper. Her quick fingers, keen eyesight, and uncanny memory made the work seem simple, and neither thetediousness of repairing miles of circuitry nor the depressingenvironment of Olympus Station seemed to bother her. While he workedwith the men on the project she restored and reassembled circuits inhis quarters and at night they replaced them in the old ship. And theGod-Egg was rapidly becoming operational. 

Kennon wondered what it was about Copper that made her so different fromthe rest. Olympus didn't bother her at all. In fact she seemed to thriveon the depressing atmosphere that filled the Station. Perhaps it wasbecause she had violated the tabu about the God-Egg so often thatordinary superstition had no effect upon her. He shrugged. He hadtroubles enough without worrying about Copper's motivations, and not theleast of these was taking the God-Egg into space. 

Kennon looked forward to blast-off with distinct misgivings. There wastoo much about the ancient spacer that was strange--and too much thatwas terrifying. 

Basically the ship was an ion-jet job with atomic primaries and aspindizzy converter that might possibly take her up as high as middleyellow Cth--far enough to give her a good turn of speed, but not enoughto compensate for timelag. Her screens were monstrosities, doublepolyphase lattices that looked about as spacetight as so many sieves. There were no acceleration dampers, no temporal compensators, noautopilot, no four-space computer, and the primaries operated on nuclearrather than binding energy. The control chairs weren't equipped withforcefields, but instead had incredibly primitive safety webs that heldone in place by sheer tensile strength. Taking a ship like that intospace was an open invitation to suicide. A man needed a combination offoolhardy bravery and incredible fatalism to blast off in a can likethis. He had the stimulus, but the knowledge of what he would facetroubled him more than he cared to admit. More and more, as heunderstood the ship, he was amazed at the courage of the ancients whohad blithely leaped into hyperspace in these flying coffins with no moremotivation than to see what was beyond the nearest star. And in shipsmore primitive than this men had swept through the star systems nearestEarth in the outward expansion of the First Millennium. 

He sighed. The breed of man must have been tough in the old days--andhe'd soon be finding out if any of that ancient toughness remained. 

He opened the door to his quarters. 

Copper was sitting in his favorite chair, a pile of completed assembliesneatly stacked beside her, and a disorderly file of crumpled cloth ather feet. Her face was sullen as she looked up at him. "I've had aboutall of this I'm going to take, " she said mutinously as she stirred theheap of cloth with a bare foot. "Not even you are going to make me wearthose--things!"

Kennon sighed. It was the same old story. For months he had been tryingpatiently to indoctrinate Copper with a minimum of civilized habits, butshe was quite literally a savage. In her entire lifetime she had neverworn clothing, and to encase her body in hose, kilts, blouse, andsandals was a form of torture. She scratched, wiggled, and twisted atthe garments until she looked as bad as she felt, and would usuallyfinish a session by tearing off the offending clothes and sulking. Shewas doing it now. 

"You must act like a civilized human being, " Kennon said mildly. "You'resimply going to have to learn to wear these clothes properly. "

"Why? I'm more comfortable as I am. "

"That's not the point. You are going to be living in human society andyou must act human. The only planet where you could get away with nudityis Santos, and we're not going there. "

"Why not?"

"I've explained it time and again. We'll have to go to Beta. That's theonly place I know where you'll have a fair hearing. And on Beta peoplewear clothes. They have to. It's cold, even in summer, and in thewintertime, there's snow. "

"What's snow?"

"Ice crystals that fall like rain, but I've told you this before. "

"And I still don't believe it. "

"Believe it or not you're going to wear those things. Now put them on!"

She looked at him with mutiny on her face. "All right, slave driver, "she muttered as she picked up the clothing, "but I hope you'll itchsomeday and be unable to scratch. "

"And try to wear those garments more gracefully. You make them look likea sack. "

"They feel like one. I keep thinking that all I need is a tag around myneck. "

"You haven't much time to get used to them, " Kennon said. "We're leavingthis week. "

"So soon?"

"Yes--and you'll wear those things to the ship, into the ship, and allthe time we're on the ship. You'll keep wearing clothing until it looksright. "

"Slave driver!" Copper hissed. 

"Slave, " Kennon answered equably. 

Copper giggled. The sound was utterly unexpected, and completelyincongruous. That was the wonder of her, Kennon reflected. Her mercurialtemperament made life something that was continually exciting She was anever-ending delight. 

CHAPTER XVII

It was the last trip. Kennon loaded the jeep with the last-minute itemshe would need. The four reactor cores in their lead cases went aboardlast and were packed inside a pile of lead-block shielding. 

He helped Copper in and looked back without regret as the bulk ofOlympus Station vanished below him in the dusk. The last of the workcrew had left that afternoon. The station was ready for occupancy. His assignment had been completed. He felt an odd pleasure at havingfinished the job. Alexander might not be happy about his subsequentactions, but he could have no complaint about what he did while he washere. 

"Well--say good-bye to Flora, " he said to Copper. 

"I don't want to, " she said. "I don't want to leave. "

"You can't stay. You know that. "

She nodded. "But that doesn't make me any less regretful. "

"Regretful?"

"All right--scared. We're going to try to make the God-Egg fly again. Not only is it sacrilege, but as you've often said, it's dangerous. Ihave no desire to die. "

"You have two courses--"

"I know--you've pointed them out often enough, " Copper said. "And sinceyou decided to go I'd go with you even though I knew the Egg would blowup. "

"You're quite a girl, " Kennon said admiringly. "Did I ever tell you thatI love you?"

"Not nearly often enough, " Copper said. "You could do it every day andI'd never get tired of hearing it. "

The jeep settled over the lava wall. "We'll leave it in the passagewaywhen we're through, " Kennon said. "Maybe it will survive blast-off. "

"Why worry about it?" Copper asked. 

"I hate destroying anything needlessly, " Kennon said. 

"And since we have plenty of time, we might as well be neat about ourdeparture. "

He was wrong, of course, but he didn't know that. 

* * *

Douglas Alexander checked the radarscope and whistled in surprise atthe picture it revealed. "So that's where he's going, " he said softlyto himself. "Cousin Alex was right as usual. " He grimaced unpleasantly. "He's up to something--that's for sure. " His face twisted into anexpression that was half sneer, half triumph. "This is going to befun. " He moved the control, and his airboat, hovering silently at fivethousand meters, dropped toward the ground in free fall as Douglasloosened the Burkholtz in the holster at his waist. "But what is hedoing?" he muttered. The question hung unanswered in the still air ofthe cabin as the airboat dropped downward. 

Douglas hadn't been impressed with Blalok's attempt at a delayingaction. Normally he might have been, but his fear of his cousin wasgreater than his respect for Blalok. The superintendent had onlysucceeded in accomplishing something he had not intended when he hadtried to dissuade Douglas from visiting Kennon. He had made Douglascautious. The airboat and long-range surveillance had been the result. For the past two nights Douglas had hung over Olympus Station, checkingthe place--to leave at dawn when the new day's work began. For twonights Kennon had been lucky. He had departed for the Egg shortly beforeDouglas took up his station, and had returned after the watcher hadcalled it a night and had returned home. But this last night, Kennonleft late--and his departure was noted. 

"Wonder who's the girl with him?" Douglas said as the boat plunged down. "Well, I'll be finding out in a minute. "

Kennon's head jerked upward at the sound of air whistling past theairboat's hull, and a wave of icy coldness swept through his chest. There was no question that he was discovered. His shoulders sagged. 

"Well--it was a good try, " he said bitterly as Copper looked at him withsudden terror on her face. 

"I don't want to die, " she wailed. 

"You won't--not if I can help it, " Kennon said. "Move away fromme--quickly!"

"But--"

"Do as I say!" Kennon's voice was sharp. "And keep that hood over yourface. "

The airboat settled softly on the ash in front of him, the door snappedopen and Douglas dropped to the ground, Burkholtz jutting from his pudgyfist. 

"My, my, " Douglas said, "what have we here? Dr. Kennon and a woman!I thought better of you than that, Doctor. And all dressed up inantiradiation suits. This is interesting. Just what are you doing uphere on the mountain so late at night--prospecting?"

"You might call it that, " Kennon said. His body sagged with relief. Douglas thank Ochsner it was Douglas! He was running true toform--talking when he should have been shooting. 

Douglas jerked his head toward Copper, standing a few feet to his left. "Who is she?"

"None of your business, " Kennon snapped, hoping that his outburstcovered Copper's gasp of surprise and fear, and knowing that it didn't. 

"I'm making it my business. There's something funny going on aroundhere. "

Kennon blinked. Could it be that Douglas didn't know? Had he beenwatching them on radar? Durilium was radar-transparent. It absorbedand dissipated electromagnetic waves rather than reflecting them. For asecond he felt a tiny surge of hope. 

"Stand where you are, " Douglas said as he stepped over to thehalf-paralyzed Copper and jerked the hood back from her face. For amoment he looked puzzled. "Just who are you?" he demanded. "I don'trecall seeing you before. " And then recognition dawned. "Old Doc'sLani!" he gasped. 

"She works for me now, " Kennon said. 

Douglas laughed. It wasn't a nice sound. "All dressed up?" he asked. "Nice work. "

"That's my fault, " Kennon said. 

"You know the rules, " Douglas said. "I could blast you both. "

"Go ahead, " Kennon said, "but if you do, you'll never find out whatwe're doing up here. "

Douglas hesitated. Kennon's voice was flat and filled with utterconviction. 

"There's a reason why Copper's wearing that suit, " Kennon continued, "and you won't know that either. "

The Burkholtz swiveled around to point at Kennon's belly. "I've hadabout enough of this. Let's have it. Tell me what you're doing here!"

"I'll do better than that, " Kennon said promptly. "I'll show you. You'llbe surprised at what we've uncovered. " He made his muscles relax, andforced himself to speak naturally. Copper, he noted, was still rigidwith terror. The Alexanders--any of them--were everything he had saidthey were. They were the masters here. And despite Copper's boast, shewas as susceptible to their influence as any other Lani. 

"All right, " Douglas said, "show me this thing I'd never be able tofind without your help. " He half turned to Copper. "Stay where you are, Lani, " he said. "Don't move until I come back. "

"Yes, Man Douglas, " Copper replied. Her voice was flat, colorless, andsubmissive. 

Kennon shuddered. He had never heard precisely that tone from herbefore. One word from Douglas and she had become a zombie--a mindlessmuscle preparation that existed only to obey. Anger filled him--angerthat one he loved could be ordered by someone who wasn't worth athird of her--anger that she obeyed--anger at his own impotence andfrustration. It wasn't a clean anger. It was a dark, red-splashed thingthat struggled and writhed inside him, a fierce unreasoning rage thatseethed and bubbled yet could not break free. For an instant, withblinding clarity, Kennon understood the feelings of the caged male Lanion Otpen One. And he sympathized. 

"Follow me, " he said and started around the ship. 

"Stay--no--go ahead, " Douglas said, "but remember, I'm right behindyou. "

Kennon walked straight up to the pit and pointed down at the dark bulkof the Egg. , concealed in the shadows of the bottom. 

"That's it, " he said. 

"What? I don't see anything, " Douglas said suspiciously. 

"Here--I'll shine a light. " Kennon reached for his belt. 

"No you don't! I know that trick. You're not going to blind me. Takethat torch loose carefully--that's it--now hand it to me. " Douglas' handclosed over the smooth plastic. Cautiously he turned on the beam anddirected it downward. 

"A spacer!" he gasped. "How did that get here?" He leaned forward tolook into the pit as a dark shadow materialized behind him. 

Kennon choked back the involuntary cry of warning that rose in histhroat. Copper! His muscles tensed as her arm came up and down--ashadow almost invisible in the starlight. The leaning figure of Douglascollapsed like a puppet whose strings had been suddenly released. Thetorch dropped from his hand and went bouncing and winking down the wallof the pit, followed by Douglas--a limp bundle of arms and legs thatrotated grotesquely as he disappeared down the slope. Starlight gleamedon the Burkholtz lying on the lip of the crater, where it had fallenfrom his hand. 

"I told you that not even Man Alexander could order me since I gave mylove to you, " Copper said smugly as she peered over the edge of the pit, a chunk of lava gripped in one small capable hand. "Maybe this provesit. "

"Douglas isn't Alexander, " Kennon said slowly as he picked up theblaster, "but I believe you. "

"Didn't I act convincingly?" she said brightly. 

"Very, " he said. "You fooled me completely. "

"The important thing was that I fooled Douglas. "

"You did that all right. Now let's get him out of that pit. "

"Why?"

"The jet blast will fry him when we take off. "

"What difference would that make?"

"I told you, " Kennon said, "that I never destroy thingsunnecessarily--not even things like Douglas. "

"But he would have destroyed you. "

"That's no excuse for murder. Now go back to the jeep and fetch a rope. I'll go down and get him out. "

"Do we have to bother with him?" Copper asked, and then shrugged. Itwas an eloquent gesture expressing disgust, resignation, and unwillingcompliance in one lift of smoothly muscled shoulders. 

"There's no question about it, " Kennon said. "You're becoming more humanevery day. "

He chuckled as he slid over the edge of the pit following the pathDouglas had taken a moment before. He found him sitting on a pile ofashes, shaking his head. 

"What happened?" Douglas asked querulously. There was fear in his voice. 

"Copper hit you on the head with a rock, " Kennon said as he bent overand retrieved the torch, still burning near Douglas' feet. 

"The Lani?" Douglas' voice was incredulous. 

"Not a Lani, " Kennon corrected. "She's as human as you or I. "

"That's a lie, " Douglas said. 

"Maybe this spacer's a lie too. Her ancestors came in it--a pairof humans named Alfred and Melissa Weygand. They were Christianmissionaries from a planet called Heaven out in Ophiuchus Sector. Wentout to convert aliens and landed here when their fuel ran out. "Kennon paused. "That was about four millennia ago. Their descendants, naturally, reverted to barbarism in a few generations, but there'senough evidence in the ship to prove that the Lani were theirchildren. ''

"But the tails--the differences--the failure of the test, " Douglas said. 

"Mutation, " Kennon replied. "Those old spindizzy converters weren'ttoo choosy about how they scattered radiation. And they had come a longway. " He paused, looking down at Douglas, feeling a twinge of pity forthe man. His world was crumbling. "And there was no other human bloodavailable to filter out their peculiarities. It might have been doneduring the first couple of generations, but constant inbreeding fixedthe genetic pattern. "

"How did you discover this?" Douglas asked. 

"Accident, " Kennon said briefly. 

"You'll never be able to prove they're human!" Douglas said. 

"The ship's log will do that. "

"Not without a humanity test--they can't pass that. "

"Sorry to disappoint you. Your grandfather used the wrong sort of sperm. Now if there had been a Betan in the crew--"

"You mean she's pregnant!"

Kennon nodded. "There's been mutation on Beta, " he said. "And it'sapparently a similar one to hers. Betan-Lani matings are fertile. "

Douglas's shoulders sagged, and then straightened. "I don't believe it, "he said. "You're just a damned sneaking spy. Somehow or other you gota spacer in here after you wormed your way into Cousin Alex'sconfidence--and now you're going to space out with the nucleus of a newfarm. Just wait. When Alex learns of this the galaxy'll be too small tohold you. "

"Don't babble like a fool!" Kennon said with disgust. "How could I landa spacer here without being spotted? You sound like a two-credit novel. And even if I did--would it be a can like this?" Kennon played the torchover the blue-black durilium protruding from the ashes. 

Douglas' eyes widened as he took in the details of construction. "Whatan antique!" he blurted. "Where did you get this can?"

"I found it here. "

"Tell me another one. "

"You won't believe, " Kennon said flatly, "because you don't darebelieve. You have a mental block. You've killed, maimed, tortured--treated them like animals--and now your mind shrinks from admittingthey're human. You know what will happen if the old court decision isreversed. It will wreck your little empire, dry up your money, breakyou--and you can't stand the thought of that. You don't dare let usleave, yet you can't stop us because I have your blaster and I'd justas soon shoot you as look at your rotten face. Now get on your feet andstart climbing if you want to stay alive. We're getting out of here, andyou'll fry inside this pit. "

"Where are you taking me?"

"Back to your airboat. I'm going to tie you up and set you off onautopilot. You'll be able to get loose quickly enough but it'll be toolate to stop us. We'll be gone, and you can think of how you'll manageto face the human race. "

"I hope you blow yourself and that antique clear out of space. "

"We might. But you'll never know for sure. But mark this--if I live I'llbe back with the Brotherhood. You can count on it. "

They struggled up the side of the pit and halted, panting, on the rim. "How much radiation was down there?" Douglas asked worriedly. 

"Not enough to hurt you. "

"That's good. " Douglas accepted the statement at face value, a factwhich failed to surprise Kennon. "You know, " he said, "I've been aroundLani all my life. And I know that they're not human. No self-respectinghuman would take a tenth of what they put up with. "

"Their ancestors didn't, " Kennon said. "They fought to the end. But yourGrandfather was a smart man even though he was a Degrader. "

"He wasn't!" Douglas exploded. "No Alexander is a Degrader. "

"He realized, " Kennon went on, "that he'd never succeed in enslaving theLani unless he separated the sexes. And since women are more subjectivein their outlook--and more pliable--he picked them for his slaves. Themales he retired to stud. Probably the fact that there were more womenthan men helped him make up his mind. 

"In every society, " Kennon went on inexorably, "there are potentialfreeman and potential slaves. The latter invariably outnumber theformer. They're cowards: the timid, the unsacrificing--the ones thatwant peace at any price--the ones who will trade freedom for security. Those were the ones who hid rather than risk their lives fightingthe aggressor. Those were the ones who survived. Old Alexander had aready-made slave cadre when he finished off the last of the warriors. For four centuries the survivors have been bred and selected toperpetuate slave traits. And the system works. The men don't wantfreedom--they want liberty to kill each other. The women don't wantfreedom--they want males. And they'd serve them precisely as the Sarkianwomen serve their menfolk. You've killed any chance they had to becomea civilization. It's going to take generations perhaps before they'rereoriented. There's plenty you Alexanders should answer for. "

"If there's any fault, it's yours, " Douglas snarled. "We were doing allright until you came here. We'd still be doing all right if I had shotyou both. " His shoulders sagged. "I should have killed you when I hadthe chance, " he said bitterly. 

"But you didn't, " Kennon said, "and to show my gratitude I'm letting youget away with a whole skin. I don't expect you to be grateful, but atleast you'll not be on my conscience. I don't enjoy killing, not eventhings like you. "

Douglas sneered. "You're soft--a soft sentimental fool. "

"Admitted, " Kennon said, "but that's my nature. "

"Yet you'd destroy the family, wreck Outworld Enterprises, and throw awhole world into chaos over a few thousand animals. I don't understandyou. "

"They're human, " Kennon said flatly. 

"Admitting they might once have been, they're not now. "

"And whose fault is that?"

"Not ours, " Douglas said promptly. "If there is any fault it's that ofthe court who decided they were humanoid. "

"You didn't help any. "

"Why should we? Does one treat a shrake like a brother?--or a varl?--ora dog? We treat them like the animals they are. And we've done no worsewith the Lani. Our consciences are clear. "

Kennon laughed humorlessly. "Yet this clear conscience makes you wantto kill me, so you can keep on treating them as animals--even though youknow they're human. "

"I know nothing of the sort. But you're right about the killing, I'dkill you cheerfully if I had the chance. It's our necks if you get awaywith this. Of course, you probably won't, but why take the chance. Ilike my neck more than I like yours. "

"You're honest at any rate, " Kennon admitted. "And in a way I don'tblame you. To you it's probably better to be a rich slaver living offthe legacy of a Degrader than a penniless humanitarian. But you've lostyour chance. "

Douglas screamed with rage. He whirled on Kennon, his face a distortedmask of hate. 

"Hold it!" Kennon barked. "I don't want to kill you, but I'll burn ahole clear through your rotten carcass if you make another move. I haveno love for your kind. "

Douglas spat contemptuously. "You haven't got the guts, " he snarled. Buthe didn't move. 

"Just stand still--very still, " Kennon said softly. The iron in hisvoice was not hidden by the quiet tone. 

Douglas shivered. "I'll get you yet, " he said, but there was no force inthe threat. 

"Here's the rope you wanted, " Copper said as she emerged abruptly fromthe darkness. "I had a hard time finding it. "

"You haven't been too long, " Kennon said. "Now tie Douglas' hands behindhim while I keep him covered. "

"It's a pleasure, " Copper murmured. 

CHAPTER XVIII

"I'm frightened, " Copper said, twisting uncomfortably in the shock chairbeside Kennon's. 

"After you have been so brave?" Kennon asked. "That's nonsense. It'sjust nervous reaction. Now web in like I showed you. It's time forblast-off. We don't dare wait much longer. "

"All right--but I have a feeling that this isn't right. Something isgoing to go wrong. "

"I hope you don't have precognition. " Kennon smiled. "I've checkedeverything. The ship is as good as she'll ever be. There's nothing morethat we can do. "

"There's one consolation, " Copper said wanly. "At we'll die together. "

"There's a better chance that we'll live together. "

"I hope so. "

"Ready?" Kennon asked. 

She nodded. 

He flipped the switches that would send the fuel rods into the reactor. Below them a soft, barely audible whine ascended the sonic scale toa point of irritating inaudibility. Kennon smiled. The spindizzy wasfunctioning properly. He flipped a second bank of switches and a dullroar came from the buried stem. Ashes and pumice heated to incandescencewere blown through the air. Molten drops of radioactive lava skitteredacross the durilium hull as Kennon advanced the power. The whole stemof the ship was immersed in a seething lake of bolling rock as the Egglifted slowly with ponderous dignity into the night sky. 

"Hang on!" Kennon said. "I'm going to hyper. " His hand moved a red leverand the Egg shimmered and vanished with a peculiar wrenching motioninto an impossible direction that the mind could not grasp. And theinterceptor missile from Otpen One nosed through the space the Egg hadoccupied. 

* * *

"We made it!" Kennon said, looking across the writhing semifluid controlboard, shifting oddly in the harsh yellow monochromatic light thatpervaded the cabin. The screens were leaking like sieves, but they wereholding well enough to keep Cth yellow from being anything more than anannoyance. He glanced over at Copper, a fantastically elongated Copperwho looked like a madman's dream of chaos. 

And Copper screamed! The sound echoed and re-echoed, dying away with alingering discordant reverberation that made his skin tingle. 

"Copper! It's all right! It's all fight! Stop it!"

Copper screamed again and her elongated figure suddenly foreshortenedand collapsed into a small writhing ball from which two small pink handsemerged clutching at a gelid mass of air that flowed sluggishly aroundthem. 

And Kennon knew what he had forgotten! Hyperspace with leaky screens wasnothing to inflict upon an unprepared mind. It is one thing to endurepartial exposure after months of training, with experienced medicsstanding by to help you through the shock phase, but quite another tobe thrust from a safe and sheltered existence into the mind shatteringdistortions of the Cth continuum. 

The Egg was old. Her screens, never good at best, were hardly more thanfilters. Through the hull, through the drive lattice, the viciouslydistorted Cth environment seeped into the ship turning prosaic shapesof controls and instruments into writhing masses of obscene horror thatsent extensions wiggling off into nothingness at eye-aching angles. Aspaceman could take this--knowing it wasn't real--but a tyro could not. 

Copper collapsed. Her mind, assaulted by sensations no untrained personshould experience, went into shock. But she wasn't granted the mercyof unconsciousness. Terrified by a pseudo reality that surpassed herwildest nightmares, she stared wide-eyed at the control room and thething that had been Kennon. She screamed until her throat was raw, until the monster beside her touched her with Kennon's hands. Then, mercifully, she felt a stinging in her arm and all sensation ceased. 

Kennon stared glumly at the controls. Fleming alone knew how manyobjective years were passing outside as they hurtled through four-space. Subjectively it would only be hours aboard the Egg, but a decade--ormaybe a century--might pass outside this mad universe where neither timenor speed had meaning. The old ships didn't have temporal compensators, nor could they travel through upper bands of Cth where subjectiveand objective time were more nearly equal. They were trapped ina semi-stasis of time as the ship fled on through the distortedmonochromatic regions that bypassed normal space. 

The Egg slipped smoothly out of the hyper jump, back into the normaluniverse. Beta floated above them, the blue shield of her atmosphereshining softly in the light of Beta's sun. 

"Couldn't hit it that good again in a hundred tries, " Kennon gloated. "Halfway across the galaxy--and right on the nose. " He looked at theshock chair beside him. Copper was curled into a tight ball inside theconfining safety web, knees drawn up, back bent, head down--arms wrappedprotectingly around her legs--the fetal position of catatonic shock. 

He shook her shoulder--no response. Her pulse was thready and irregular. Her breathing was shallow. Her lips were blue. Her condition wasobvious--space shock--extreme grade. She'd need medical attention if shewas going to live. And she'd need it fast!

"Just why, you educated nitwit, " he snarled at himself, "didn't you havesense enough to give her that injection of Sonmol before we hypered! Youhaven't the sense of a decerebrate Capellan grackle!"

He turned on the radio. "Emergency!" he said. "Any station! Space-shockcase aboard. Extreme urgency. "

"Identify yourself--give your license. Over. "

"What port are you?"

"Hunterstown--will you please identify? Over. "

"Your co-ordinates, " Kennon snapped. "Over. "

"280. 45--67. 29 plus. Repeat--request your identification. "

"Pilot Kennon, Jac, Beta 47M 26429. I have no I. D. For the ship--andyou'll see why when I land. Over. "

"Hunterstown Port to Kennon. You are not--repeat not--cleared to land. Go into orbit and report your position. Over. "

"Sorry, Hunterstown. You wouldn't have checked in if you didn't haveroom, and a hospital. This is an emergency. I'm setting down. Out. "

"But--" The words got no farther. Kennon was already spinning the ship. 

"All right--we have you on the scope. But this is a class one violation. You may come in on Landing Beam One. "

"Sorry. I have no GCA. "

"What?--what sort of ship are you flying?" The voice was curious. 

"I'm matching intrinsics over your port. Talk me in when I break throughthe overcast. "

"Talk you in?"

"That's right. My instruments are obsolete. "

"Great Halstead! What else?"

"I have an Ion drive. Plus two radioactive. "

"Oh no!--And you still want to come in?"

"I have to. My passenger's in shock. She's going to have a baby. "

"All right--I'll try to get you down in one piece. "

"Have an ambulance ready, " Kennon said. 

Kennon lowered the Egg through the overcast. Ground control picked himup smoothly and took him down as though it had been rehearsed. The Eggtouched down in the radioactive area of the port. Decontamination jetshissed, sluicing the ship to remove surface contamination. 

"Ochsner! what sort of a ship is that?" Ground Control's startled voicecame over the annunciator. 

"It's an old one, " Kennon said. 

"That's a gross understatement. Stand by for boarders. Ambulance comingup. "

Kennon opened the airlock and two radiation-suited men entered. "Atleast you had sense enough to wear protective clothing in this hotbox, "one said as they carefully unwebbed Copper and carried her out of thelock. "You wait here. The Port Captain wants to see you. "

"Where are you taking her? What Center?" Kennon asked. 

"What should you care? You've nearly killed her. The idea of takinga pregnant woman up in this death trap! What in Fleming's name's thematter with your brain?"

"I had to, " Kennon said. "I had to. It was a matter of life and death. "For once, he thought wryly, the cliche was true. 

The Betan's face behind the transparent helmet was disgusted andunbelieving. "I hear that sort of thing every day, " he said. "Am Isupposed to believe it?"

"You'd believe it if you'd have been where I was, " Kennon muttered. "Now--whe're are you taking her?" he demanded. 

The man arched blond eyebrows. "To the local Medical Center--where else?There's only one in this area. "

"Thanks, " Kennon said. 

He watched the ambulance flit off as he waited for the Spaceport Patrol. There was no further need for the protection suit, so he peeled it offand hung it in the control-room locker. Copper was right, he mused. Itdid itch. 

The Port Captain's men were late as usual--moving gingerly through theradiation area. A noncom gestured for him to enter their carryall. "PortCaptain wants to see you, " he said. 

"I know, " Kennon replied. 

"You should have waited upstairs. "

"I couldn't. It was a matter of medicine, " Kennon said. 

The noncom's face sobered. "Why didn't you say so? All you said was thatit was an emergency. "

"I've been away. I forgot. "

"You shouldn't have done that. You're a Betan, aren't you?"

Kennon nodded. 

They drove to the Port Office, where Kennon expected--and got--a badtime from the port officials. He filled out numerous forms, signedaffidavits, explained his unauthorized landing, showed his spaceman'sticket, defended his act of piloting without an up-to-date license, signed more forms, entered a claim for salvage rights to the Egg, andfinally when the Legal Division, the Traffic Control Division, theSpaceport Safety Office, Customs, Immigration, and Travelers Aid hadfinished with him, he was ushered into the presence of the Port Captain. 

The red-faced chunky officer eyed him with a cold stare. "You'll belucky, young man, if you get out of this with a year in Correction. Yourstory doesn't hang together. "

It didn't, Kennon thought. But there was no sense telling all of it toa Port Captain. Under no circumstances could the man be any help to him. He had neither the power nor the prestige to request a Brotherhood Boardof Inquiry. In rank, he was hardly more than a glorified Traffic Controlofficer. It would do no good to tell him an improbable tale of slaveryon a distant planet. The only thing to do was wait out the storm andhope it would pass. If worst came to worst he'd use his rank, but he'dmade enough stir already. He doubted if the Captain had authority toorder him into Detention--but he was certain to get a lecture. Theseminor officials loved to tell someone off. He gritted his teeth. He'dendure it for Copper's sake--and to get out of here quietly. Alexanderwould undoubtedly have agents posted by now, and his only chance fortemporary freedom of action was to get out of here with as little fussas possible. 

He sat quietly, his flushed face and tight jaw muscles betraying hisimpatience as the Captain paced up and down and talked on and on. Theman sounded like he could go for hours. With increasing impatienceKennon listened to the cadenced flow of complaint and condemnation, occasionally inserting a "Yes, sir" or "Sorry, sir" or "No, sir" as thewords flowed around him. 

However, there had to be a breaking point somewhere, and the monotonywas beginning to wear his temper thin. Another five minutes, hereflected, was about all he could take. 

The door chime rang softly. 

"Come in, " the Port Captain said, breaking off in mid-tirade. The changein his manner was so abrupt that Kennon couldn't help smiling. 

A young blond man in an interne's gray uniform entered the room. 

"Yes, Doctor, " the Port Captain said. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you have a Jac Kennon here? Dr. Jac Kennon?"

"Did you say doctor?" the Port Captain said in a half-strangled voice. 

"You never let me tell you, " Kennon said mildly, "that my landing herewas a matter of medicine. Technically you have contributed to a delay intreatment. "

The Port Captain's face paled. "Why didn't you say something?" he said. 

"Against your gale of wind I would be but a faint breeze, " Kennon saidcoldly. He turned to the interne. "I'm Dr. Kennon. " They bowed formallyto each other. 

"I'm Smalley, sir, from the medical center. Dr. Brainard sends hiscompliments and requests that you join him for consultation. "

"The Port Captain--" Kennon began. 

"Don't worry about it, Doctor. I'll relinquish responsibility to Dr. Brainard, " the Captain said. 

"I have placed a formal written request with your office, " Smalley saidstiffly. "You are relieved of further charge. Dr. Kennon is urgentlyneeded. It is a matter of medicine. "

The Captain looked relieved. On Beta it was poor policy to interferewith the doings of doctors and engineers--or even doctors of philosophy. 

"Very well. He's yours--and I'm glad to be rid of him. " The Port Captainbowed to Kennon and Smalley and stalked out of the office. 

"Pompous little man, " Kennon observed, "but he certainly can talk. "

"Oh--you know these Administrative people, " the interne saiddepreciatingly. "One mustn't mind them. They're necessary nuisances. "He eyed Kennon curiously. "How is it that you didn't stand on yourprofessional rights?"

"I have my reasons--but they have nothing to do with medicine. "

"Oh--I see. Ethical. " The interne's voice was faintly sarcastic. 

"Manners, Doctor--manners. " Kennon's voice was gentle but the interneflushed a dull red. 

"Sorry, sir. "

"Don't mention it. It's normal for a graduate to confuse liberty withlicense. " Kennon smiled. "Don't worry. I shan't report you. "

"That's good of you, sir. " Smalley's face registered relief. Demeritswere difficult to erase--particularly ones of courtesy. 

Kennon wondered if the young man would report himself. He doubted it. The interne didn't look the type--probably he was dated for some obscurejob, like a general practitioner. He shrugged. It took all kinds to makea profession. Even the Smalleys had their place. 

"That girl you brought in, " Smalley said as they entered a whitecar emblazoned with the three crosses, red, blue, and green, thatrepresented the three fields of medicine. "She's an interesting case. I've never seen space shock before. And the patient herself--one wouldhardly believe she was a Betan. "

"She isn't, " Kennon said. 

"So?" Blond eyebrows rose in inverted U's of surprise. "But that'shardly possible. Our tests indicate-"

"Don't you think that this is a matter for Dr. Brainard?" Kennon saidicily. "Protocol--"

"Of course. Stupid of me--but the case is so interesting. Half thecenter staff have seen her already. I wasn't proposing to discuss thecase. It wouldn't be proper. Even though you are only a veterinarian. "

"Only?" Kennon's voice was hard. "I shouldn't have to remind you ofthis, Mr. Smalley--but I have been for the past two years on a world ofbad manners. I expected better here at home. "

Smalley flushed to the roots of his straw-colored hair. "Sorry, Doctor, "he muttered. "I don't know what's the matter with me. "

"I can tell you, " Kennon said. "You've just graduated. "

"How did you know?" Smalley said. 

"I was a graduate once, myself--not too long ago. "

"How long, sir?"

"Class of Eighty-seven. "

"That's twelve years ago, " Smalley said. 

Kennon nodded. Ten years lost. Not bad--not bad at all. But Alexandercould have done a lot in ten years. 

"I meant no disrespect, " Smalley said worriedly. 

"I know it. But if you intend to practice on Beta, you'd betterpolish your professional manner. Now where I was, it didn't make muchdifference. Laymen often called me 'Doc. '"

Smalley was properly shocked. "I hope you didn't encourage them, sir. "

"It was impossible to discourage them, " Kennon said. "After all, whenthe man who hires you--"

"Oh--entrepreneurs, " Smalley said in a tone that explained everything. 

* * *

The car stopped in front of the Medical Center's staff entrance. "Thisway, sir, " Smalley said. He led the way down a green-tiled corridorto an elevator--then down another corridor past a pair of soft-footednurses who eyed them curiously--looking at Kennon's tunic and sandalswith mild disapproval in their eyes. Smalley stopped and knocked softlyon a closed door. 

"Enter, " said a pleasant baritone voice from the annunciator. 

"Dr. Brainard--Dr. Kennon, " Smalley said. 

Kennon liked the man instantly. A plump, pink-cheeked man of middleage, with prematurely white hair, Dr. Will Brainard combined a fatherlyappearance with an impression of quick intelligence. The fat thatsheathed his stocky body had obviously not touched his mind. Brainardrose from the deep chair near the window where he had been sitting, knocked the ashes from his pipe, and bowed stiffly. His eyes--sharppoints of blue in the smooth pinkness of his face--surveyed Kennoncuriously. 

"So you're the young man who takes untrained pregnant women for rides inold-fashioned spacers, " he said. "Didn't you know what would happen?"

"I was in a hurry, Doctor, " Kennon said. 

"Obviously. Now tell me about it. " Brainard looked at the eager-facedinterne standing behind Kennon. "That will be all, Smalley, " he said. 

Kennon waited until the door closed. "Ordinarily, " he said, "I'd neverhave done a thing like that, but there were some very pressing reasons. However, I should have given her an injection of Somnol before westarted. I'm criminally liable. If anything happens to her--" His voicewas tight with worry. 

"You'd give her an injection?" Brainard said. "I hope you didn't meanthat. "

"But I did, sir. I've given thousands of Lani injections. "

"What's a Lani?"

"She is, sir. The impression has been that her race isn't human. "

"Nonsense--it's obvious she is. "

"A Brotherhood Court of Inquiry didn't think so. "

"Hmm. Is that so?"

"Yes, sir. --But before I go on, tell me, how is she?"

"Oh, she'll be fine. A little mental therapy and plenty of rest are allshe needs. She's a remarkably healthy young woman. But this is besidethe point. There are a number of unusual features about this case thatneed investigation. " Brainard took a standard hospital form from hisdesk. "Mind if I ask you some questions, Doctor?"

"Not at all but you are due for some unpleasant shocks as you go throughthat form. "

"I believe I can survive them, " Brainard said dryly. 

"This is professional confidence--" Kennon began. 

"Of course, of course, " Brainard said impatiently. "Now let's get onwith it. "

* * *

"This is the most amazing tale I've ever heard, " Brainard said slowly. "Are you certain you are telling the truth?"

Kennon grinned. "I don't blame you for not believing me--but theevidence is conclusive, and there is enough documentary evidence inthe space ship--and in the fact of the ship itself to prove what I amsaying. Laboratory tests here will establish the fact that Copper'schild is also mine. And as for Flora, a Brotherhood Investigation Teamcan prove that part. "

"That will be attended to, " Brainard said grimly. 

"But how did you deduce she wasn't from a Betan colony?" Kennon asked. 

Brainard smiled. "That wasn't hard. Her sun tan and the condition of herfeet proved she was a practicing nudist. No Betan girl ever practicesnudism to my knowledge. Besides, the I. D. Tattoo under her left arm andthe V on her hip are no marks of our culture. Then there was anotherthing--the serological analysis revealed no gerontal antibodies. Shehad never received an injection of longevity compound in her life. Thismight occur, but it's highly improbable. The evidence indicates thatshe's extra-Betan. "

Kennon nodded. 

"But this business of her being fifteen years old! That's impossible. She has the development of a woman of twenty-five. "

"Remember the Alpha V colony?" Kennon said. 

"Of course--oh--I see! It could be something like that. Certainly--strong yellow G-type sun--an isolated colony serviced attwenty-year intervals--there was a marked physical precocity. "

"And if this had been continued for several millennia?" Kennon asked. 

"Hmm--I see. Yes, it's possible. On Alpha V the colonists grew frominfancy to maturity in fifteen years. "

"And wasn't Heaven one of our early colonies?"

"Yes--it was established after the Great Schism near the end of theFirst Millennium--when science and religion split irrevocably on thisworld. We packed the whole lot of them off to a world of their own wherethey could develop as they pleased. They called it Heaven--odd name fora fogworld--but there's no accounting for tastes. " Brainard chuckled. 

"I thought that was the case, but I couldn't remember. My ancienthistory is pretty weak. "

"You should read more, " Brainard said. "But as I see it--this girl is ofBetan ancestry providing your theory and the facts coincide. "

"Which could also explain why an outworld species of agerone would betoxic. They tried to prolong Lani life and met with failure. Our plantsare mutant forms. "

"Just as we are a mutant race, " Brainard said, "or partly mutant. " Hesighed. "You have brought us a great deal of trouble, Kennon. You arebringing matters to a head. If our investigations prove your statements, we are morally bound to open the Lani question. And if those people areof Betan origin--that fellow Alexander will have plenty to answer for. "

"I don't believe it is really his fault, " Kennon said slowly. "I don'tthink he has ever known the truth. "

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"The answer to that should be obvious. Even though I trusted himcompletely, I could never be sure. He has a Free Trader backgroundand those people can't he trusted where money's concerned. The wholeKardonian culture is an outgrowth of Free Traderism: small business, independent corporation, linear trusts, and all the cutthroatcompetition such a culture would naturally have. It's a regular jungleof Free Enterprise. I couldn't predict how he would react. He couldeither act in a moral manner and make restitution, or he could quietlycut our throats and go on with his business. "

"I see. The temptation to cut a throat might be overwhelming. "

"They fight commercial wars, " Kennon said. 

"Disgusting--utterly uncivilized! Under the circumstances you had noother course. Still, they have no moral right to enslave human beings. "

"There is always the element of doubt. Maybe they didn't know. Afterall, an impartial court declared the Lani alien--and the Betan mutationisn't known throughout the Brotherhood. "

"One doesn't go around broadcasting data on the variations of one's germplasm, " Brainard said. "That's a private affair--a matter of personalprivacy. "

"And public safety?"

Brainard nodded. "We're no more courageous than any other civilization. We have no desire to borrow trouble. We are content to leave thingsalone. "

"That's the trouble, " Kennon said. "We're all content to leave thingsalone. If I hadn't found the spaceship I'd not have been able to layaside my moral conditioning. And if I had not, Copper would not havebecome pregnant and forced me into these drastic actions. It's evenpossible that I would have done nothing. " He grimaced. "And when I leftAlexander's employment mnemonic erasure would have removed all memory ofthe Lani's human origin. " He shrugged. "I still am not certain that itwouldn't have been the wiser course. Naturally, once I knew, I couldn'tdo anything else than what I did. "

"Naturally, " Brainard said. "Humanity reaches the heights when it facesquestions of moral responsibility. "

"To mankind, " Kennon added heavily. "We have a convenient blind spotregarding our moral responsibility to other intelligent races. "

"A harsh fact, but true--and who is to judge whether it is right orwrong? We achieved dominance of Earth by our moral responsibility tofamily, tribe, and nation--and we nearly exterminated ourselves whenwe forgot that this responsibility went beyond nations and embracedall mankind. We learned that after the Exodus. As for the otherraces--perhaps someday we will learn moral responsibility for allintelligence--but we are not ready for that yet. That's too big a mentalhurdle. " Brainard sighed. "We are what we are, and we change slowly. Butwe change. "

"True enough, " Kennon said. "But it's hard to be philosophical aboutit. "

"You're young. Live a couple of centuries and you will understandpatience. "

Kennon smiled. 

"You know, " Brainard said thoughtfully, "you still have plenty of thingsto do. "

"I know. I'll have to make a transcript of this discussion, haveit witnessed, and make a sealed record. I have to arrange for thereposition of the evidence inside the Egg, and a complete recording ofthe Egg itself. "

"And to be safe you'll need several facsimiles, properly attested. Thearms of these outworld entrepreneurs are long, and unfortunately not allBetans are models of honesty. "

"I'd better get started then. "

"Let me help you, " Brainard said. "I have a little influence in thisarea--and your cause interests me. " He picked up the phone on his desk. 

Kennon sighed. He had found an ally. 

CHAPTER XIX

"What are you going to do with that girl?" Brainard asked. 

"Formalize our mating as soon as she is able to get out of bed, " Kennonreplied. 

"She is an ignorant, untrained savage!" Brainard protested. "You shouldhear the stories the nurses tell about her!"

Kennon chuckled. "You don't have to tell me about those. I've lived withLani for two years. But she's not stupid. "

"What are your plans?"

"After we establish her humanity legally, " Kennon said, "I'm going tosend her to school. "

"For twenty years?"

"If necessary. But I don't think it will take that long. She has someschooling. "

"But no training--and what of the Lani in the meantime?"

"I have plans for that. I'm going back to Kardon and give Alexander achance to make restitution. I think he is an honorable man. Slavery maybe as revolting to him as it is to any civilized human. He deserves achance to rectify his grandfather's error. "

"That is reasonable--and in the best traditions of the Brotherhood. "

"Furthermore, it's practical, " Kennon said. "Alexander is the only onefully qualified to handle the problems of enfranchisement. He's knownthe Lani all his life, and he is an executive type. A Brotherhoodcommittee would probably botch the whole affair. What with colonialjurisdiction, territorial rights, and all the legal quibbling thatcommittees love, the Lani would get a poor deal. And there's no reasonto wreck the lives of a couple of hundred million Kardonians becausethe rightful owners of Kardon were illegally enslaved. That happenedtoo long ago to have any practical meaning. There are other and bettersolutions. "

"What?"

"How should I know?" Kennon asked. "But I'm sure Alexander will. That'shis field. "

"All you have to worry about is whether he'll co-operate, " Brainardsaid. 

"He'll co-operate once he knows the score, " Kennon said confidently. "And he'll have to make some form of restitution. But it shouldn'tinvolve Kardon. Actually the Lani were never in a position to developthat world. They'd probably have remained on Flora indefinitely. The oldcourt records showed no tendency for their culture to expand. Theywere an inbred group, a static, balanced society in harmony with theirenvironment. In nearly thirty-five hundred years their numbers increasedonly to a few thousand. Actually there is a good possibility that therace would ultimately have died out if Old Alexander hadn't enslavedthem and instituted a controlled breeding program. There are more Lanialive today than there were at the height of their power. So in a wayOld Alexander did them a favor. He kept their race alive. All we canexpect is a fair and just settlement. "

"But if Alexander doesn't co-operate?"

"That's where you come in. You'll be a watchdog. If you don't receiveannual progress reports from me--and see or talk to me personally everysecond year, you are released from our bond and can do what you wishwith the evidence I've accumulated. "

"We'd better get this into Private Record, " Brainard said. "We cantranscribe an agreement and place it in the Public Repository. "

"A good idea and we'd better waste no time. Alexander might still belooking for me--and if he is, it's merely a question of time before hecatches up. "

"Ten years have passed. It's doubtful. But we could keep you here at theCenter. "

Kennon shook his head. "Too dangerous. And besides it would compromiseyou. No--we'll get everything possible done to make the Lani's caseairtight, and then I'll return to Kardon. It will put our case ina better light if it ever comes to trial, if I go back voluntarily. Anyway--I'm morally bound to return. Now let's make this record. "

"It's your decision, " Brainard said. "And it's your neck--but I mustadmit that I agree with you. "

"I'll feel safer when we get the legal details clarified, " Kennon said. 

"And what of the girl?"

"Can you take care of her if I have to leave quickly?"

"Of course. I'll give her personal attention, and after she has herchild I'll see that she is sent to you. "

"That's decent of you, Doctor. "

"It's my moral responsibility, " Brainard said as he slipped a new tapeinto the recorder. 

* * *

Copper responded quickly to rest and therapy. The space shock cleared upquickly. The gerontological treatments put her to bed again, but withina month she was completely normal, and her lifespan was now that of anormal human. She could look forward to some four hundred years withKennon--and the prospect was not unpleasant. The Center fascinated her. Never before had she seen a hospital devoted to the care andtreatment of humans. It was a far cry, in its polished steel and stonemagnificence, from the tiny primitive structure over which Kennon hadpresided. Yet both places served the same purpose. Perhaps Kennon wasright--that there was no difference between man and Lani. The idea wasnot nearly as unbelievable as it was at first. 

"I never realized what it meant to be human, " Copper said as she heldKennon's hand. "It is nice to feel important and to know that our childis a member of the race that rules the galaxy. "

"So you're convinced?" Kennon chuckled. 

"The serological identity--" she began. 

"Hmm. You've been getting some education, I see. "

"Well, " Copper smiled, "I didn't think you wanted a stupid woman. I canread--and since you are around so seldom nowadays, there is little elseto do. I've been reading history, medicine, and novels, " she finishedproudly. 

"A fine catholic selection, " Kennon said, "Now if you add mathematics, sociology, and philosophy you'll have a well-rounded basic education. "

"Dr. Brainard has been trying something he calls 'hypno. ' He says itwill help me learn faster. But I can't see that it's done much good. "

"You won't until you need the information, " Kennon said. 

"That technique is only good for implanting basic knowledge, and much ofthat will merely supplement or complete that which you already have. Youwon't be conscious of it. "

"Oh--I think I see what you mean. "

"Of course, you'll have to continue your formal education. There's agreat deal for you to learn. It should keep you busy while I'm away. "

"Away? Where are you going?"

"Back to Kardon. "

"But you can't! Alexander will destroy you. "

"I think not. After all, ten years have elapsed since we left there andhe's had plenty of time to think. Douglas must have told him about us. I wouldn't be surprised if he has already done something about yourpeople. "

She shivered. "He might--but the question is what would he do? He couldhave killed them all!"

Kennon shook his head. "I don't think so. He never struck me as a massmurderer. "

She shook her head. "You don't know the Alexanders like I do. I wasraised by them. They're capable of anything. But what is this businessof ten years? That's silly. I haven't had my child yet--and it doesn'ttake ten years of pregnancy to produce a baby. "

"It's the difference between subjective and objective time, " Kennonsaid. "We traveled here through hyperspace--low Cth--in an uncompensatedship, and there is little temporal flow in the levels below the blue. "

"Oh--of course. "

Kennon chuckled. "That would have been Greek to you a couple of weeksago. See where that basic data fits?"

"But I've always known that. "

"You just think you have. Search your memory and see if I'm not right. "

Copper shook her head. "It's very strange, " she said. "But that's notimportant. This idea of going back to Kardon, though--that's a differentthing--that is important. "

"I have to do it. Not only because it's a personal moral obligation butalso because of the Lani. They must have their freedom. "

"Providing there are any still alive. "

"Stop being a calamity howler. Whatever Alexander may be, he's not abutcher. He even loved a Lani once. You told me so yourself. And hecouldn't kill where he loved. "

She nodded. "I suppose you're right, but I've never lost my fear of theMan Alexander. He held the power of life and death over me. But if youmust go then I should go too. My obligation is greater than yours. "

"Later, " Kennon said. "You're not ready to return. It will be timeenough after you have learned some civilized habits. "

Copper's face lengthened. "You mean like wrapping myself in cloth likethese people do?"

"That's part of it. "

"Why can't they be sensible--or are they so ashamed of what the godsgave them that they must hide themselves?"

"No, it's not that. At least not exactly. It's custom. And you mustlearn to conform to customs--outwardly at least--no matter what you mayreally think. "

"Isn't that a form of lying?" Copper asked. 

"I suppose so. "

"Isn't that strange. Your society exalts truth, honor, morality, andintelligence--yet you lie about your attitude. "

"It's called diplomacy, " Kennon said. "It's part of respect for others'attitudes and beliefs, a necessary part of human relationships. "

"Then you'd be a nudist on Santos?"

"Of course--even though I think it isn't proper, I couldn't inflict myideas and attitudes on the customs of an independent world. "

"Oh--you think I'm doing that?"

"Yes--and it is a mark of barbarism. "

"Sometimes you're not very nice, " Copper said. 

Kennon smiled wryly. "I suppose I'm not, " he agreed. 

"I'll try to be civilized, " Copper said. "But if you go to Kardon--I'mgoing with you. "

"Perhaps, " Kennon said. "We'll see how things turn out. "

"You don't want me to go with you?"

"To be honest--no, " Kennon said. "You're safe here, and until yourstatus is cleared by a Brotherhood court, I wouldn't care to place youin Alexander's hands. And clearing your status is going to take time. "

"You mean that I am still his property?"

"Yes. But there is a legal doubt that will prevent him from exercisinghis claim as long as you stay on Beta. In the area where he has power, that doubt might not hold. So until your status is definitely proven tobe human, you should not leave. "

"And what happens if this court denies my claim?"

"Then we appeal to the Council. However, with the evidence we have, yourclaim cannot reasonably be denied. The only question is one of time. Itmay take years. Still, I don't think there is anything to worry about. Idon't think Alexander will give us any trouble, but there's no sense intaking chances. "

"You still think I'm a Lani, " she said accusingly. 

"I do not. "

"Then you think that I'd obey Alexander, after what I did to Douglas. "

"I can only repeat that Douglas isn't the Boss-man. "

"I wish I knew what you really thought. "

"That isn't hard. I think you should stay here until I get this businessstraightened out. "

"That's all?" she asked suspiciously. "After all, I know I'm not verypretty now. And there's lots of Lani on Flora--"

"Oh, for Ochsner's sake! Do you think that I'm--" He paused, speechless. "Just what do you think I am?"

"You're a man. And that's the trouble. "

Kennon chuckled. "So that's it! You don't trust me. "

"I love you, " Copper said. 

"Sometimes I wonder why men ever finalize their status with women, "Kennon murmured. "It does no good. It doesn't convince the woman. She'sstill fearful, jealous, and suspicious--always belittling her abilityto hold what she has, always alert for competition, clinging, holding, absorbing--when she should be working as part of a team. "

"That's not true!"

"Then prove it. "

"How--by staying here while you go to the end of the galaxy and playnoble?"

"I'm only doing what I have to do. "

"And so am I--and if you go I'm going with you. "

Kennon shrugged. There was no sense arguing. The only thing to do wasmake his plans and leave quietly. If she was faced with an establishedfact, she might be more reasonable. He doubted it, but alone, she coulddo nothing--and Brainard would see that she was comfortable. The salvagemoney from the Egg would keep her from being a public charge. And he hadmore banked in Albertsville which he could send her once he got there. He'd start making plans to leave as soon as possible. 

Copper looked up at him as he stood above her bed. Slowly she reachedout and placed one slim hand in his. "I know what you are thinking, " shesaid, "and--" her face twisted in a grimace of pain, and the hand in hisclutched with convulsive strength at his fingers. 

"What's the matter?" he said. 

"Nothing--it's perfectly normal, " she said. "I'm just going to give youa son. Now if you'd call for the doctor, perhaps we can get this over. That pain was only twenty minutes from the last. I think it's abouttime. "

Kennon--who had attended several hundred Lani births and had developed acertain callousness about them--was suddenly frightened and helplessas he pushed the call button. He could feel the cold sweat form on hisforehead. He had started this. It was his fault if anything went wrong. He wished that it was someone else rather than Copper who was goingthrough this trial. He was nervous, unsure, and guilty. In a word, hefelt like a man whose mate was giving birth to their first child. 

* * *

"It's a boy, " Dr. Brainard said. He smiled down at Kennon's haggardface. 

"How is Copper?" Kennon asked. 

"Fine--she's healthy as a horse. "

Kennon winced at the cliche It was so ancient that it had lost allmeaning. Most Betans didn't know what a horse was, let alone whetherit was healthy or not. From what Kennon could remember of veterinaryhistory, the horse wasn't too healthy an animal. It was rather delicate, in fact. 

"How is the child?" Kennon asked. It took a little courage to ask thisquestion. The baby could be anything from normal to a monstrosity. 

"Perfectly normal, " Brainard said. "A true Betan type even down to thevestigial tail. We amputated that, of course. "

"Thank Ochsner!" Kennon breathed. "I was afraid. "

"Of course you were, " Brainard said. "Do you want to see them now? WhenI left, Copper was asking for you. "

Kennon sighed. Leaving, he realized, wasn't going to be as easy as hehad thought. 

"We'll have to keep them here for a couple of months, " Brainard said. "We must take exhaustive tests if we expect the court to reverse itsprior decision. "

"I expected that, " Kennon said. He shrugged, "It's probably best, " hesaid. "Now show me where Copper is. "

"She's back in the same room. You don't need a guide. "

Kennon didn't. In fact, he behaved quite admirably. 

CHAPTER XX

Longliners, Kennon reflected, didn't make Beta a port of call, and theShortliner connections with other worlds were 'infrequent. Beta had donea good job separating from the rest of the Brotherhood. Too good. Thespaceline schedules showed only one departure in the next month, aShortliner for Earth, and from Earth the road to Kardon was long andtortuous, involving a series of short jumps from world to world and afinal medium-range hop from Halsey to Kardon. If everything went rightand he made every connection he would be in Kardon four months after heleft Beta. Kennon sighed as he left Travelers Aid. Morality was a heavyload to carry. 

He walked slowly down the road from the spaceport toward theCo-operative where he had been staying. He had left Huntersville andCopper a week ago, after he had seen his child. His child! The thoughtof being a father was oddly dismaying. It distorted his sense of values. But one thing was certain. He was returning to Kardon, and Copper wasnot coming with him. She had a duty to their son--and he had a duty tohis contract with Alexander, to the Lani on Flora, and to Copper--andnone of these could be satisfied by further running. He had to returnand settle the account. 

A tall man in a conservative yellow-and-black suit was waiting patientlyin front of his room. "My name is Richter, " he said "--Art Richter. Areyou Dr. Jac Kennon?"

"I could deny it, but I won't, " Kennon said. 

"Thank you, Doctor. It was just a formality anyway. You see, I knowyou by sight. " He sighed. "One has to observe the formalities in thisbusiness. " He drew a long white envelope from his tunic and handed it toKennon. "Most of my subjects try to deny their identity, " he said. 

"It's a refreshing change to find an honest man. " He bowed formally. "I really thought this would be harder, considering the charges againstyou. " He bowed again and walked away. 

"Now--what was that?" Kennon muttered as he opened the envelope. Theman Richter was undoubtedly a process server--but who had hired him?He unfolded the sheet and scanned the charges--coercion, larceny, livestock theft, and breach of contract. He shrugged. This wasAlexander's work. What was the man thinking of? It was insanity tobring the Lani matter into open court. Hadn't Douglas told him what hadhappened? Couldn't Alexander guess that he had fled with Copper for agood reason--one that would stand up in court? Didn't he know about thespacer? Or had Douglas turned on his cousin? The pup had so many hatesthat it was possible. He was a natural troublemaker. Maybe Alexanderdidn't know. Maybe he was working in the dark. Kennon scanned the sheetquickly. Ah! here it was. Complaint--Mr. Alexander X. M. Alexander, Skyline Tower 1024, Beta City!

Alexander! Here on Beta! Kennon opened the door of his room, wentstraight to the phone beside the bed. He lifted the handset from itscradle and dialed the operator. "Get me Huntersville THU 2-1408. I wantto speak to Dr. Brainard, Dr. Will Brainard. This is a prioritycall--my name is Kennon. Dr. Jac Kennon D. V. M. I'm in the registry--47M26429--yes--of course, and thank you. " He waited a moment. "Hello--Dr. Brainard?--Kennon here. I've just had some news. Alexander's on Beta!Yes--he served me with a summons. Can you get a restraining order toprevent him from leaving? You can? Good! Here's his address. " Kennonrattled off the location. "Yes--I'm taking the next airboat to BetaCity. This should simplify things considerably. --Of course it should. Hewas a fool to have come here. Yes--I suppose you should tell Copper. Oh! She is? I'm sorry to hear that, but there's no reason for her tobe angry. She should realize that I did this for her--not to make hermiserable. Hmm. --She--she has? You think she should come withme?--Yes, I realize she can be a problem when she wants to be. All rightthen--tell her to pack a toothbrush and a few spare diapers. And see ifyou can get me a couple of tickets on the next flight to Beta City. I'llbe over in a couple of hours and pick her up. " He cradled the phone anddialed the operator again. 

"I want the phone number of Skyline Tower 1024, Beta City, Mr. Alexander. Yes. I'll wait. This number is HUV 2-1278 and my nameis Kennon, Dr. Jac Kennon 47M 26429. I called you before. No, I'm atransient. I can refer you to Dr. James Brainard, Huntersville MedicalCenter. Yes, I'll accept charges. Now will you give me that number? BCA7-8941--thank you. "

Kennon hung up, dialed the number, and waited. 

"Hello, " he said. "Mr. Alexander? This is Dr. Kennon. --Yes--I supposeyou do, but I've been trying to get back to Kardon for the past month. You are? Well, that's your privilege, but I'd advise you to go easyuntil I see you. Naturally--I'm coming as soon as I can get there. We'llbe seeing you tomorrow morning at the latest. We?--I'm bringing Copper, of course. I just wanted you to know. "

Kennon wiped his forehead. Alexander sounded angry and dangerous. Tenyears hadn't served to cool him off. What had happened on Kardon afterhe had left? Kennon shook his head. There was something here he didn'tunderstand. The entrepreneur should have been covering his tracks, notthreatening jail and disaccreditation. It was obvious that a personalvisit was more necessary than he had thought. 

Alexander was waiting. His eyebrows rose at the sight of Copper informal Betan dress--and lifted a trifle more at the sight of the baby. 

"What is this, Kennon?" he asked. 

"Trouble, " Kennon said. He took off his hat. "I came here to settlethings before you took this case to court. You obviously do notunderstand what has happened. I suppose Douglas has double-crossed you. It would be characteristic of him. But before we go any further I thinkwe should clear the air and let each other know where we stand. Idon't want to make trouble if it's not necessary. You'll notice I'm notwearing a thought screen, so you'll be able to check everything I say, and know I'm telling the truth. "

"It had better be good, " Alexander said grimly. "I've been looking foryou for ten years. I intend to throw the book at you. "

"I don't know whether my reason is good or not. Technically I'm guiltyof breach of contract and larceny of corporation property, but there areextenuating circumstances. "

Alexander chuckled mirthlessly. "There are a few other charges. Andquite probably I can think of more if you beat these. I'm going to makean example of you, Kennon. I'm going to drag you down and stamp on you. You're going to be a horrible example to all smart operators who thinkthey can break contracts. It's taken a million credits and ten years'time to hunt you down, but it's going to be worth it. "

"Copper's child is a boy, " Kennon said mildly. "My son. "

Alexander froze. "You can prove that?" he asked in a half-strangledvoice. 

Kennon nodded. "You see the extenuating circumstance?" he asked. "Suppression of human slavery!"

Alexander sat down. It was as though some unseen hand had pulled hislegs from under him. "You believe it, " he said. "--No--you've provedit! Why--why didn't you tell me? What sort of a man do you think I am?"

"I didn't know. I couldn't take the chance until Copper was protected. You see, sir, I love her. "

"That isn't hard to do with Lani, " Alexander said. He sank back in hischair, his face clouded, his expression troubled. It was obvious thatthe realization shocked him. 

Kennon felt an odd sympathy for the entrepreneur. It wasn't a nicefeeling, he suspected, to have the beliefs of a lifetime ripped apartand sent to the disposal chute. 

"So the Lani are a human variant, " Alexander said dully. 

"The proof is here, " Kennon said, "and the supporting evidence isconclusive. "

"Which makes me--what? A murderer? A slaver? A tyrant?" Alexanderclutched his head with lean-fingered hands. "What am I?"

"An innocent victim of circumstances, " Kennon said. "You didn't know. None of us knew. And we still wouldn't know if the Lani weren't ofBetan extraction. " He grimaced painfully. "I've done some soul-searchingmyself, and it hasn't been a pleasant task. "

"But it's nothing like mine, " Alexander said in a low voice. "Isuspected they were human when I was younger, but I denied my suspicionsand accepted false facts instead of investigating. "

"You would have found nothing. "

"Unfortunately, that's not true. We discovered quite a bit from theexperimental station you left us when you disappeared ten years ago. Butwe stopped when we found the age that was being indoctrinated with Lanitabus. We could have gone farther, but I didn't think it was necessary. "

"Didn't Douglas tell you?" Kennon asked curiously. "I told him when Iturned him loose. "

"Douglas didn't tell anything except that you had somehow gotten aspaceship. I assumed it was one of those that were involved in thatcommercial raid a few decades ago, but I see it wasn't. No--I knewnothing about this development. And Douglas, I guess, wanted to keepit hidden. He gave your co-ordinates and ordered Mullins to launch amissile. But he apparently forgot to turn on his IFF. At any ratethe missile lost you--but found Douglas. Douglas was still talking toAlexandria when it struck. "

"He might have informed you, " Kennon said. "If he had more time. "

"I doubt it. He ordered the missile first. He was trying to destroy youbefore you could destroy Outworld Enterprises. His motives were selfishas usual. " Alexander looked at Kennon with a haggard eye. "I owe you anapology, " he said. "I've considered you responsible for Douglas's deathfor ten years. I've searched for you on a hundred worlds. My agents inevery branch office have had standing orders to report any unusualarrivals. I have hunted you personally. I wanted to break you--I wantedto kill you. "

"I couldn't help the delay, " Kennon said. "The ship was old. "

"I know. You've told me more than you think. I'm a telepath, you know. "

"I've never forgotten it, " Kennon said. "That was one of the principalreasons I came here. I wanted to see how you'd react when you learnedthe whole truth. "

"And I suppose you gloat--no--you're not doing that. But you are right. I could have checked it further. But I didn't. Outworld Enterprises isfar bigger than Flora--and I was busy. Galactic trade is a snake-pit. And, after all, there was Douglas's death--and the Family with theirnever-ending clamor for money and their threats when it didn't comepromptly. I like being an entrepreneur, but until I made Outworldindependent of Family control, I couldn't do anything except run thebusiness to their wishes. Actually the island was only a small part ofthe corporation. I tried to run it as humanely as possible under thecircumstances. " He shuddered. "I don't think I was ever needlesslycruel. "

"No, " Kennon said, "you were indifferent. "

"Which is just as bad, " Alexander said. 

"Well--what are you going to do about it?" Copper interjected. "You canbeat yourself until you're blue, but that won't accomplish anything. "

"What are you going to do?" Alexander countered. "You have the upperhand. "

"Me?" Copper asked. "I have nothing. This is between you men. " Shelapsed into silence. 

Alexander turned back to Kennon. "You have undoubtedly made somearrangements. You wouldn't come here--oh! I see. Congratulations. Handling the evidence that way was a wise course. You have myadmiration. But then I should have known that I was not dealing with afool. " He smiled wryly. "Subconsciously I think I did know--but--"

"That's one consolation, " Kennon grinned. "To be thought a rascal is badenough, but to be considered a fool is intolerable. "

"But your decision not to use the evidence unless you were forcedto--that's poor business. "

"But good morals, " Kennon said. "Neither the Brotherhood nor I couldsettle this affair. It is a matter only you can handle. There isno sense in killing Outworld or throwing Kardon into centuries oflitigation. The Lani never were numerous enough to lay claim to anentire world. I'll admit the club is there, but I'll never use it unlessit's necessary. "

"Why not?--it's sound business practice. "

"I'm a professional--not a businessman. And besides, I haven't the moralright to return evil for good. You have not been a bad boss. "

"Thanks, " Alexander said glumly. "I've always considered myselfcivilized. "

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that, " Kennon said. "Honorable, yes--civilized, no. But none of us are really civilized. "

"So?"

"We haven't changed much, despite our development. Perhaps we've varieda little physically--and we've learned to use new tools, but our mindsare still the minds of barbarians--blood brothers against the enemy, andeverything not of us is enemy. Savages--hiding under a thin veneerof superficial culture. Savages with spaceships and the atom. " Kennonlooked down at Copper. Apparently her thoughts were miles away in anintrospective world that was all her own. She had said her piece andhaving done that was content to let the two men develop it. Kennonlooked at her with odd respect. Alexander eyed her with a mildlystartled expression on his lean face. And both men smiled, but thesmiles were not amused. 

"Judging from Copper, " Alexander said, "I don't think we'll have toworry about how the Lani will turn out. " He looked at Kennon with mildsympathy. "You are going to have quite a time with her, " he said. 

"I suppose so. I'll probably never know whether I'm guided or whetherI'm doing the guiding. I've changed a lot of my opinions about Coppersince the day I met her. "

Copper looked up and smiled at them. It was an odd smile, hinting atsecrets neither of them would ever know. Alexander chuckled. "It servesyou right. " He crossed his legs and looked up at Kennon standing beforehim. By some uncanny legerdemain he had gotten control of himselfand the situation at the same time. Being telepathic was an unfairadvantage, Kennon thought. 

"You were equally unfair with your accusation, " Alexander said. "Sure--humanity makes mistakes, and like this one they're sometimesbrutal mistakes. But we are capable of atonement. Morally we have come along way from the brutality of the Interregnum. I shouldn't have to useexamples, but look at that"--he waved at the view wall at the panoramaof gleaming fairy towers and greenery that made Beta City one of themost beautiful in the Brotherhood. "Don't tell me that five thousandyears of peace and development haven't produced civilization. That's aconcrete example out there. "

"It isn't, " Kennon said flatly. "Sure, it's pretty--clean--andbeautifully designed for art and utility--but it isn't civilization. You're confusing technology with culture. You look at this and say, 'What a great civilization man has built, ' when you really mean, 'Whata great technology mankind has developed. ' There's all the difference inthe world. Technology is of the mind and hands. Civilization is of thespirit--and spiritually we are still in the Dark Ages. 

"We conquer, kill, loot, and enslave. We establish standards to keephumanity a closed corporation, a special club in which men can live butaliens can't. We've made the standards for admission so rigid thatwe even enslave our own kind and call them animals. That's notcivilization--that's savagery!

"For nearly five hundred years your family has run a slave pen. Yourfortune is based upon it. And you have perpetuated this traffic in fleshon the specious reasoning that a court judgment of half a millennium agois as good today as when it was handed down. Never once did anyone havethe moral courage to re-examine that old decision. Never once did anyhuman question the rightness of that decision. None of us are immune. We all based our conduct upon an antiquated law and searched no further. Everyone was happy with the status quo--or at least not so unhappy thatthey wanted to change it. Even I would have been content had it not beenfor Copper. "

"Yet I do not feel that it was bad that I hired you, " Alexander said. "Even though you have shown me that I am a slaver, and made me seefaults I never knew I had. " His face was drawn--harsh lines reached fromnose to lips, from eyes to chin. Suddenly he looked old. "I can acceptcensure if censure is just. And this is just. No--I'm not sorry I hiredyou even though the thought of what I have helped do to the Lani makesme sick to my stomach. "

"Well--" Kennon said. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know, " Alexander said. "At the first smell of trouble, theFamily will turn tail and run. You can break the company, and I won'tstand in your way. It's only just. You're the one who's carrying theball. Now run with it. "

"That damned blind spot, " Kennon said. "You realize, of course, thatyou're not legally liable. It was a mistake. All you have to do is admitthe error and start from there. Naturally--no reasonable intelligencewould expect that you change the older Lani. They're too old for eitheragerone or change. It would be both cruel and inhuman to turn themloose. It's with the youngsters that you can work--those who arephysically and physiologically young enough to derive benefit fromagerone and education. 

"As I remember, you bought a planet called Phoebe. Now why don't you--"

"Phase out! Of course! But that means that you can't press charges. "

"Why should I? I'm not one of these starry-eyed reformers who expectto change things overnight. It's the future of the Lani race that'simportant, And Brainard agrees with me. A phase-out is the propersolution. Change the education, let males be born--teach the young tothink instead of to obey. Give them Phoebe for a home--they never ownedall of Kardon anyway. And within a century or two we will have a newgroup of the human race--and then we can tell the Brotherhood. "

Kennon looked inquiringly at Copper. She smiled and nodded. "It wouldcause less trouble that way, " she said. "It would be more sure--andthere are never too many old ones. "

Kennon shuddered, thinking of the euthanasia chambers on Otpen One. "There will be more from now on, " he said. 

"Outworld can afford it. It'll bend us a little but we won't break--andbesides, the Lani will need our help for some time to come. " Alexanderlooked at Kennon. "Can we make an agreement that all parties willrespect?" he asked. 

"I think so--providing there are no sleeper clauses in it, " Kennon said. 

"There won't be, " Alexander said. 

And there weren't. 

* * *

It was a private ceremony. The Family, sulky and unwilling, faced witha choice of drastically reduced income or outright confiscation andpreferring a portion of a loaf to none. Alexander--grim but oddlypeaceful of expression. Brainard--pink-cheeked and emotionless. Kennonand Copper--happily conscious that it was at last finished. It was anoddly assorted group of conspirators who planned to restore a segment ofhumanity to the human race. 

Kennon signed last, and as he did, Alexander looked at him with a slygrin distorting the smooth pallor of his face. 

"You forgot something, " he said. 

"What?" Kennon said--aware suddenly that something was wrong. 

"What do you plan to do, now that this is over?"

"Join the Medical Center here and practice veterinary medicine. "

"You wouldn't care to work for me--to help rebuild the wreckage you'vehelped create? I'll need a manager on Kardon to phase out the islandwhile we phase in Phoebe. "

"No, thank you. I've had enough of that. "

"You just think you have, " Alexander said gleefully. "That's what youhave forgotten. You've gotten your agreement--now you will satisfy me. As I see it you have breached your contract by leaving Flora withoutauthorization. "

"That is right, " Kennon said. A small lump of lead began to grow rapidlylarger in his stomach. Brainard was grinning and Copper's eyes wereshining. "You've been jobbed!" his mind told him. He sighed. He knewwhat was coming next. 

"The punitive clause for breach of contract, " Alexander went oninexorably, "is very broad. Discretion is vested in the entrepreneur. Ican obtain judgment against you in any court on any planet. "

"I know, " Kennon said glumly. 

"But I am going to be civilized, " Alexander said. "I am going to bemerciful. I am going to extend your contract until phase-out has beencompleted. You are going to have control of the entire Kardon phase ofthe operation. It's poetic justice--you made the mess--now you can cleanit up. "

"That's inhuman!"

"Humanity has nothing to do with it. It's justice, " Alexander said. Hesmiled at Copper's radiant face. The thought of going home was good toher. "Good luck on your new job, Dr. Kennon, " he said. "And welcome tothe brotherhood of the ulcer. "