In spite of its fantastic acceleration they had time to sleep while their vehicle curved into a path which would take them into one of the two conical extensions which grew from the World’s north and south medial latitudes into the polar areas, leaving its totally enclosed sun directly astern of them. When they woke, the ship was approaching the tip of the north polar cone and only a few minutes from the five-hundred-mile diameter port which would enable them to move from intraplanetary to extraplanetary space.
For a heart-stopping moment the walls of the cone, the gargantuan ship construction and maintenance docks lining it like tiny, irregularly shaped metal tiles, rushed in at them from all sides. He glimpsed other ships, some distant and others uncomfortably close, moving toward the huge polar exit port. Then, in an instant too short for his senses to measure, they were through and on course for their waiting hypership.
The great exit port shrank into invisibility so that all around and behind them there stretched out a gigantic disk of absolute blackness. And above that dark and featureless horizon shone the stars as only they could shine at the center of the galaxy.
Feeling dwarfed and abysmally insignificant before such grandeur, Martin said very little during the rest of the journey to the hypership. No matter how difficult or dangerous the coming assignment turned out to be, he almost welcomed it because it would mean dealing with people like, or completely unlike himself. In that situation he could begin to feel useful and, in however small a measure, important again.
Chapter 19
GOOD MORNING, read the communications display. ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS AND ASSOCIATED PHYSIOLOGICAL AND SOCIOPOLITICAL DATA FOLLOW. PLEASE RECORD FOR LATER STUDY.
A pulsating grayness filled the screen as anything up to ten hours of relevant information was transferred in as many seconds, then it steadied again with another message.
SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENT. YOU WILL PROCEED TO THE SYSTEM AND PLANET LISTED AS FWC/132/88/G3. THE PLANETARY GRAVITY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE. AND CLIMATIC RANGE WILL NOT INCONVENIENCE YOU.
THE PREFIX INDICATES THAT THE PLANET HAS ALREADY BEEN CONTACTED BY US AND THE DOMINANT SPECIES SCREENED FOR SUITABILITY AS CITIZENS. NINETY-SEVEN POINT THREE EIGHT PERCENT OF THE POPULATION SATISFIED THE REQUIREMENTS AND WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE FEDERATION WORLD. THOSE REMAINING — ARE AWARE THAT THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY INTELLIGENT RACE IN THE GALAXY THEY HAVE SEEN TWO-DIMENSIONAL REPRESENTATIONS OF MANY OF THE OTHERS, BUT HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED PERSON-TO-PERSON CONTACT WITH ANY OFF-PLANET SPECIES AND MAY NEVER DO SO IF YOU DECIDE ON A LENGTHY AND COVERT OPERATIONAL PROCEDURE.
Puzzled, Martin said, “We’ve never been allowed to make that kind of decision on other assignments. Are hostile? Would a direct approach be dangerous for physiological reasons?”
IT IS THEIR PRESENT LEVELS OF INTELLIGENCE. ETHICS, AND INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR. INCLUDING THEIR DEGREE OF HOSTILITY TOWARD STRANGERS. WHICH YOU ARE TO INVESTIGATE. OBSERVE.
A rapid succession of still pictures were displayed on the screen. They showed a species which was bipedal, bifurcate, bisexual, and in overall appearance utterly nonhuman, but completely familiar.
“We’re being sent to Keida?” Martin asked.
CORRECT INTENSIVE SURVEILLANCE WAS WITHDRAWN FROM KEIDA WHEN THE TRANSPORTERS REMOVED ITS SUCCESSFUL CITIZEN CANDIDATES TO THE FEDERATION WORLD. THE FEW UNDESIRABLES REMAINING WERE SO WIDELY SCATTERED THAT IT WAS THOUGHT THAT THEY WOULD NOT POSE A THREAT EVEN TO THEMSELVES. NOW THERE ARE INDICATIONS OF A VERY LARGE ORGANIZATION EMERGING IN THE CENTRAL CONTINENT. THE MOTIVATION IS AS YET UNCLEAR BUT COMBINES MALE PARENT WORSHIP WITH A FORM OF RELIGIOUS MILITARISM.
“That sounds like a nasty combination,” Martin said. “But is it any of our concern? I assumed that, being Undesirables, it no longer mattered what they did to each other.”
YOU SHOULD REEXAMINE THAT ASSUMPTION. PHILOSOPHICALLY THERE ARE NO SUCH COLORS AS BLACK AND WHITE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN UNDESIRABLE AND A NON-CITIZEN LIKE YOURSELF IS LESS THAN YOU THINK.
It was obvious that the words had angered Beth as much as they had him. Since the completion of their training they had considered themselves as members, albeit not very important members, of the Federation’s elite group of contact specialists. Being told that there was little difference between themselves and the vicious, power hungry, or otherwise amoral Undesirables was deeply wounding to the justifiable pride they had been taking in their work.
What kind of assignment was it that began with such a serious attack on their basic convictions and self-respect?
THE CITIZEN ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION PROCEDURE IS EFFICIENT BUT NOT INFALLIBLE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT AMONG KEIDA’S UNDESIRABLES THERE ARE POTENTIAL CITIZENS AND NON-CITIZENS WHO DO NOT PRESENT THEMSELVES AT THE INDUCTION CENTERS. THESE BEINGS SHOULD BE CONTACTED. INTERROGATED, AND ASSESSED AS PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT. YOU WILL ALSO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE IN WHATEVER FORM IS REQUIRED SHOULD THE KEIDI BE PREPARED TO ACCEPT IT. THEY ARE AN INTENSELY PROUD AND SELF-RELIANT RACE AS YOU ALREADY KNOW. BUT YOUR PRIMARY PURPOSE IS TO INVESTIGATE THE SITUATION WHICH IS DEVELOPING ON KEIDA AND SUGGEST A METHOD OF MEETING AND OVERCOMING THE THREAT.
“We found it hard, enough to offer help to Keidi Citizens,” Martin commented. “Their Undesirables are likely to be very dangerous and difficult people to investigate openly, and the trouble with a completely covert approach is…”
“Why,” Beth asked suddenly, “were we chosen?”
THE ASSIGNMENT IS DIFFICULT BUT MAY NOT BE DANGEROUS. THE KEIDI HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ADVERSE TO THE TAKING OF LIFE AND ALTHOUGH MORE SUBTLE FORMS OF VIOLENCE HAVE BEEN PRACTICED THROUGHOUT THEIR HISTORY, THE PRESENT EXTREME RARITY OF INTELLIGENT BEINGS ON THEIR PLANET HAS STRENGTHENED THIS AVERSION. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN SO FAR. AND FOR THIS REASON YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO PROCEED WITH MINIMUM DIRECTION AND SUPERVISION. HOWEVER. THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT YOUR ASSIGNMENT WILL NOT BE COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY.
YOU TWO HAVE BEEN SELECTED BECAUSE OF PAINING. EXPERIENCE. AVAILABILITY. AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS WHICH I SHALL NOT LIST BECAUSE YOU WOULD FIND SOME OF THEM UNCOMPLIMENTARY YOU HAVE ALSO BEEN RECENTLY IN CONTACT WITH THE KEIDI LIFE FORM.
THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. THE THREAT LIES ON KEIDA, BUT IT IS THE FEDERATION WORLD WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY BE AFFECTED.
Martin opened his mouth to laugh, thinking that the supervisor was making some kind of alien and utterly ridiculous joke, then closed it again. For a moment the closing words continued to light the screen.
During the trip to the Keidi system, Beth and Martin said very little to each other. When they were not engaged in silently studying the Keidi material they were arguing bitterly and briefly about operational procedures, which resulted in further lengthy silences. As they were checking their equipment before boarding the lander, he made another attempt to reason with her.
“According to the regulations,” he said seriously, “the function of the ship handler is to remain with the hyper-ship and provide support and protection to the contactor on the surface. We are being allowed a wide degree of initiative on this one, but that doesn’t mean that you can completely ignore the rule book.”
Matching his tone, Beth said, “Don’t worry, the ship has been instructed to furnish whatever protection is necessary and hold itself ready to respond to verbal signals. These are word combinations not likely to be used in normal conversation. They’re listed on that screen for you to memorize.