‘Yes, Director. Your predecessor promised I would go in return for services rendered.’
‘I have a better reason than that. My predecessor, who was a great man, an admirable man, was also a sick old man at the end. His enemies thought that he had become paranoid. He believed Rotor knew of Earth's danger and had left without warning us because they wanted Earth destroyed, and that Rotor must therefore be punished. However, he is gone, and I am here. I am not old, or sick, or paranoid. Assuming Rotor is safe and is at the Neighbor Star, it is not our intention to harm them.’
‘I'm glad of that, but isn't this something you ought to discuss with Dr Wendel, Director? She is to be the captain of the ship.’
‘Dr Wendel is a Settler. You are a loyal Earthman.’
‘Dr Wendel has worked loyally for years on the superluminal project.’
‘That she has been loyal to the project is beyond question. But is she loyal to Earth? Can we count on her to carry out the letter and the spirit of Earth's intentions toward Rotor?’
‘May I ask, Director, just what Earth's intentions are toward Rotor? I take it that there is no longer the intention of punishing the Settlement for its failure to warn us.’
‘That is correct. What we want now is association, human brotherhood, only the kindliest of feelings. With friendship established, there must be a quick return with as much information as possible about Rotor and its planet.’
‘Surely if Dr Wendel is told this - if she has this explained to her - she will carry it out.’
Koropatsky chuckled. ‘One would think so, but you know how it is. She is a woman who is not in the first bloom of youth. A fine woman - I have no fault to find - but she is in her fifties.’
‘What of that?’ (Fisher found himself offended.)
‘She must know that when she comes back, with the vital experience of a successful superluminal flight, she will be more valuable to us than ever; that she will be needed to design newer, better, more advanced superluminal vessels; that she will have to train young people as superluminal pilots. She will be quite sure that she will never be allowed to venture out through hyper-space again, for she will simply be too valuable to risk. Therefore, before coming back, she may be tempted to explore further. She may not wish to abandon the thrill of seeing new stars and penetrating new horizons. But we cannot have her take one risk more than she must take to reach Rotor, gain the information, and return. We cannot afford the time lost either. Do you understand?’ His voice had become hard.
Fisher swallowed. ‘Surely you have no real reason-’
‘I have every reason. Dr Wendel has always been in a delicate position here - as a Settler. You understand, I hope. Of all the people on Earth, she is the one we depend on most, and she is a Settler. She has had to be the subject of a detailed psychological profile. She has been extensively studied, with and without her knowledge, and we are quite certain that, given a chance, she will go off exploring. And she will be out of communication with us. We won't know where she is, what she is doing. We won't even know if she is alive.’
‘And why are you telling me all this, Director?’
‘Because we know you have a great influence over her. She can be guided by you - if you are firm.’
‘I think, perhaps, you overestimate my influence, Director.’
‘I am sure we don't. You, too, have been much studied, and we know exactly how bound the good doctor is to you - perhaps more than you yourself realize. We know, also, that you are a loyal son of Earth. You might have left with Rotor, stayed with your wife and daughter, but you returned to Earth at the cost of losing them. You did that, moreover, knowing that my predecessor, Director Tanayama, would consider you a failure for failing to bring information back concerning hyper-assistance, and that your career might well be ruined. That satisfies me that I can count on you to see to it that Dr Wendel is kept under firm control and is brought back to us quickly and that you will, this time - this time - bring back the information we need.’
‘I'll try, Director,’ said Fisher.
‘You say that dubiously,’ said Koropatsky. ‘Please understand the importance of what I am asking you to do. We must know just what they're doing, how strong they are, and what the planet is like. Once we know all that, we will know what we must do, and how strong we must be, and for what kind of a life we must be prepared. Because, Fisher, we must have a planet, and we must have it now. And we have no choice but to take Rotor's planet.’
‘If it exists,’ said Fisher hoarsely.
‘It had better exist,’ said Koropatsky. ‘Earth's survival depends upon it.’
27. Life
Siever Genarr opened his eyes slowly and blinked at the light. He had a little trouble focusing at first and couldn't quite make out whatever filled his vision.
The image sharpened slowly and soon Genarr recognized Ranay D'Aubisson, Chief Neurophysicist of the Dome.
Genarr said in a weak voice, ‘Marlene?’
D'Aubisson looked grim. ‘She seems well. It's you I'm concerned about right now.’
A pang of apprehension made its way through Genarr's vitals and he tried to drown it with his sense of black humor. He said, ‘I must be worse off than I thought if the Angel of the Plague is here.’
Then, as D'Aubisson said nothing, Genarr asked sharply, ‘Am I?’
She seemed to come to life. Tall and angular, she bent over him, the fine wrinkles about her piercing blue eyes becoming more prominent as she squinted at him.
‘How do you feel?’ she asked, answering no questions.
‘Tired. Very tired. All right, otherwise. I think?’ The rising inflection served to repeat his earlier question.
She said, ‘You've been sleeping for five hours.’ She was still not answering.
Genarr groaned. ‘I'm tired anyway. And I have to go to the bathroom.’ He began to struggle into a sitting position.
At D'Aubisson's signal a young man approached rapidly. Respectfully, he placed his hand under Genarr's elbow and was indignantly shaken off.
D'Aubisson said, ‘Please let yourself be helped. We have made no diagnosis yet.’
When Genarr was back in bed ten minutes later, he said ruefully, ‘No diagnosis. Have you made a brain scan?’
‘Yes, of course. Instantly.’
‘Well?’
She shrugged. ‘We found nothing of importance, but you were asleep. We will take another when you're awake. And you must be observed in other ways.’
‘Why? Isn't the brain scan enough?’
Her gray eyebrows rose. ‘Do you think it is?’
‘No games. What are you getting at? Say it straight out. I'm not a child.’
D'Aubisson sighed. ‘The cases of the Plague we have had showed interesting features on brain scan, but we were never able to compare it with the pre-Plague standard because none of the sufferers had been scanned prior to onset. By the time we set up a routine and universal brain scanning program for all people in the Dome, there were no longer any unmistakable cases of the Plague. Did you know this?’
‘Don't lay traps for me,’ said Genarr pettishly. ‘Of course I knew of it. Do you think my memory is gone? I deduce, then - I can still deduce, too, you know - that although you have my scan of earlier days and can compare it with the scan you just took, you found nothing of significance. Is that it?’
‘You obviously do not have anything remarkably wrong, but we might have something we would consider a subclinical situation.’
‘If you find nothing?’
‘We might not notice a subtle change if we're not specifically looking for it. After all, you collapsed and you are not ordinarily given to collapsing, Commander.’
‘Take another scan now that I'm awake, then, and if it's something so subtle it escapes you, then I'll live with it. But tell me about Marlene. Are you sure she's well?’