"Dis," Ihjel said, a thick file, "third out from its primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth is Nyjord—remember that, it is going to be very important. Dis is a place you need a good to visit and no at all to leave. Too hot, too dry; the temperature in the a hundred Fahrenheit. The is nothing but and sand. Most of the water is and inaccessible. The surface water is all in the of briny, swamps—undrinkable without processing. All the and are here in the and you can study them later. Right now I want you just to the idea that this is as and as they come. So are the people. This is a of a Disan."
Lea at the three-dimensional on the screen. Not at the physical of the man; as a in the of life she had a sights. It was the man's pose, the on his face—tensed to leap, his to all of this teeth.
"He looks as if he wanted to kill the photographer," she said.
"He almost did—just after the picture was taken. Like all Disans, he has an and of offworlders. Not without good reason, though. His was settled by the Breakdown. I'm not sure of the details, but the picture is clear, since the of their the of all the and on Dis.
"Apparently there were large-scale operations on there once; the world is rich in and them is very simple. But water[Pg 37] came only from and I most of the food came from offworld. Which was good until the settlement was forgotten, the way a of other were the Breakdown. All the records were in the fighting, and the were pressed into service. Dis was on its own. What to the people there is a to the possibilities of sapiens. Individuals died, in pain, but the lived. Changed a good deal, but still human. As the water and food ran out and the down, they must have to survive. They couldn't do it mechanically, but by the time the last machine collapsed, people were to the to keep the going.
"Their are still there, to the environment. Their are around a hundred and thirty degrees. They have in the area for water. These are minor changes, to the major ones they have done in themselves for this planet. I don't know the exact details, but the reports are very about relationships. They us that this is the time has been an active part of either or other than in the role of host."
"Wonderful!" Lea exclaimed.
"Is it?" Ihjel scowled. "Perhaps from the scientific point of view. If you can keep notes you might a book about it some time. But I'm not interested. I'm sure all these and will you, Dr. Morees. But while you are blood and your thermometers, I you will be able to a little time to a study of the Disans' personalities. We must either out what makes these people tick—or we are going to have to by and watch the whole up!"
"Going to do what!" Lea gasped. "Destroy them? Wipe out this pool? Why?
"Because they are so loathsome, that's[Pg 38] why!" Ihjel said. "These have managed to their hands on some bombs. They want to light the and these on Nyjord, the next planet. Nothing said or done can them differently. They surrender, or else. This is for a of reasons—most important, the Nyjorders would like to keep their for their very own. They have every of but none of them works. The Disans are out to suicide. A Nyjord is now over Dis and the has almost for the of the bombs. The Nyjord ships H-bombs to turn the entire into an pile. That is what we must stop."
Brion looked at the on the screen, trying to make some of the man. Bare, feet. A bulky, length of cloth around the was the only garment. What looked like a piece of green was over one shoulder. From a were a number of odd of hand-beaten metal, and leather. The only item was a thin knife of design. Loops of piping, bells, in patterns of gave the of the a appearance. Perhaps they had some religious significance. But the well-worn and look of most of them gave Brion an sensation. If they were used—what in the they be used for?
"I can't it," he concluded. "Except for the hardware, this looks as if he has into the Stone Age. I don't see how his can be any threat to another planet."
"The Nyjorders it, and that's good for me," Ihjel said. "They are paying our Cultural Relationships Foundation a good to try and prevent this war. Since they are our employers, we must do what they ask." Brion this large lie, since it was designed as an for Lea. But he a note to Ihjel later about the situation.[Pg 39]
"Here are the reports." Ihjel them on the table. "Dis has some as well as the bombs—though these aren't the threat. A was up Dis. It had delivered a jump-space that can those on Nyjord while to the of Dis. While a peaceful and happy people, the Nyjorders were at this and the tramp's captain to give them some more information. It's all here. Boiled down, it a minimum by which time the can be set up and start bombs."
"When is that deadline?" Lea asked.
"In ten more days. If the hasn't been by then, the Nyjorders are going to all life from the of Dis. I you they don't want to do it. But they will the in order to their own survival."
"What am I to do?" Lea asked, the pages of the report. "I don't know a thing about or jump-space. I'm an exobiologist, with a in anthropology. What help I possibly be?"
Ihjel looked at her, his jaw, into the of flesh. "My in our is restored," he said. "That's a that is rare—even on Earth. You're as as an chicken, but to if we keep a close on you." He cut off Lea's angry with a hand. "No more bickering. There isn't time. The Nyjorders must have over thirty trying to the bombs. Our has had six people killed—including my late in of the project. He was a good man, but I think he at this problem the way. I think it is a cultural one, not a physical one."
"Run it through again with the power up," Lea said, frowning. "All I is static."
"It's the old problem of genesis. Like Newton and the apple, Levy and the in the field. Everything has a beginning. If we can out[Pg 40] why these people are so hell-bent on suicide we might be able to the reasons. Not that I to stop looking for the or the jump-space either. We are going to try anything that will this murder."
"You're a than you look," Lea said, and the of the report. "You can count on me for complete cooperation. Now I'll study all this in if one of you will me to a room with a lock on the of the door. Don't call me; I'll call you when I want breakfast."
Brion wasn't sure how much of her speech was and how much was serious, so he said nothing. He her to an empty cabin—she did lock the door—then looked for Ihjel. The Winner was in the adding to his with an that a good-sized tureen.
"Is she for a native Terran?" Brion asked. "The top of her is my chin."
"That's the norm. Earth is a of genes. Weak backs, appendixes, eyes. If they didn't have the and the people we need I would use them."
"Why did you to her about the Foundation?"
"Because it's a secret—isn't that enough?" Ihjel angrily, the last from the bowl. "Better eat something. Build up the strength. The Foundation has to maintain its if it is going to anything. If she returns to Earth after this it's that she should know nothing of our work. If she up, there'll be time to tell her. But I if she will like the way we operate. Particularly since I plan to some H-bombs on Dis myself—if we can't turn off the war."
"I don't it!"
"You me correctly. Don't your and look moronic. As a last I'll the myself than let the Nyjorders do it. That might save them."[Pg 41]
"Save them—they'd all be and dead!" Brion's voice rose in anger.
"Not the Disans. I want to save the Nyjorders. Stop your and and have some of this cake. It's delicious. The Nyjorders are all that here. They have a by the laws of chance. When Dis was cut off from contact, the into a of homicidals. It did the opposite for Nyjord. You can there just by fruit off a tree. The population was small, educated, intelligent. Instead of into an they into a different society. Not mechanical—they weren't using the wheel when they were rediscovered. They of cultural specialists, into the of interrelationship—the thing that machine have had time for. Of this was ready-made for the Cultural Relationships Foundation, and we have been with them since. Not so much as protecting them from any that might this idea. But we've on the job. Nonviolence is to these people—they have without needing destruction. But if they are to up Dis for their own survival—against every one of their tenets—their won't endure. Physically they'll live on, as just one more dog-eat-dog with an A-bomb for any of the who behind."
"Sounds like now."
"Don't be smug. It's just another of people with the same old likes, and hatreds. But they are a way of together, without violence, that may some day the key to mankind's survival. They are looking after. Now and study your Disan and read the reports. Get it all we land."[Pg 42]
