Ulv joined them as they looked at the brain of the magter. The thing was so that Ulv noticed it.
"I have animals and my people with their open, but I have anything like that before," he said.
"What is it?" Brion asked.
"The invader, the you were looking for," Lea told him.
The magter's brain was only two-thirds of what would have been its normal size. Instead of the completely, it the space with a green, shape. This was like a brain, but the green shape had still and extensions. Lea took her and the dark mass.
"It me very much of something that I've on Earth," she said. "The green-fly—Drepanosiphum platanoides—and an organ it has, called the pseudova. Now that I have this in the magter's skull, I can think of a positive parallel. The Drepanosiphum also had a large green organ, only it of the of the head. Its identity puzzled for years, and they had a number of to it. Finally someone managed to and it. The out to be a plant, a that helps with the green-fly's digestion. It produces that the to the great of sugar it from plant juice."
"That's not unusual," Brion said, puzzled. "Termites and beings are a of other is helped by flora. What's the in the green-fly?"[Pg 145]
"Reproduction, mainly. All the other gut-living plants have to enter the and themselves as outsiders, permitted to as long as they are useful. The green-fly and its plant have a permanent relationship that is to the of both. The plant appear in many places the fly's body—but they are always in the cells. Every egg has some, and every egg that to is with the plant spores. The of the is and guaranteed."
"Do you think those green in the magter's blood be the same of thing?" Brion asked.
"I'm sure of it," Lea said. "It must be the same process. There are green the magters' bodies, or of those in their brains. Enough will their way to the to make sure that every is at birth. While the child is growing, so is the symbiote. Probably a faster, since it to be a organism. I it is well in the brain pan the six months of the infant's life."
"But why?" Brion asked. "What it do?"
"I'm only now, but there is of that us an idea of its function. I'm to that the itself is not a organism, it's an of plant and animal like most of the other on Dis. The thing is just too to have since has been on this planet. The must have the some Disan animal. The and in its new environment, well protected by a in a long-lived host. In for food, and comfort, the brain-symbiote must and that the to survive. Some of these might digestion, the to eat any plant or animal life they can their hands on. The might produce sugars, the blood of toxins—there are so many it do. Things it must[Pg 146] have done, since the are the life on this planet. They paid a high price for the symbiote, but it didn't to until now. Did you notice that the magter's brain is no smaller than normal?"
"It must be—or how else that brain-symbiote fit in the with it?" Brion said.
"If the magter's total brain were smaller in than normal it fit into the space in the hollow. But the brain is full-sized—it is just that part of it is missing, by the symbiote."
"The lobes," Brion said with realization. "This has performed a lobotomy!"
"It's done more than that," Lea said, the of the with her to a green beneath. "These into the brain, but always in the cerebrum. The to be untouched. Apparently just the higher functions of have been with, selectively. Destruction of the the without or ability for thought. Apparently they without these. There must have been some the right was struck. The final product is a man-plant-animal that is for on this world. No to or that might with pure survival. Complete ruthlessness—mankind has always been on this anyway, so it didn't take much of a push."
"The other Disans, like Ulv here, managed to without into such a creature. So why was it necessary for the to go so far?"
"Nothing is necessary in evolution, you know that," Lea said. "Many are possible, and all the ones continue. You might say that Ulv's people survive, but the better. If hadn't been re-established, I that the would slowly have the dominant[Pg 147] race. Only they won't have the now. It looks as though they have succeeded in with their urge."
"That's the part that doesn't make sense," Brion said. "The have and right to the top of the here. Yet they are suicidal. How it they haven't been out this?"
"Individually, they have been to the point of suicide. They will attack anything and with the same of emotion. Luckily there are no animals on this planet. So where they have died as individuals, their has their as a group. Now they are with a problem that is too big for their half-destroyed minds to handle. Their personal policy has their policy—and that's a very thing. They are like men with who have killed all the men who were only with stones. Now they are men with guns, and they are going to keep and until they are all dead.
"It's a perfect case of the of the of evolution. Men by this Disan life were the on this planet. The in the magters' was a true then, something and something, making a of where all were together than any be separately. Now this is changed. The brain cannot the of death, in a where it must to be able to survive. Therefore the brain-creature is no longer a but a parasite."
"And as a it must be destroyed!" Brion in. "We're not any more," he exulted. "We've the enemy—and it's not the at all. Just a of that is too to know when it is killing itself off. Does it have a brain—can it think?"
"I it very much," Lea said. "A brain would be of no use to it. So if it originally powers they would be gone by[Pg 148] now. Symbiotes or that live like this always to an minimum of functions."
"Tell me about it. What is this thing?" Ulv in, the soft of the brain-symbiote. He had all their talk but had not a word.
"Explain it to him, will you, Lea, as best you can," Brion said, looking at her, and he how she was. "And while you do it; you're long for a rest. I'm going to try—" He off when he looked at his watch.
It was after four in the afternoon—less than eight hours to go. What was he to do? Enthusiasm as he that only of the problem was solved. The would on unless the Nyjorders the of this discovery. Even if they understood, would it make any to them? The threat of the would not be changed.
With this came the that he had about Telt's death. Even he the Nyjord he must tell Hys and his army what had to Telt and his car. Also about the traces. They couldn't be against the records now to see how they might be, but Hys might make another on the of the suspicion. This call wouldn't take long, then he would be free to Professor-Commander Krafft.
Carefully setting the on the of the army, he sent out a call to Hys. There was no answer. When he to all he was static.
There was always a the set was broken. He the to the of his personal radio, then in the microphone. The was so loud that it his ears. He to call Hys again, and was to a response this time.
"Brion Brandd here. Can you read me? I want to talk to Hys at once."[Pg 149]
It came as a that it was Professor-Commander Krafft who answered.
"I'm sorry, Brion, but it's to talk to Hys. We are his and your call was to me. Hys and his ship about an hour ago, and are already on the way to Nyjord. Are you to now? It will soon to make any landings. Even now I will have to ask for to you out of there."
Hys and the army gone! Brion the thought. He had been off when he he was talking to Krafft.
"If they're gone—well, then there's nothing I can do about it," he said. "I was going to call you, so I can talk to you now. Listen and try to understand. You must the bombing. I've out about the magter, what their aberration. If we can that, we can stop them from Nyjord—"
"Can they be by midnight tonight?" Krafft in. He was and almost angry. Even tired.
"No, of not." Brion at the microphone, the talk was going all wrong, but not how to it. "But it won't take too long. I have here that will you that what I say is the truth."
"I you without it, Brion." The of anger was gone from Krafft's voice now, and it was with and defeat. "I'll admit you are right. A little while ago I to Hys too that he was right in his original of the way to the problem of Dis. We have a of mistakes, and in making them we have out of time. I'm that is the only that is now. The at twelve, and then they may too late. A ship is already on its way from Nyjord with my replacement. I my authority by a day past the maximum the gave me. I now I was the life of my own world in the hope[Pg 150] I save Dis. They can't be saved. They're dead. I won't any more about it."
"You must listen—"
"I must the me, that is what I must do. That will not be by anything you say. All the offworlders—other than your party—are gone. I'm sending a ship now to you up. As soon as that ship I am going to the bombs. Now—tell me where you are so they can come for you."
"Don't me, Krafft!" Brion his at the radio in an of anger. "You're a and a world destroyer—don't try to make out as anything else. I have the knowledge to this and you won't to me. And I know where the are—in the tower that Hys last night. Get those and there is no need to any of your own!"
"I'm sorry, Brion. I what you're trying to do, but at the same time I know the of it. I'm not going to you of lying, but do you how thin your from this end? First, a of the of the magters' intransigency. Then, when that had no results, you that you know where the are. The best-kept secret."
"I don't know for sure, but there is a very good it is so," Brion said, trying to repair his defenses. "Telt readings, he had other records of in this same keep—proof that something is there. But Telt is now, the records destroyed. Don't you see—" He off, how and his case was. This was defeat.
The radio was silent, with just the of the as Krafft waited for him to continue. When Brion did speak his voice was empty of all hope.
"Send your ship down," he said tiredly. "We're in a that to the Light Metals Trust, Ltd., a big of some kind. I don't know the[Pg 151] address here, but I'm sure you have someone there who can it. We'll be waiting for you. You win, Krafft."
He off the radio.[Pg 152]
