Lee Rynason sat on the red-stone seat, the of the as the being in of him spoke, its dry, mouth slowly and the of a spoken language its had not used for over thirty thousand years. The no in the thin air of Hirlaj as it passed over the notepaper; the only in the were those of the alien’s high and thin voice at and Rynason’s own breathing.
He did not to the alien’s voice—by now he had it often so that it was in its thin dryness, like old being together. He the as it jumped along sporadically:
TEBRON MARL WAS OUR … PRIEST KING HERO. NOT PRIEST BUT ONE WHO KNEW … THAT IS PRIEST.
Rynason was a slender, sandy-haired man in his late twenties. A from a knife cut left a line across his over his right eyebrow. His eyes, brown, green—the light on Hirlaj was sometimes deceptive—were soft, but with an alertness. He the interpreter’s and said, “How long ago?”
The recorded the Earthman’s question too, but Rynason did not watch it. He looked up at the of the alien, for the slow of its eyes, so slow that it not be called a blink, that would it had the question. The the question direct to the alien, but there was no that it would be understood.
The eyes, on him, closed and opened and in a moments came the Hirlaji’s voice.
THE GREAT AGE WAS IN THE EIGHTEENTH GENERATION PAST … SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS AGO.
Rynason calculated quickly. Translating that to about 8200 Earth-standard years and subtracting, that would make it about the seventeenth century. About the time of the Restoration in England, when the western of Earth was still being colonized. Eighteen ago on Hirlaj. He read the date into the for the to record, and sat and stretched.
They were the of a hall, the all around them. Dry, hard had in through and in the and across the of the building. Occasionally a small, quick animal would from a dark across the to another shadow, its in the dust.
Above Rynason the of the Hirlaji against the of the sky. The lines of all Hirlaji were simple, but Rynason had already that if he to the and he would soon his swimming. There was a quality to these which was not to a Terran mind, as though the old Hirlaji had them on just at a from those of Earth. The of the Rynason’s along its almost hypnotically. He himself, and his head, and again to the him.
The creature’s name, as well as it be in a Terran script, was Horng. The of the was dark and hairless, leathery, weathered; the light of the and across the from where they were to the of the temples. Massive the set low on the head, directly above the wide mouth which always open while the Hirlaji in long of air. Two were on either and the eyes. The was so thick and that it was nonexistent, the with the and trunk, on which the skin so thin that Rynason see the solid of the wall. Two arms from the shoulders, in four-digited hands on which two sets of were opposed; Horng moving them constantly, in what Rynason as a habit. The was of two heavily-muscled so that they move either or backward, and the had four but powerful from the center. The Hirlaji a dark of something which looked like wood-fibre, from the and together by a just the chest-wall.
Rynason, since on the three as one of a team of fifteen workers, had been Horng almost every day, but still he often himself only with that this was an being; Horng was so slow-moving and most of the time that he almost like a of leather, like a of together in a corner. But he was intelligent, and in his mind he the entire history of his race.
Rynason the interpreter-mike again. “Was Tebron Marl king of all Hirlaj?”
Horng’s slowly closed and opened. TEBRON MARL WAS RULER LEADER IN THE REGION OF MINES. HE UNITED ALL OF HIRLAJ AND WAS PRIEST RULER.
“How did he the planet?”
TEBRON LIVED AT THE END OF THE BARBARIC AGE. HE CONQUERED THE PLANET BY VIOLENCE AND DROVE THE ANCIENT PRIEST CASTE FROM THE TEMPLE.
“But the of Tebron Marl is as an of peace.”
WHEN HE WAS PRIEST KING HE HELD THE PEACE. HE ENDED THE BARBARIC AGE.
Rynason sat forward, the record these words. “Then it was Tebron who on Hirlaj?”
YES.
Rynason a go through him. This was what they had all been for—the point in the history of Hirlaj when had ceased, when the Hirlaji had themselves over to peaceful living. He already that the had been and sudden. It was the last question mark in the history of Hirlaj which the survey team had since its arrival—how had the Hirlaji managed so to and maintain an of peace which had to the present?
It was difficult to think of these huge, slow-moving as … but they had been, for thousands of their years, their and science until, almost overnight, the had ceased. Since then the Hirlaji moved in their slow way through their world, more with the passage of generations, passive, and, eventually, decadent. Now there were only some two dozen of the left alive.
They were telepathic, these aliens, and those they the entire memories of their race. Experiences through the centuries had a memory which each of the Hirlaji shared. They not, of course, in their own minds all of that store of memories and it all … but the memories were there.
It was at the same time a and a trial for Rynason and the of the survey team. They were … as well as possible on the worlds of this far-flung near the outward-moving Edge, the limit of Terran expansion. Rynason and if necessary repair the portable of the team, he the points of and of and had so many of that he make at least an at the of beings from fossil-remains or … or exoskeletons.
But the on Hirlaj was one which had been encountered; here he was not with a race’s remains, but directly with members of that race. It was not a of of science, and customs, out what he and together a picture from the at hand, as they had done with the of the Outsiders, those unknown beings who had left the of their and in six already and settled by the Earthmen; all he had to do here was ask the right questions and he would his answers.
Sitting there under that dome, with the quiet-eyed him, Rynason couldn’t a of ridiculousness. The problem was that the Hirlaji not be upon to be able to a particular memory-series in their minds; the memory was such a that all they do was at memories until the area was touched, and then up from there. The result was and information.
But he to be now. Having three with Horng, learning a little about the of his mind, he had at last across what might be the turning-point in the history of Hirlaj.
Horng spoke, and Rynason to watch the of the as it moved across the paper. TEBRON SPENT HIS YEARS BRINGING HIRLAJ TOGETHER. FIRST BY CONQUEST THEN BY … LEADERSHIP LAW. HE FORBADE … SCIENCES QUESTINGS EXPLORATIONS WHICH DREW HIRLAJ APART.
“What were these sciences?”
Horng closed and opened his eyes. MANY OF THEM ARE FORGOTTEN.
Rynason looked up at the alien, who sat on a seat. “But your doesn’t forget.”
THE MEMORIES ARE VERY FAR BACK AND ARE HARD TO FIND. THERE HAS BEEN NO EFFORT TO RETAIN CERTAIN MEMORIES.
“But you can these if you try?”
Horng’s to one side, a movement which Rynason had not yet managed to interpret. The shadowed, closed slowly. THE MEMORIES ARE THERE. THEY ARE THE SCIENCES OF KOR. MANY OF THEM ARE WARLIKE SCIENCES.
“You’ve mentioned Kor before. Who was he?”
KOR WAS IS GOD KNOWLEDGE.
Rynason frowned. The terms which had no in Terran by two or three related words, and the was clear. Not so with this sentence.
“God and knowledge are two different in our language,” he said. “Can you your term more fully?”
Horng on his seat, his each other. KOR WAS IS EXISTENCE WHICH WE WORSHIP OBEY ADMIRE FOLLOW. ALSO ESSENCE CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE SCIENCE QUESTING.
Rynason, the stylus, his lips. “Mm,” he said softly, and his shoulders. Kor was some of god, but the didn’t of the term precisely.
“What were the of Kor?”
There was a as the moving across the paper, and Rynason looked up at Horng. The alien’s were closed and he had stopped the motion of his fingers; he sat immobile, like a statue, almost a part of the of the and the building. Rynason waited.
The for a long time in the air of the empty hall. Rynason saw from the of his one of the dark little out of a window. He almost hear, it seemed, the noise of the brawling, town the Earthmen had a little less than a mile away from the Hirlaji ruins, where already the and and had a of metal and were settling in.
“What were the of Kor?” Rynason asked again, not wanting to think of the and of the Earth which so near to the Hirlaji domes.
He Horng’s gaze, with centuries, on him. THEY WERE ARE THOSE SCIENCES QUESTINGS WHICH KOR PROCLAIMED INFORMED WERE SACRED PART OF THE ESSENCE.
“Part of Kor?”
Horng’s to one side. APPROXIMATELY.
“How is this known? Tebron the power of the priesthood, didn’t he?”
TEBRON REPLACED THE PRIESTS. THE KNOWLEDGE WAS GIVEN TO TEBRON.
“Including the that these were prohibited?”
Horng forward, like a of wavering. His moved and then rested. THE MEMORIES ARE BURIED DEEPLY. TEBRON PROCLAIMED THIS PROHIBITION AFTER COMMUNICATING WITH KOR.
Rynason’s up from the interpreter. “Tebron spoke with Kor?”
After a pause, Horng’s voice came. APPROXIMATELY. THERE WAS … COMMUNICATION RAPPORT. TEBRON WAS KING PRIEST.
“Then Tebron this in the name of Kor. When did this occur?”
THE KNOWLEDGE PROHIBITION WAS COMMUNICATED TO HIRLAJ WHEN TEBRON ASSUMED POWER RIGHT.
“The same day?”
THE DAY AFTER. TEBRON COMMUNICATED WITH KOR IMMEDIATELY AFTER OUSTING REPLACING THE PRIESTS.
Rynason Horng’s as they were recorded by the interpreter; he was frowning. So this dawn-era king was to have spoken, telepathically, with the god of the Hirlaji. Could he have to have done so in an to his own power? But the that this was some on that supposition.
“Are there memories of Tebron’s with Kor?” he asked.
Horng’s closed and opened in acknowledgement, and then the rose to his feet. He moved slowly past Rynason to the of a long, of stairs which toward the empty dome, the of the interpreter. Rynason moved to the wires, but Horng stopped at the of the stairs, looking up along the to where it ended in a blunt, two-thirds of the way up. Rubble the break.
Rynason the being up those steps, and asked softly, “What are you doing?”
Horng, still upward, his to one side. THERE IS NO PURPOSE. He and came slowly to his seat.
Rynason wryly. He was to used to such from Horng, mind often to in sequiturs. It was as though the alien’s of the present were as as the of memories he held. Crazy old of leather.
But he was not crazy, of course; his mind ran in a way that was to the Earthmen. Rynason was to learn to respect that way, if not to it.
“Are there memories of Tebron’s with Kor?” Rynason asked again.
TEBRON COMMUNICATED WITH KOR IMMEDIATELY AFTER OUSTING THE PRIESTS. IT OCCURRED IN THE TEMPLE.
“Are there memories of what was said?”
Horng sat silently, in thought. His reply didn’t come for minutes.
THE MEMORIES ARE BURIED DEEPLY.
“Can you the communication?”
Horng’s to one in a fashion; Rynason see a jumping where the alien’s with his torso. THE MEMORIES ARE BURIED SO DEEPLY. I CANNOT REACH THEM.
Rynason at the as these were recorded. What have that that would have its memory to be so buried?
“Can you among any of the of Tebron’s memories any about Kor?”
YES. TEBRON HAD MEMORIES THAT HE HAD COMMUNICATED WITH KOR, BUT THESE ARE FLEETING. THERE IS NOTHING CLEAR.
The Hirlaji was shaking, his entire with some of which itself through the interpreter, the to and jump forward, a line across the paper. Rynason up at the alien, a his which to through to his and lungs. This was like the of an earthquake, his from the of their sockets; Rynason almost the weight of their like a heavy, dark blanket. He the interpreter’s slowly.
“Your not forget,” he said softly. “Why can’t you this conversation?”
Horng’s four-digited hands and the powerful out on the as Horng in long of air, the of his loud in the great space under the dome.
THERE IS NOTHING CLEAR. THERE IS NOTHING CLEAR.
