 Part 1, Chapter 1 of Masters of Space. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by R.J. Davis. Masters of Space by Edward Elmer Smith, a.k.a. E.E. Dock Smith, and Edward Everett Evans. Translated by Robert Connotetti, Stephen Blondell, and the online distributed proofreading team. Part 1, Masters of Space by Edward E. Smith and E. Everett Evans. The Masters had ruled all space with an uncorkable iron fist, but the Masters were gone. And this new young race, who came now to take their place? Could they hope to defeat the ancient enemy of all? Chapter 1 But didn't you feel anything, Java? Strange was apparent in every line of Tula's top bare body. Nothing at all? Nothing whatever. The one called Java relaxed from his rigid concentration. Nothing has changed, nor will it. That conclusion is indefensible, Tula snapped. With the promised return of the Masters, there must and will be changes. Didn't any of you feel anything? Her hot, demanding eyes swept the group. A group whose like, except for physical perfection, could be found in any nudist colony. No one except Tula had felt a thing. That fact is not too surprising, Java said finally. You have the most sensitive receptors of us all. But are you sure? I am sure it was a thought form of a living Master. Do you think that the Master perceived your web? It is certain. Those who built us are stronger than we. That is true. As they promised them, so long and long ago, our Masters are returning home to us. Jarvis Hilton, a terror. The youngest man yet to be assigned to direct any such tremendous deep space undertaking as Project Theta Orinus set in conference with his two seconds in command. Assistant Director Sandra Cummings, analyst, sensitist, and semanitation was tall, blond, and sebete. Planetarographer William Carnes, a black-haired, black-browed, black-eyed man of 30, was third in rank of the scientific group. I'm telling you, Jarvis, you can't have it both ways, Carnes declared. Captain Sautel is old school Navy brass. He goes strictly by the book. So you've got to draw a razor-sharp line. Exactly where the advisory board's directive puts him. And next time he sticks his ugly push across that line, Chicky's face him. You've been cast for milky toast, too, ever since we left base. That's the way it looks to you. Hilton's right hand became a fish. The man has age, experience, and ability. I've been trying to meet him on a ground of courtesy and decency. Exactly. And he doesn't recognize the existence of either. And since the board rammed you down his throat, instead of giving him old jeffers, you didn't expect him to. You may be right, Bill. What do you think, Dr. Cummings? The girl said. Bill's right. Also, your conscious appeasement doesn't do any more of the whole scientific group a bit of good. Well, I haven't enjoyed it either. So next time I'll pin his ears back. Anything else? Yes, Dr. Hilton. I have a squawk of my own. I know I was rammed down your throat. But just when are you going to let me do some work? None of us has much of anything to do yet. And won't have until we like somewhere. You're off Mesa Country Mile. I'm not off Mesa. You did want Eggleston, not me. Sure, I did. I worked with him and know what he can do. But I'm not holding a grudge about it. No. Why then are you on first name terms with everyone in the scientific group except me? Supposedly, your first assistant. That's easy. Hilton, snap. Because you've been carrying chips on both shoulders ever since you came aboard. Or at least I thought you were. Hilton ran suddenly and held out his hand. Sorry, Sandy. I'll start all over again. I'm sorry too, Chief. They shook hands warmly. I was pretty stiff, I guess, but I'll be good. You'll go to work right now too. Mr. Manetician, dig out that directive and tear it down. Draw that line Bill talked about. Can do, boss. She swung to her feet and walked out of the room. Her every movement won a life and easy grace. Carn swallowed her with his eyes. Funny, a trained dancer, PhD, and a Miss America type. Like all the other women aboard this fater, I wonder if you'll make out. So do I. I still wish they'd given me egging. I've never seen an executive type female PhD yet. That was worth the cyanide it would take to poison her. That's what a soft tail thinks of you too, you know. I know. And the board does know it's done. So I'm really hoping, Bill, that she surprises me as much as I intend to surprise the Navy. Alarm bells clanged as a mighty Perseus blinked out of overdrive. Every crewman sprang to his post. Mr. Snowden, why did we emerge without orders from me? Captain Sawtail belled, storming into the control room three jumps behind Hilton. The automatic took control, sir. He said quietly. Automatics, I give the order. In this case, Captain Sawtail, you don't. Hilton said. Eyes locked and held. Sawtail, this was a new and strange co-commander. I would suggest that we discuss this matter in private. Very well, sir, Sawtail said, and in the captain's cabin, Hilton opened up. For your information, Captain Sawtail, I set my interspace coupling detectors for any objective I choose. When any one of them reacts, it trips the kickers and we emerge. During any emergency outside the solar system, I am in command. With the provision that I must relinquish command to you in case of armed attack on us. Where do you think you found any such stuff as that in the directive? It isn't there, and I know my rights. It is, and you don't. Here is a semantic chart of the whole directive. As you will note, it overrides many Navy regulations. Disobedience of my orders constitutes mutiny, and I can and will. Have you put in irons and sent back to Terra for court martial? Now, let's go back. In the control room, Hilton said. The target has a mass of approximately 500 metric tons. There is also a significant amount of radiation characteristic of uronexate. You will please execute search, Captain Sautel. And Captain Sautel ordered to search. What did you do to the big jerk boss? Sondra whispered. What you and Bill suggested, Hilton whispered back. Thanks to your analysis of the directive. Pure gobbledygook, if there ever was any. I could. Mighty good job, Sandy. 10 or 15 more minutes fast. Then, here's the source of radiation, sir. A search man reported. It's a point source, though, not an object at this range. And here's the artifact, sir. Pilot Snowden said. We're coming up on it fast. But what's a skyscraper skeleton doing out here in interstellar space? As they closed up, everyone can see that the thing did indeed look like the metallic skeleton of a great building. It was a huge cube measuring well over a hundred yards along each edge. And it was empty. That's fine for that butt, Sautel said. And how? Hilton agreed. I'll take a boat. No suits would be better. Carnes, yarber, yip-tacs, leads and miller and suit up. They don't need a boat escort, Sautel said. Mr. Ashley, execute escort landing craft one, two and three. The three landing crafts approach that ignomic latex work of structural steel and stock. Five grotesquely armored figures wasted themselves forward on pencils or force. Their leader, Husu for the number 14, breached a mammoth girder and worked his way along it up to a peculiar looking bulge. The hull of his structure vanished, leaving miller and boats in empty space. Sautel gasped. Snowden, are you holding him? No, sir, faster than light. Hyperspace, sir. Mr. Ashley, did you have your interspace rig set? No, sir, I didn't think of it, sir. Dr. Cummings, why weren't you yourself? I didn't think of such a thing, either. Any more than you did, Sandra said. Ashley, the communications officer, had been working the radio. No reply from anyone, sir, he reported. Oh, no, Sandra explained. Then? But look, they're firing pistols, especially the one wearing number 14. But pistols? Recoil pistols. 63 for emergency use in case of power failure. Ashley explained. That's it, but I can't see why all their power went out at once. But 14, that's Hilton. He's really doing a job with that 63. He'll be here in a couple of minutes. And he was. Every power unit out there, suits and boats both, drained, Hilton reported, completely drained. Get some help out there fast. In an enormous structure deep below the surface of a far distant world, a group of technicians clustered together in front of one section of a two-mile-long control board. They were staring at a light that had just appeared for no light should have been. So one rain pan will be burned out for this. One of the group radiated harshly. That unit was inactivated long ago, and it has not been reactivated. Someone committed an error, your loftiness. Silo spool, stretch, do not commit errors. As soon as it was clear that no one had been injured, Sawtel demanded. How about it, Hilton? Structurally, it was high alloy steel. There were many bulges, possibly containing mechanisms. There were drive units of a non-terrain type. There were many projectors, which, at a rough guess, were a hundred times as powerful as any I have ever seen before. There were no indications that the thing had ever been enclosed, in a hole or in part. It certainly never had living quarters for warm-blooded, oxygen-breathing eaters of organic foods. Sawtel snorted. You mean it never had a crew? Not necessarily. Ah, what other kind of intelligent life is there? I don't know, but before we speculate too much, let's look at Try Die. The camera may have caught something I missed. It hadn't. The three-dimensional picture added nothing. It probably was operated either by programmed automatics or by remote control. Hilton decided finally. But how did they drain all our power? And just as bad, what in hell is that other point source of power we're heading for now? What's wrong with that, Sawtel asked? It's strength. No matter what distance or reactant I assume, nothing we know will fit. Neither fusion nor fusion will do it. It has to be practically total conversion. End of Chapter 1. Chapter 2 of Masters of Space. This is a LibreBox recording. All LibreBox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibreBox.org. Recording by R.J. Davis. Masters of Space by Edward Elmer Smith, a.k.a. E.E. Donk Smith and Edward Everett Evans. Translated by Robert Cunnitetti, Stephen Blundell and the online distributed proofreading team. Chapter 2. The first year snapped out of overdrive near the point of interest and Hilton stared motionless and silent. Space was full of madly worn ships. Half of them were bare giant skeletons of steel, like the derelict that had so unexpectedly blasted away from them. The others were more or less like the Perseus, except in being bigger, faster and a vastly greater power. Beams of starkly incredible power bit at and clung to equally capable defensive screens of pure force. As these inconceivable forces met, the glare of their neutralization filled all nearby space and ships and skeletons alike were disappearing in chunks, blobs, gout, streamers and sparkles of rendered fused and vaporized metal. Hilton watched two ships combine against one skeleton. Dozens of beams incredibly tight and hard were held inexcorably upon dozens of the bulges of the skeleton. Overloaded, the bulge of screams flared through the spectrum and failed. And bare metal, however refractory, endures only for instance under the appalling intensity of its beams as though. The skeletons tried to duplicate the ship's method of attack, but failed. They were too slow. Not slow exactly either, but hesitant, as though it required whole seconds for the commander or operator or remote controller of each skeleton to make it act. The ships were winning. Hey, Hilton Yelp. Oh, that's the one we saw back there. But what in all space does it think it's doing? He was plunging at tremendous speed straight through the immense fleet of embattled skeletons. He did not fire a beam nor energize a screen. He had merely plunged along as though on a plotted course until it collided with one of the skeletons of the fleet and both structures plunged a tangled mass of wreckage to the ground of the planet below. Then hundreds of the ships shot forward. Each to plunge into and explode inside one of the skeletons. When visibility was restored, another wave of ships came forward to repeat the performance. But there was nothing left to fight. Every surviving skeleton had blinked out of normal space. The remaining ships made no effort to pursue the skeletons nor did they reform as a fleet. Each ship went off by itself. And on that distant planet of the stretch, the group of mechs watched with amazed disbelief as light after light after light blinked out on their two miles long control board. Frantically, they relayed orders to the skeletons, orders which did not affect the losses. Praying pants were blackened for this. A metal snarl began to be interrupted by a coldly imperious thought. That long dead unit so inexplicably reactivated is approaching the fuel world. It is ignoring the battle. It is heading through our fleet toward the Omen half. Handle it, 1018. It does not respond, Your Loftiness. Then blast it, fool. Oh, it is inactivated. As Encyclopedius 9 explained the freaky's behavior of that unit. Yes, Your Loftiness. Many cycles ago, we sent a ship against the Omen within the device of destruction. The Omen must have intercepted it, drained it of power and allowed it to drift on. After all these cycles of time, it must have come upon a small force of power and, of course, continued its mission. That can be the truth. The Lords of the Universe must be informed. The mining units, the carriers and the refiner have not been affected, Your Loftiness, a mech radiated. So I see, fool. Then activating another instrument, His Loftiness thawed at it in an entirely different vein. Lord Your Loftiness, Madam, I have to make a very grave report. In the Perseus, four scientists and three Navy officers were arguing hesitantly, employing deep space verbiage not to be found in any dictionary. Charr, Carn called out, and Hilton joined the group. Does anything about this planet make any sense to you? No, but you're the planetographer. What's the matter with him? It's a good 300 degrees Kelvin too hot. Well, you know it's loaded with urine oxide. That much? The whole crust practically jewelry ore. If that's what the figures say, I'll buy it. By this sim, continuous daylight everywhere, noon, noon, sole, faulty light, except that it's all indivisible, Frank says it's from bombardment of a layer of something, and Frank admits that the whole thing's impossible. When Frank makes up his mind what something is, I'll take it as a data. Third thing, there's only one city on this continent, and it's protected by a screen that nobody ever heard of. Hilton pondered, then turned to the captain. Will you please run a search pattern, sir? Find two things only the hot spots. The planet was approximately the same size as terror. Its atmosphere, except for its intense radiation, was similar to terror. There were two continents, one immense dirtling ocean. The temperature of the land surface was everywhere about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That of the water about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Each continent had one city and both were small. One was inhabited by what looked like human beings, the other by use of formed robots. The human city was the only cool spot on the entire planet. Under its protective dome, the temperature was 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Hilton decided to study the robots first, and asked the captain to take the ship down to observation range. Sautel objected and continued to object until Hilton started to order his arrest. Then he said, I'll do it under protest, but I want it on record that I am doing it against my best judgment. It's on record. Hilton said coldly. Everything said and done is being and will continue to be reported. The Perseus floated downward. There's what I want most to see, Hilton said finally, that big strip mining operation. That's it, hold it. Then by a throat mic, I catch it all, scientist. You all know what to do. Start doing it. Sander's blonde head was very close to Hilton's brown one, as they both stared into Hilton's plate. Why, they look like giant armadillos. Shit-flame. More like tanks, he disagreed, except that they've got legs, wheels and treads and arms, cutters, diggers, probes and conveyer. And look at the way those buckets dip solid rock. The fantastic machine was moving very slowly along a bench or shelf that it was making for itself as it went along. Below it, to its left, dropped other benches being made by other mining machines. The machines were not using explosives. Hard though the ore was, the tools were so much harder and were driven with such tremendous power that the stuff might just as well have been slightly clayed sand. Every bit of loosened ore down to the finest dust was forced into a conveyor and then into the armored body of the machine. There it went into a mechanism whose basic principles Hilton could not understand. From this monstrosity emerged two streams of product. One of these, comprising 99.9-plus percent of the input, went out through another conveyor into the vast hold of a vehicle which, when full and replaced by a duplicate of itself, went careening madly cross-country to a dump. The other product, a slow, very small stream of tiny, glistening black pellets fell into a one-gallon container being held watchfully by a small machine, more or less like a three-wheeled motor scooter, which was moving carefully along beside the giant miner. When this can was almost full, another scooter rolled up and, without losing a single pellet, took over place and functioned. The first scooter then covered its bucket, clamped it solidly into a recess designed for the purpose and dashed away towards the city. Hilton stared slack-jawed at Sandra. She stared back. Do you make anything of that jar? Nothing. They're taking pure urine excite and concentrating, or converting, in a thousand to one. I hope we'll be able to do something about it. I hope so too, Chief, and I'm sure we will. Well, that's enough for now. You may take us up now, Captain Sautel, and Sandy, will you please call all department heads and their assistants into the conference room? At the head of the long conference table, Hilton studied his 14 department heads. All Husky young men and their assistants, all surprisingly attractive and well-built young women. Bud Carroll and Sylvia Bannister, a sociology set together. He was almost as big as Carnes. She was a green-eyed redhead whose 5'10' and 1'50' would have looked big except for the arrangement thereof. There were Bernadine and Heromone van der Moen, the leggy, rusty, platinum-blonde twins, both of whom were counter-medalist in physics. There was Ithane de Vox, the mathematical wizard, and Rebecca Eisenstein, the black-haired, flashing-eyed, excellent prodigy's theoretical astronomer. There was Beverly Bell, who made mathematically impossible chemical synthesis, who swim channels for days on end and computed planetary orbits in her sleekly coppered head. First we'll have a get-together, Hilton said. Nothing recorded just to get acquainted. You all know that our 14 departments cover science from astronomy to zoology. He paused, again his eyes swept the group. Stella Wing, who would have been a grand offer star except for her drive to know everything about language. Theodora Teddy Blake, who would prove gleefully that she was a world's best model, but was in fact the most brilliantly promising theoretician who had ever lived. No other force like this has ever been assembled, Hilton went on. In more ways than one, Sawtale wanted Jeffers to head this group instead of me. Everybody thought he would head it. And Hilton wanted Eagleston and got me, Saunders said. That's right, and quite a few of you didn't want to come at all, but were told by the board to come or else. The group stirred. Eyes met eyes and there were smiles. I myself think Jeffers should have had the job. I've never handled anything half this big and I'll need a lot of help, but I'm stuck with it and you're all stuck with me, so we'll all take it and like it. You've noticed, of course, the accent on you. The Navy crew is normal, except for the commanders being unusually young, but we aren't. None of us is 30 yet, and none of us has ever been married. You fellows look like a team of professional athletes and you girls. Well, if I didn't know better, I'd say the board had screened you for the front row of the course, instead of for a top bracket brain game. How they found so many of you, I'll never know. Viral men and neutral women, ethane debauched, leered enthusiastically. Viva the board! Nuva, Bravo, Tiny, Quail, Delicatest did not. Three rousing cheers for the board. Keep still, you nitwits. Let me ask you a question. This came from one of the twins. Before you give us the deduction, Jarvis, or will it be an intuition or an induction or a... or an inducement, the other twins suggested helpfully. Not that you would need very much of that. You keep still too many. I'm asking, sir moderator, if I can give my deduction first. Sure, Bernadine, go ahead. They figured we're going to get completely lost. Then we'll jettison the Navy, hunt up a planet of our own and start a race to end all human races. Or would you call this a C-duction instead of a D-duction? This produced a storm of whistles and cheers and jeers for a few seconds to quell. But seriously, Jarvis, Bernadine went on, we've all been wondering, and it doesn't make sense. Have you any idea at all of what the board actually did have in mind? I believe that the board selected for mental, not physical, qualities for the ability to handle anything unexpected or unusual that comes up, no matter what it is. I think it wasn't double-barreled. As Kincaid, the psychologist, he smiled quizzically that all this fatality, novelty, and glamour is pure coincidence. No, Hilton said, with an almost imperceptible flick of an eyelid. Coincidence is as meaningless as paradox. I think they found out that, barring freaks, the best minds are in the best bodies. One could be, the idea has been propounded before. Now let's get to work. Hilton flipped the switch of the recorder. Starting with you, Sandy, each of you give a two-minute boil-down. What you found and what you think. Something over an hour later, the meeting adjourned, and Hilton and Sandra strolled toward the control room. I don't know whether you convinced Alexander Q. Kincaid or not, but you didn't quite convince me, Sandra said, nor him either. Ho, Sandra's eyebrows. No, he grabbed the out eye offered him. I didn't fool Teddy Blake or Temple Bells either. You four are all though, I think. Temple, you think she's so smart? I don't think so, no. Don't fool yourself, Chick. Temple Bells looks and acts innocent and virtual. Maybe. Probably she is. But she isn't showing a fraction of the stuff she's really got. She's heavy artillery, Sandy, and I mean heavy. I think you're slightly nuts there, but do you really believe that the board was playing Cupid? Not trying, but doing. Cold-bloodedly and efficiently. Yes. But it wouldn't work. Are you going to get lost? We won't need to. Proquenquility will do the work. Pooey. You and me for instance. She stopped, put both hands on her hips and glared. Why, I wouldn't marry you if you. I'll tell the cock-eyed world you won't, Hilton broke him. Me marry a damn female PhD. Uh-uh. Mine will be a cuddly little brunette which lipstick is some kind of lipstick and that an isotope, something good to eat. One like that copy of Merchison's Dark Lady that you keep under the glass on your desk. She sneered. Exactly. He started to continue the battle and shut himself off. But listen, Sandy, why should we get into a fight because we don't want to marry each other? You're doing a swell job. I admire you tremendously for it and I like to work with you. You've got to point their garb at that. And I'm one of the few who know what kind of a job you're doing. So how relaxed. She flashed him a gammon grin and they went on into the control room. It was too late in the day then to do any more exploring. But the next morning early, the Perseus lined out to the city of the humanoids. To you turned toward her fellas. Her eyes filled with a haply triumphant light and her thought a lilting song. I have been telling you from the first touch that it was a master's. It is a master's. The master's are returning to us omens in their own home world. Captain Sawtale Hilton said, please land in the cradle below. And Sawtale storm on a planet like that. Not by. He broke off and stared. For now on that cradle, they're flamed out and screaming red the Perseus on Navy coated landing symbols. Your protest is recorded, Hilton said. Now sir, land. Fuming, Sawtale landed. Sandra looked pointedly at Hilton. First contact is my DC, no? Not that I like it, but it is. He turned to a burly youth with sun-bleached, prove-cut hair. Still safe Frank? Still abnormally low, surprising no end since all the rest of the planet is hotter than a middle-tail race of hell. Okay Sandy, who will you want besides the top linguist? Sike, both Alex and Temple, and Teddy Blake. They're over there. Tell them will you, while I burse Teddy. Will do. And Hilton stepped over to the two psychologists and told him. Then, I hope I'm not leading with my chin, Temple, but is that your real first name or a professional? It's real, it really is. My parents were Romanics. Dad said they considered both golden and silver. Not at all, obviously, he studies her. The almost-translucent unblemished perfection of her lightly tan, old irish skin, the clear calm, deep blueness of her eyes, the long, thick mane of hair, exactly the color of a field of dead-right wheat. You know, I like it, he said then, if it's you. I'm glad you said that, Doctor. Not that, Temple. I'm not going to doctor you. I'm not thin like Stella does. Anyway, that lets me tell you that I like it myself. I really think it did something for me. Something did something for you, that's for sure. I'm mighty glad you're aboard, and I hope here they come. Hi, Hark, hi, Stella. Hi, Jarve, said Chief Linguist Harkin-San. Hi, Boss. Watch holding us up, as kids' assistant, Stella Flamboyant, she was about five feet four. Her eyes were a tawny brown, her hair a flamboyant Auburn mom. Perhaps it owed a little of a spectacular refuge to chemistry. Hilton thought, but not too much. Let us away, let the lions roar and let the welkin rain. Who's been feeding you so much red meat, little squirt? Hilton laughed and turned away. Meeting order. Okay, Chick, take them away. We'll cover you. Good luck, girl. And in the control room to Sawtel, needle-beam cover, please, set for minimum aperture and lethal blast, but no firing captain Sawtel until I give the order. The purchase was surrounded by hundreds of natives. They were all adult, all naked, and about equally divided as to sex. They were generally most enthusiastically so. Jarve? Saunders wheel. They're telepathic. Very strongly so. I never imagined. I never felt anything like it. Any rough stuff? Hilton demanded. Oh no, just the offset. They love us. In a way, that's simply indescribable. I don't like this telepathy business. Not clear, foggy, diffuse. This woman is sure I'm her long lost, great-great 100 times grandmother or something. You, slow down. Take it easy. They want us all to come out here and live with, no, not with them, but each of us alone in a whole house with them to wait on us. But first they all want to come aboard. What? Hilton Yelp? But are you sure they're friendly? How about you, Alex? We're all sure, Jarve. No question about it. Bring two of them aboard. A man and a woman. You won't bring any. Sawtail thundered. Hilton, I had enough of your stupid story. I redone blundering long ago. But this utterly idiotic brainstorm of letting enemy aliens aboard us ends all severe in command. Call your people back aboard or I will bring them in by force. Very well, sir. Sandy, tell the natives that a slight delay has become necessary and bring your party aboard. The Navy officer smiled or grinned gloatingly. While the scientists stared at their director with expressions ranging from surprise to disappointment and disgust. You said. Expression less until Sondra and her party had arrived. Captain Sawtail, he says then, I thought that you and I had settled in private the question of who is in command of Project Theta Orinus at destination. We will now settle it in public. Your opinion of me is now on record witnessed by your officers and by my staff. What is now being similarly recorded and witnessed is that you are a hidebound, medally ossified Navy Mule, mentally and psychologically unfit to have any voice in any situation as this. You will now agree on this recording and before these witnesses to obey my orders unquestioningly or I will now unload all Bureau of Science personnel and equipment onto this planet and send you to the Bureau with the doubly sealed record of this episode posted to the advisory board. Take your choice. Eyes locked and under Hilton's uncompromising stare Sawtail weakened. He fidgeted, tried three times unsuccessfully to Blair Defiance. Then very well, sir, he said and saluted. Thank you, sir. Hilton said to his staff. Okay, Sandy, go ahead. Outside the control room door. Thank God you don't play poker, Jardin, cards, gas. With all you all the pay we'll ever get. You think it was a bluff? Yes. Deep box ass. Me, I think no. Name of a name of a name. I was wondering without ease what life would be like on this so alien planet. He didn't need to wonder tiny. Hilton assured him it was in the bay. He's incapable of abandonment. Beverly Bell, the Bander Mowing Twins and Temple Bells all stared at Hilton in awe and Sondra felt much the same way. But suppose he had called you, Sondra demanded. Speculating on the impossible is unprofitable, he said. Oh, you're the most exasperating thing, Sondra stomped the foot. Don't you ever answer a question intelligibly? When the question is meaningless, I can't. At the long Temple Bells who had been hanging back cocked an eyebrow at Hilton and he made his way to her side. What was it you started to say back there, boss? Oh yes, that we should see each other oftener. That's what I was hoping you were going to say. She put her hand under his elbow and pressed her arm lightly, readingly, against her side. That would be inducibly the fondest thing I could be of. He laughed and gave her arm a friendly squeeze. Then he studied her again, the most baffling member of his staff. About five feet six, leafed hard, trained down the spine as a tennis captain she would be. Stacked how she was stacked. Not as beautiful as Sondra or Teddy but with an ungodly lot of something that neither of them had or any other woman he had ever known. Yes, I am a little difficult to classify. She said quietly almost reading his mind. That's the understatement of the year but I'm making some progress. She said this was an open challenge. Except possibly Teddy, the best brain aboard. That isn't true but go ahead. You're a powerhouse. A tightly organized, thoroughly integrated, smoothly functioning beautifully camouflaged juggernaut. A reasonable facsimile of an irresistible force. My God Jarvis! That had gone deep. Let me finish my analysis. You aren't head of your department because you don't want to be. You've ruled the top sites of the board. You've been running 90% submerged because you can work better that way and there's no glory hound blood in you. She stared at him licking her lips. I knew your mind was a razor but I didn't know it was a diamond drill too. That seals your doom boss No, you can't possibly know why I'm here. Why of course I do. You just think you do. You see, I've been in love with you ever since as a gangling, bony, knobby-need kid. I listened to your first doctorate desputation. Ever since then, my purpose in life has been to land you. End of chapter 2 Chapter 3 Masters of Space This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by R.J. Davis Masters of Space by Edward Elmer Smith a.k.a. E.E. Dock Smith and Edward Everett Evans translated by Robert Concon at Teddy Steven Blundell and the online distributed proofreading team. Chapter 3 But listen he explained, I can't even if I want. Of course you can. Pure devilry dance to enter eyes. You're the director. It wouldn't be proper. But it's standard operating procedure for simple, innocent, unsophisticated little country girls like me to go completely overboard for the boss. But you can't. You mustn't. He protested in panic. Temple bells were getting plenty of revenge for the shocks he had given her. I can't. Watch me. She grins up at him. Her eyes still dancing. Every chance I get I'm going to hug your arm like I did a minute ago. And you'll take hold of my forearm that can be taken you see as either one a reluctant acceptance of a mildly distasteful but not quite actionable situation or two a blocking move to keep me from climbing up you like a squirrel. Confound at Temple you can't be serious. Can't I? She laughed gleefully especially with half a dozen of those other cats watching just wait at sea boss. Sandra and her two guests came aboard. The natives looked around the man at the various human men the woman at each of the human women. The woman remained beside Sandra. The man took his place at Hilton's left looking up he was a couple of inches shorter than Hilton's six feet one with an air of expectancy. Why this arrangement Sandy Hilton asked because we're tops it's your move Jardim watch first. You're an excite. Come along sport I'll call you that until Laurel. The natives said in a deep resident base voice he hid himself a blow on the head that would afford any two ordinary men. Stacking the alien woman a similar blow. Laurel and Sora. I would like to have you look at our urine excite with the idea of refueling our ship. Come with me please. Both nodded and followed him in the engine room he pointed at the engines then to the lead blocked live ramp leading to the fuel holes. Laurel do you understand hot radioactive water? Laurel nodded and started to open the heavy lead door. Hey Hilton yep that's hot. He sees Laurel's arm to pull him away and got the shock of his life. Laurel weighed at least 500 pounds and the guy still looked human. Laurel nodded again and gave himself a terrific bump on the chest. He then went into the hole and came out with two fuel pellets in his hand one of which he tossed to Sora. That is the motion looked like a toss but the pellet travels like a bullet. Sora caught it unconcernedly and both natives flipped the pellets into their mouths. There was a half minute of rock crusher crunching then both natives opened their mouths. The pellets had been pulverized Hilton's voice rang out. Pointer How can these people be non-radioactive after eating a whole fuel pellet a piece? Pointer tested both natives again. Cold he reported. Stone cold. No background even. Play that on your harmonica. Laurel nodded perfectly matter of fact like and in Hilton's mind formed a picture. It was not clear but it showed plainly enough a long line of aliens approaching the Perseus. Each carried on his or her shoulder a lead container holding 200 pounds of navy regulation fuel pellets. A standard loading tube was sealed into place and every fuel hole was filled. This picture Laurel indicated plainly could become reality any time. Sawtale was notified and came on the run. No fuel is coming aboard without being tested he roared. Of course not but it'll pass for all the tea in China. You haven't had a 10% load of fuel since you were launched. You can fill up or not the fuels here just as you say. If they can make the Navy standard of course we want the fuel arrived. Every load tested well above standard. Every fuel hole was filled to capacity with no leaky and no emanation. The natives who had handled the stuff did not go away but gathered in the engine room and more and more humans trickled in to see what was going on. Sawtale stiffened what's going on over there Hilton? I don't know but let's let them go for a minute. I want to learn about these people and they've got me stopped cold. You aren't the only one. But if they wreck that Mayfield it'll cost you over $20,000. Okay the captain and director watched why died. Two master mechanics had been getting ready to refit a tube. A job requiring both strength and skill. The tube was very heavy and made of super refract. The machine the Mayfield upon which the work was to be done was extremely complex. Two of the aliens had brushed the mechanics very gently aside and were doing their work for them. Ignoring the voice one native had picked the tube up and was holding it exactly in place on the Mayfield. The other hands moving faster than the eye could follow walking it, micrometrically precise and immovably secure into place. How about this? One of the mechanics asked of his immediate superior if we throw them out how do we do that? By a jerk of the head the non-com passed the buck to a commissioned officer who relayed it up the line to Sautel. Who said? Nobody can run a Mayfield without months of training they'll wreck it and it'll cost you. But I'm getting curious myself and not so to take half the damage let them go ahead. How about this, Mike? One of the machinists asked of his fellow I'm going to like this ma. He asked my dear chummy the other droll to pass the isly my man released me of so much uncouth effort the natives had kept on working the Mayfield was running it had always held and screamed at its work but now it gave out only a smooth and even hum the aliens had adjusted it with unhuman precision they were one with it as no human being could possibly be and every mine present knew that those aliens were at long, long last fulfilling their destiny and were in that fulfillment supremely happy. After tens of thousands of cycles of time they were doing a job for their adored, their revered and beloved masters that was a stunning shock but it was eclipsed by another I am sorry, Master Hilton Laurel's tremendous bass voice boomed out that it has taken us so long to learn your master's language as it now is since you left us you have changed it radically while we of course have not changed at all I'm sorry but you're mistaken Hilton said we are merely visitors we have never been here before nor as far as we know were any of our ancestors ever here you need not test this Master we have kept your trust everything has been kept changelessly the same awaiting your return as you ordered so long ago can you read my mind Hilton demanded of course but omens cannot read in master's mind anything except what masters want omens to read omens hearkens ask where did you omens and your masters come from originally as you know master the masters came originally from farce they populated ardu where we omens were developed when the stretch drove us from ardu we all came to Audrey which was your home world until you left it in our care we keep also this your half of the fuel world in trust for you lesson jarve harkens said tensely omen human ard earth ardu earth 2 Audrey earth 3 you can't laugh them off but there never was an Atlantis this is getting no better fast we need a full staff meeting you too saltel and your best man we need all the brains of Perseus can muster you're right but first get those naked women out of here it's bad enough having women aboard at all but this, my men are spacemen mister farrow spoke up if it is a master's here to keep on testing us so be it we have forgotten nothing a dwelling awaits each master in which each will be served by omens who will know the master's desires without being told every desire while we omens have no biological urges we are of course highly skilled in relieving tensions and derive as much pleasure from that service as from any other saltel broke the silence of father well for the men he hesitated especially on the ground well talking in mixed company you know but I think fake nothing of the mixed company kept at saltel Saundra said we women are scientists not shrinking violence we are accustomed to discussing the facts of life just as frankly as any other facts saltel jured to some at hilton who follows him out into the quarter I have been a navy meal he said I admit now that I'm out maneuvered out man and out gun I'm just as baffled at present as you are served but my training has been aimed specifically at the unexpected for yours has not that's letting me down easy jar saltel smile the first time the startled hilton had known that the hard tough old space hound could smile what I wanted to say is lead on I'll follow you through force field and space works thanks kipper and by the way I erased that record yesterday the two gripped hands and there came into being a relationship that was to become a lifelong friendship we will start for audrey immediately hilton said how do we make the jump without charge floral we're usually master keto as master captain will give the order night though we'll serve master snowden and supply the knowledge he says he has forgotten okay we'll go up to the control room and get started and in the control room keto's voice rasps into the captain's microphone attention all personnel master captain saw tells orders take off in two minutes the countdown will begin at five seconds five four three two one lift neato not snowden handle the control as perfectly as a human pilot had ever done it at the top of his finest form he picked the immense spaceship up and slipped it silkily into sub space we'll all be uh snowden gas that's a better job than I ever did not at all master as you know neato said it was you who did this I merely performed the labor a few minutes later in the main lounge navy and viewside personnel were mingling as they had never done before whatever had caused this relaxation of tension the friendship of captain and director the position in which they all were or what they all began to get acquainted with each other silence please and be seated he'll be said while this is not exactly a formal meeting it will be recorded for future reference first I will ask laura a question where books are records left on audrey by the race you call the masters you know they're our master they are exactly as you left them undisturbed for over 271,000 years therefore we will not question the omens we do not know what questions to ask we have seen many things hitherto thought impossible hence we must discard all preconceived opinions which conflict with facts I will mention a few of the problems we face the omen the masters the upgrading of the armament of the perseus to omen's standards the concentration of urinoxide what does that concentrate how is it used how is it accomplished the skeletons what are they and how are they controlled their ability to drain power who or what is back of them why a deadlock that has lasted over a quarter of a million years how much danger are we and the perseus actually in how much danger is terra in because of our presence here there are many other questions Sondra and I will not take part Thor will three others Devox, Eisenstein, and Blake you have more important work to do what can that be ask Rebecca of what possible use can a mathematician a theoretician and a theoretical astronomer be in such a situation as this you can think powerfully in abstract terms unhampered by tearing facts and laws which we now know are neither facts nor laws I cannot even categorize the problems we face perhaps you three will be able to you will listen then consult then tell me how to pick the teams to do the work a more important job for you is this any problem to be solved must be stated clearly and we don't know even what our basic problem is I want something by the use of which I can break this thing open get it for me Rebecca and Devox merely smiled and nodded but Teddy Blake said happily I was beginning to feel like a gift wheel on this project but that's something I can really stick my teeth into oh, hell Carnes demanded he didn't give you one single thing to go on just compounded the confusion Hilton spoke before Teddy could that's their deeds, Phil if I had any data I'd work it myself you first captain saw tell that conference was a very long one indeed there were almost as many conclusions and recommendations as there were speakers and through it all Hilton and Saundra listened played and tested and analyzed and made copious notes in shorthand and in the more esoteric characters of symbolic logic and at its end I'm just about poop Sandy how about you you and me both boss see you in the morning but she didn't it was four o'clock in the afternoon when they met again we made up one of the team Sandy he said was surprising I know we were going to do it together but I got a hunch on the first team a kind of a weirdie but the brains checked me on it he placed a card on her desk don't blow your top until after I you've studied it why I want a course her voice died away maybe you'd better cancel that a course she studied and when she spoke again she was exerting self-control a chemist a planetograpper a theoretician two sociologists a psychologist an irradiationist and six of the seven are three pairs of sweeties what kind of a lineup is that to solve a problem in physics it isn't in any physics you know I said oh she said then again oh and oh four entirely different tones I see maybe you're matching minds not specialties as supplementing I knew you were smart it's weird alright but I'll buy it for a trial run anyway but I hate like sin to have to sell any part of it to the board but of course where I mean you're responsible only to yourself keep it we sandy you're as important to this project as I am but before we tackle the second team what's your thought on Bernadine and Aheromon together separate I'd say they're identical physically and so nearly so medley that of them would be just as good on a team as both of them more and better work on different teams my thought exactly and so it went hour after hour the teams were selected and meetings were held the first years reached our break which was very much like terror darkness, ocean, ice caps lakes, rivers, mountains and plains, forests and prairies the ship landed on the space field of Omlua the city of the masters as sautel called Hilton into his cabin the omen's Laurel and Keto went along of course nobody knows how at least sautel began no secrets around here Hilton's in Omen, you know I suppose so anyway, every man aboard is all hyped up about living on ground especially with a hero but before I grant liberty suppose there's any BD around here that our pro prolectics can't handle as you know masters Laurel replied for Hilton before the latter could open his mouth no disease, venereal or other is allowed to exist on Andre no pro-plastics is either necessary or desirable that ought to hold you for a while skipper, Hilton smiled at the flabbergasted captain and went back to the lounge everybody going the shore he asked yes, Karn said you none of them spoke for the first time who wouldn't saunder I asked I'm fed up with living like a sardine I will spring for joy the minute I get into a real room cars were awaiting and a stopping and starting line three wheel jobs all were empty, no driver no steering wheel, no instruments or push buttons when the whole line moved ahead as one vehicle there was no noise no gas, no blast an omen helped a master carefully into the rear seat of his car leaped into the front seat and the car sped quietly away the whole line of empty cars acting in perfect synchronization shot forward one space and stopped this is your car master Laurel said and made a production out of getting Hilton into the vehicle undamaged Hilton's plan had been beautifully simple all the teams were to meet at the Hall of Records the linguist and their omen would study the records and pass them out specialty after specialty would be unveiled and teams would work on them he and Sandy was set in the office and analyze and synthesize and correlate it was a very nice plan it was a very nice office too it contained every item of equipment that either Saundra or Hilton had ever worked with it was a big office and a great many that neither of them had ever heard of it had a full staff of omen all the years to work Hilton and Saundra set in that magnificent office for three hours and no reports came in nothing happened at all this gives me the howling helpers Hilton growled why haven't I got brains enough to be one of those teams I could shed a tear for you you big dope but I won Saundra retorted what do you want to be besides the brain and the kingpin and the balance wheel and the spark plug of the outfit do you want to do everything yourself well I don't want to go completely nuts and that's all I'm doing at the moment the argument might have become archimmonious but it was interrupted by a call from Karns can you come out here Jarve we struck a knot some matter trouble with the omen Hilton snapped not exactly just non-cooperation squared we can't even get started I'd like to have you two come out here and see if you can do anything I'm not trying rough stuff because I know it wouldn't work coming up Bill and Hilton and Saundra followed by Laurel and Sora dashed out to their cars the hull of records was a long, wide, low, windowless very massive structure built of a metal that looked like stainless steel kept highly polished the vast expanse of seamless and jointless metal was mirror bright the one great door was open and just inside it were the scientists and their omen brief me Bill Hilton said no lights they won't turn them on and we can't find either lights or any possible kind of switches turn on the lights Laurel Hilton said you know that I cannot do that master it is forbidden for any omen to have anything to do with the illumination of this problem and revered place then show me how to do it that would be just as bad master the omen said proudly I will not fail any test you can devise okay all you omen go back to the ship and bring over 15 or 20 lights the tripod jobs scab they scatted and Hilton went on no use asking questions if you don't know what questions to ask let's see if we can cook up something Lane, Kathy, what has biology got to say Dr. Lane Saunders and Dr. Catherine Cook the letter a willowy brown eyed blonde conferred briefly then Saunders spoke running both hands through his unruly shock of fiery red hair so far the best we can do is a more or less educated guest their atomic power total conversion androids their pseudo flesh is composed mainly of silicon and fluoride we don't know the formula yet but it is much more stable than our teflon as teflon is than cornmeal much as to the brains, no data bones are super stainless steel teeth, harder than diamond but won't break food, urine site or is concentrated derivative interchangeably storage reserve indefinite floral and saura won't have to eat again for at least 25 years the group gasp as one but Saunders went on they can eat and drink and breathe and so on but only because the original masters wanted them to non-functional skins and subcutaneous layers of salt for the same reason that's about it up to now thanks, Lane is it reasonable to believe that any culture, whatever could run for a quarter of a million years without changing one word of its language for one iota of its behavior reasonable or not it seems to have happened now for psychology Alex it seems startling incredible but it seems to be true if it is their minds were subjected to a conditioning no-terrain has ever imagined an unyielding fixation they can't be swayed by reason or logic Hilton follows his body on it or anything else Kincaid said flatly if we're right they can't be swayed, period I was afraid of that well that's all the questions I know how to ask any contributions to this symposium after a short silence devox said I suppose you realize that the first half of the problem you posed us has now solved itself why no no, you're way ahead of me there is a basic problem and it can now be clearly stated Rebekah said to determine a method of securing full cooperation from the omen the first step in the solution of this problem is to find the most appropriate operator Teddy I have an operator of sorts, Theodore said I've been hoping one of us could find a better what is it Hilton demanded the word until Teddy you're a sweetheart Hilton explained how can until be a mathematical operator Sondra asked easily, Hilton was already deep in thought this hard conditioning was to last only until the masters returned then they'd break it so all we have to do is figure out how a master would do it that's all Kincaid said immediately Hilton pondered then listen all of you I may have to try a colossal Java Bluff just what would you call colossal after what you did to the Davy, Carnes asked that was a sure thing this isn't you see to find out whether the Laurel is really an immovable object I've got to make like an irresistible force which I ain't I don't know what I'm going to do I'll have to roll it as I go along so all of you keep on your toes and back any play I make here they come the Omens came in and Hilton faced Laurel eyes to eyes Laurel, he said you refuse to obey my direct order your reasoning seems to be that as we should or not you Omens will block any changes whatever in the status quo throughout all time to come in other words you deny the fact that masters are in fact your masters but that is not exactly it master the masters that is it exactly it either you are the master here or you are not which your two value logic can be strictly applied you are willfully neglecting the word until this status was to exist only until the masters return are we masters have we returned note well upon that one word until may depend the length of time your Omens race will continue to exist the Omens flip the humans gas but more of that later Hilton went on a move your ancient masters being short lived like us changed materially with time did they not and you changed with them but we did not change ourselves masters the masters you did change yourself the masters changed only the prototype brain they ordered you to change yourselves and you obeyed your orders we order you to change and you refuse to obey our orders we have changed greatly from our ancestors right that is right master we are stronger physically more alert and more vigorous mentally with a keener sharper outlook on life you are master that is because our ancestors decided to do without omens we do our own work and enjoy it your masters died of utility and boredom what I would like to do Laurel is take you to the crutch and put your disobedient brain back into the matrix however the decision is not mine alone to make how about it fellows and girls would you rather have a lead servants who won't do anything you tell them to or no servants at all has she mantisian I protest Sondra back this place that is the most viciously loaded question I ever heard it can't be answered except in the wrong way okay I'll make it semantically sound I think we'd better scrap this whole omen race and start over and I want to vote that way you won't get it and everybody began to yell Hilton restored order and swung on Laurel his attitude stiff hostile and reserved since it is clear that no unanimous decision is to be expected at this time I will take no action at this time think over very carefully what I have said for as far as I am concerned this world has no place for omens who will not obey orders as soon as I convinced my staff of the fact I shall act as follows I shall give you an order and if you do not obey it blast your head to ascender I shall then give the same order to another omen and blast him this process will continue until first I find an obedient omen second I run out of blasters third the planet runs out of omens I'll take these mites into the first room of records that one over there he pointed and no omen and only four humans realized that he had made the omen's telegraph their destination so that he could point it out to them inside the room Hilton asked cautiously of Laurel the master didn't lift those heavy chests down themselves did they no no master we did that do it then number one first yes that one open it and start playing the records in order the records were not tape or flats or reels but were spools of intricately braided wire the players were projectors of full color high-five sound tridi-picture Hilton cancelled all moves aground and issued orders that no omen was to be allowed aboard ship then looked and listened with his staff the first chest contained only introductory and elementary stuff but it was so interesting that the humans stayed over time to finish it then they went back to the ship and in the main lounge Hilton practically collapsed onto a Davenport he took out a cigarette and stared in surprise at his hand which was shaking I think I could use a drink he remarked what before supper Carnes Marvel then hey Wally brush up like it of a big anon act our non-ferees for the boss and everything else for the rest of us chop chop but quick a hectic half hour followed then okay boys and girls I love you too but let's cut out the slurping slosh get some supper and log of some sack time I'm just about poop sorry I had to queer the private residence deal Sandy you poor little sardine but you know how it is Sondra Grimmich uh huh I can take it a while longer if you can after breakfast next morning the staff met in the lounge as usual Hilton and Sondra were the first to arrive she greeted him how do you feel fine I could whip a wildcat and give her the first two scratches I was a bit beat up last night though I'll say but one I simply can't get over is the way you underplayed the climax third the planet runs out of omen just like that no emphasis at all wow it had the impact of a delayed action atomic bomb it put moose bumps all over me but just suppose they'd missed it no fear they're smart I had to play it as though the whole omen race is no more important than a cigarette butt the great big question though is whether I put it across or not at that point a dozen people came in all talking about the same subject hi jar I still say you ought to take a poker as a life work tiny let you and him sit down now and play a few hands might not debauch shook his head violently shrugged his shoulders and threw both arms wide by the sacred name of a small blue cabbage not me Karn's left how did you have the guts to make so many things as facts if you guessed wrong just once I didn't Hilton Grimm think back Bill the only thing I said as a fact was that we as a race are better than the masters were and that is obvious everything else was implication logic and blood that's right at that and they were neuronic and decadent no question about that tradition boss this was Stella Wayne about this mind reading business if Laurel could read your mind he'd know you were walking and cool that woman can read only what masters would almost repeat yeah but do you think that applies to us I'm sure it does and I was thinking some pretty savage thoughts and I want to caution all of you whenever you're near any woman start thinking that you're beginning to agree with me that they're useless to us and let them know it now get out on the job all of you scared just a better pointer said we're going to have to keep on using the omens in their cars aren't we of course just be superior and distant we haven't decided yet what to do about them since that happens to be true it'll be easy Hilton and Sondra went to their tiny office there wasn't room to pace the floor but Hilton tried to pace it anyway now don't say again that you want to do something Sondra said brightly look what happens when you send that yesterday I've got a job but I don't know enough to do it the Kretsch there's probably only one on the planet so I want you to help me think the Masters were very sensitive to radiation right right that city on fuel bed was kept de-con to zero just in case some Masters wanted to visit it and the Masters had to work in the Kretsch whenever anything really new had to be put into the prototype brain I'd say so yes so they had armor probably as much better than our radiation suits as the rest of their stuff is now did they or did they not have thought screens ouch you think of the damn bit of space teeth she caught her lower lip between her teeth and concentrated I don't know there are at least 50 vectors in different directions I know it the key one in my opinion is that the Masters gave them both telepathy and speech I considered that and waited even so the probability is only about .65 can you take that much of a chance yes I can make one or two mistakes next about finding that Kretsch any spot of radiation on the planet would be it but the search might take hold on let's have this heavily fielded there'll be no leakage at all Laurel will have to take you that's right want to come along nothing much will happen here today ah ah not me Sondra shivered into space I never want to see brains and livers and things swimming around in nutrient solution if I can help it ok it's all yours I'll be back sometime and Hilton went out onto the dock where the dejected Laurel was waiting for him hi Laurel get the car and take me to the hall of records the android brightened up immediately and hurried to obey at the hall Hilton's first care was to see how the work was going on eight of the huge rooms were now open and brightly lighted operating the lamps had been one of the first items on the first spool of instructions with a cold pure white sourceless light every team had found its objective and was working on it some of them were doing nicely but the first team could not even get started his primary record would advance a fraction of an inch and stop while omens and humans sought out other records and other projectors in an attempt to elucidate some concept that simply could not be translated into any words or symbols known to Terran science at the moment there were 17 of these peculiar projectors viewers playbacks in use and all of them were stopped you know what we got to do here the team captain exploded go back to being college freshman or maybe grade school or kindergarten we don't know yet and learn a whole new system of mathematics before we can even begin to touch this stuff and you're belly aching about that Hilton marvel I wish I could join you that'd be fun then as Karn started the snappy rejoiner but I got troubles of my own he adaptationly by now and beat a rejoiner out in the hall again Hilton took his capture after all the odds were about two to one that he would win I want a couple of things Laurel first a thought screen he won very well master they are in a distant room department 469 will you wait here on this cushion bench master no we don't like to rest too much I'll go with you then walking along he went on thought plate I've been thinking since last night Laurel there are tremendous advantages in having homage I'm very glad you think so master I want to serve you it is my greatest need if they could be if they could be kept from smothering us to death thus if our ancestors had kept their homage I would have known all about my upon this world and about this hall of records instead of having the fragmentary confusing and sometimes false information I now have oh we're here Laurel had stopped and was opening a door he stood aside Hilton went in with one finger a crystalline cube set conveniently into a wall gave a metal command and the lights went off Laurel opened the cabinet and took out a disc about the size of a dime pendant from a neck chain while Hilton had not known what to expect he certainly had not expected anything as simple as that nevertheless he kept his face straight and his thoughts Hilton moved as Laurel hung the tiny thing around his neck and adjusted the chain to a loose fit thanks Laurel Hilton removed it and put it into his pocket it won't work from there will it no master to function it must be within 18 inches of the brain the second thing master a radiation proof suit then you will please take me to the crutch the android almost missed a step but said nothing the radiation proof suit how glad Hilton was that he had not called it armor was as much of a surprise as a fox spring generator had been it was a cover all made of something that looked like thin plastic weighing less than one pound it had one seal box about the size and weight of a cigarette case no wires or apparatus could be seen air entered through two filters one at each heel flowed upward for no reason at all that Hilton could see and out through a filter above the top of his head the suit neither flopped nor clumped but stood out comfortably out of the way all by itself Hilton just barely accepted the suit too without showing surprise the crutch it turned out while not in a city of on lieu itself was not too far out to reach easily by car en route Laurel said stiffly tentatively Hilton could not fit an adverb to the tongue master have you then decided to destroy me that is of course your right not this time at least Laurel drew an entirely human breath of relief and Hilton went on I don't want to destroy you at all and won't unless I have to but some way or another my silicon fluoride friend you are either going to learn how to cooperate or you won't last much longer brother master that is exactly oh hell do we have to go over that again at the blaze of frustrated fury in Hilton's mind Laurel flinched away if you can't talk sense keep still in half an hour the car stopped in front of a small building which looked something like a subway kiosk except for the door which built a steel reinforced lid swung on a piano hinge having a pin a good 8 inches in diameter Laurel opened that door they went in as a tremendously massive portal clanged shut lights flashed on Hilton glanced at his tell tales one inside one outside his suit both showed zero down 20 steps another door 20 more another and a fourth Hilton's inside meter still read zero one was beginning to climb into an elevator and straight down for what must have been four or five hundred feet another door Hilton went through this final barrier gingerly eyes nailed to his gauges the outside needle was high in the red almost against the pin but the inside one still set reassuringly on zero he stared at the android how can any possible brain take so much of this stuff without damage it does not reach the brain master we converted each minute of this is what you would call a good square meal I see dimly you can eat energy or drink it or soak it up through your skin however it comes it's all duck soup for you yes master Hilton glanced ahead toward the far end of the immensely long comparatively narrow room it was purely and simply an assembly line and fully automated in operation you are replacing the omens destroyed in a battle with the skeletons yes master Hilton covered the first half of the line at a fast walk he was not particularly interested in the fabrication of super stainless steel skeletons nor in the installation and connection of atomic engines, converters and so on he was more interested in the synthetic floral silicon flesh and paused long enough to get a general idea of his growth and application he was very much interested in how since human looking skin could act as both absorber and converter but he could see nothing helpful an application I suppose of the same principle used in this radiation suit yes master at the end of the line he stopped a brain in place and connected to millions of infinitely fine wire nerves but not yet surrounded by a skull was being educated scanners, multitudes of incomprehensibly complex machines most of them were doing nothing apparently but six beams would have to be invisibly microscopically fine but a bare brain in such a hot environment as this he looked down at his gauges both thread zero he was a force master Laurel said but damn it this suit itself would re-radiate the suit is self decontaminating master Hilton was appalled with such stuff as that and the plastic shield besides why all the depth and all that solid lead the master's orders master machines can and occasionally do fail so might conceivably the plastic and that structure over there contains the original brain from which all the copies are made yes master we call it the guide and you can't touch the guide not even if it means total destruction none of you can touch it that is the case master okay back to the car and back to the Perseus at the car Hilton took off the suit and hung the thought screen generator around his neck and in the car for 25 solid minutes he sat still and thought his bluff had worked up to a point a good far point but not quite far enough Laurel had stopped that as you already know stuff he was eager to go as far in cooperation as he possibly could but he couldn't go far enough but there had to be a way Hilton considered way after way way after unworkable useless way until finally he worked at one that might just possibly might work Laurel I know that you derive pleasure and satisfaction from serving me in doing what I ought to be doing myself but has it ever occurred to you that that's a hell of a way to treat a first class highly capable brain to waste it on secondhand copycat, carbon copy stuff why no master it never did besides anything else would be forbidden or would it stop somewhere park the seat we're too close to the ship and besides I want your divided concentrated attention no I don't think originality was expressly forbidden it would have been of course if the masters had thought of it but neither they nor you ever even considered the possibility of such a thing right it may be yes master you are right okay Hilton took off his necklace the better to drive home the intensity and sincerity of his thought now suppose that you are not my slave and simple automatic relay station instead we are fellow students working together upon problems too difficult for either of us to solve alone our minds while independent are linked or in mesh each is helping and instructing the other both are working at full power and under free reign at the exploration of brand new vistas of thought vistas and expanses which neither of us has ever previously stop master stop Marl covered both ears with his hands and pulled his mind away from Hilton's you are overloading me that is quite a load to assimilate all at once Hilton agreed to help you get used to it calling me master that's an order you may call me jar or Jarvis or Hilton or whatever but no more master very well sir Hilton laughed and slapped himself on the knee okay I'll let you get away with that at least for a while and to get away from that slavish O ending on your name I'll call you Larry I would like that immensely sir keep trying Larry you'll make it yet Hilton leaned forward and waltzed the android a tremendous blow on the knee home James the car shot forward and Hilton went on I don't want to expect even your brain to get the full value of this in any short space of time so let it stew in its own juice for a week or two the car swept out onto the dock and stopped so long Larry but can't I come in with you sir no you aren't a copycat or a simpaphore or a relay any longer you're a freewheeling wide swinging hard hitting independent entity monarch of all you survey captain of your soul and so on I want you to devote the ponderable force of the intellect to that concept until you understand it thoroughly until you have developed a top bracket lot of top bracket stuff originality ethnicity force drive and thrust as soon as you really understand it you'll do something about it yourself without being told go to it chum in the ship Hilton went directly to Kincaid's office Alex I want to ask you a thing that's got a snapper on it then slowly and hesitantly it's about temple bail has she is she well does she remind you in any way of an iceberg then as a psychologist begin to smile and no dammit I don't mean physically I know you don't Kincaid's smile was not at all what Hilton had thought it was going to be she does would it be helpful to know that I first asked then ordered her to trade places with me it would very I know why she refused you're a damn good man Alex thanks to answer the question you were going to ask next now I will not I will not be at all perturbed or put out if you put her onto a job that some people might think should have been mine watch the job and win that's the devil of it I don't know Hilton brought Kincaid up to date so you see it'll have to develop and God only knows what line it will take my thought is that temple and I should form a committee of two to watch it develop that one I'll buy and I'll look on with glee thanks fellow Hilton went down to his office stuck his big feet up on to his desk settled back on to his spine and buried himself in thought hours later he got up shrugged and went to bed without bothering to eat days passed and weeks end of chapter 3