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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30491 ***
+
+    _It is man's most precious possession--no living thing can exist
+    without it. But when they gave it to Orville, it killed him. For the
+    answer, read 1/M._
+
+
+        Vital
+      Ingredient
+
+ By Charles V. De Vet
+
+
+"Now watch," Remm said, indicating the native. Macker had been absent,
+exploring the countryside in the immediate vicinity of their landing
+place, and had not witnessed the capture of the native, or the tests his
+two companions made on it.
+
+Macker followed Remm's gaze to where the biped native sat hunched. The
+creature was bent into an ungainly position, its body crooked at
+incongruous angles, in such a way as to allow most of its weight to rest
+on a packing-box at the base of a middle angle. Its stubby feet, on the
+ends of thin, pipelike legs, rested against the floor of the space ship.
+Its body was covered, almost entirely, with an artificial skin material
+of various colors. Some of the colors hurt Macker's eyes. In the few
+places where the flesh showed through the skin was an unhealthy, pallid
+white.
+
+Slowly the creature's head swiveled on its short neck until it faced
+them.
+
+"Those orifices in the upper portion of its skull are evidently organs
+of sight," Remm said. "It sees that we are quite a distance away. It
+will probably attempt to escape again."
+
+Slowly--slowly--the native's head rotated away from them in a
+half-circle until it faced Toolls, working over his instruments on the
+far side of the room. Then it turned its head back until it faced the
+door of the ship.
+
+"It is setting itself for flight now," Remm said. "Notice the evidence
+of strain on its face."
+
+The creature leaned forward and the appendages on the ends of its upper
+limbs clutched the sides of the box as it propelled its body forward.
+
+It raised its right foot in a slow arc, employing a double-jointed,
+breaking action of its leg. For a long moment it rested its entire
+weight on its lumpy right foot, while its momentum carried its body
+sluggishly forward. Then it repeated the motion with its left leg; then
+again its right. All the while evidencing great exertion and
+concentration of effort.
+
+"It is making what it considers a mad dash for freedom," Remm said.
+"Probably at the ultimate speed of which it is capable. That would be
+ridiculous except that it's normal for its own environment. This is
+definitely a slow-motion world."
+
+The creature was a third-way to the door now. Once again its head turned
+in its slow quarter-circle, to look at them. As it saw that Remm and
+Macker had not moved it altered the expression on its face.
+
+"It seems to express its emotions through facial contortions," Remm
+said. "Though I suspect that the sounds it makes with the upper part of
+its trachea during moments of agitation are also outlets of emotional
+stress, rather than efforts at communication." He called across the room
+to Toolls. "What did you find out about its speech?"
+
+"Extremely primitive," Toolls replied. "Incredible as it may appear to
+us it uses combinations of sounds to form word-symbols. Each word
+indicates some action, or object; or denotes degree, time, or shades of
+meaning. Other words are merely connectives. It seems to make little use
+of inflections, the basis of a rational language. Thoughts which we can
+project with a few sounds would take it dozens of words to express."
+
+"Just how intelligent is it?" Macker asked.
+
+"Only as intelligent as a high degree of self-preservation instinct
+would make it."
+
+"Are you certain that it is a member of the dominant species of life on
+the planet?"
+
+"There's no doubt about it," Toolls replied. "I've made very careful
+observations."
+
+"This attempt at escape is a pretty good example of its intelligence,"
+Remm said. "This is the sixth time it has tried to escape--in exactly
+the same way. As soon as it sees that we are farther away from it than
+it is from the door, it makes its dash."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The creature was one step away from the space ship's open portal now and
+bringing its foot up to cross the threshold. Remm walked over and lifted
+it off the floor.
+
+"Its legs are still moving in a running motion," Macker said. "Doesn't
+it realize yet that you've picked it up?"
+
+[Illustration: _It was an arm to be proud of--but what good was it?_]
+
+"Its nervous system and reflexes are evidently as slow as its motor
+muscles," Remm replied. "There has not been time for the sensation of my
+picking it up to reach the brain, and for the brain to send back its
+message to the legs to stop their running motion."
+
+"How heavy is it?" Macker asked.
+
+"Only a few ounces," Remm replied. "But that's logical considering that
+this is a 'light' planet. If we took it back to our own 'heavy' world,
+gravity would crush it to a light film of the liquid which comprises the
+greater part of its substance."
+
+Remm set the creature down on the box in its former queerly contorted
+position. Toolls had left his instruments and strolled over beside them
+to observe the native.
+
+"One of its appendages seems bent at a peculiar angle," Macker said.
+
+"I noticed that," Remm answered. "I think that I may have broken the
+bone in several places when I first captured it. I was not aware then of
+how fragile it was. But now that you mention it, I should be able to use
+that injury to give you a good illustration of the interplay of
+emotional expressions on its face. Observe now as I touch it."
+
+Remm reached over and touched--very lightly--the broken portion of the
+native's appendage. The muscles of the creature's face pulled its
+flaccid flesh into distorted positions, bunching some and stretching
+others. "It is very probably registering pain," Remm said.
+
+Suddenly the starch seemed to leave the native's body and it slowly
+slumped across the packing-box.
+
+"Why is it doing that, Toolls?" Remm asked.
+
+Toolls concentrated for a minute, absorbing the feelings and thought
+pulsations emanating from the creature. "The conscious plane of its mind
+has blanked out," he said. "I presume the pain you caused by touching
+its wounded member resulted in a breakdown of its nervous system. The
+only thought waves I receive now are disjointed impressions and pictures
+following no rational series. However, I'm certain that it will be only
+temporary."
+
+"Don't you think that in justice to the creature we should repair its
+wound before we free it?" Macker asked.
+
+"I had intended to have it done," Remm replied. "You shouldn't have any
+trouble fixing it, should you, Toolls?"
+
+"No," Toolls answered. "I may as well attend to it right now." He rolled
+the portable _converter_ over beside the creature and carefully laid its
+arm in the "pan." The _converter_ automatically set its gauges and
+instruments of calculation, and gave its click of "ready."
+
+Toolls fed a short length of _basic_ into the machine and it began its
+work. The native was still unconscious.
+
+The bone of the wounded arm slowly evaporated, beginning with the wrist
+joint. The evaporated portion was instantly replaced by the
+manufactured bone of the _converter_. At the same time it repaired all
+ruptured blood vessels and damaged ligaments and muscles.
+
+"It was not possible, of course, for me to replace the bone with another
+of the same composition as its own," Toolls said, after the machine had
+completed its work. "But I gave it one of our 'heavy' ones. There will
+be no force on this planet powerful enough to break it again."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The native's first evidence of a return to consciousness was a faint
+fluttering of the lids that covered its organs of vision. The lids
+opened and it looked up at them.
+
+"Its eyesight is as slow as its muscular reactions," Remm said. "Watch."
+Remm raised his hand and waved it slowly in front of the native's face.
+The eyes of the native, moving in odd, jerking movements, followed the
+hand's progress. Remm raised the hand--speeding its action slightly--and
+the eyesight faltered and lost it. The native's eyes rolled wildly until
+once again they located the hand.
+
+Remm took three steps forward. The native's eyes were unable to follow
+his change of position. Its gaze wandered about the room, until again
+its settled on Remm's waiting figure.
+
+"Can you imagine anything being so slow," Remm said, "and still ..."
+Suddenly Macker interrupted. "Something is wrong. It is trying to get
+up, but it can't." The native was registering signs of distress, kicking
+its legs and twisting its body into new positions of contortion.
+
+"I see what the trouble is," Toolls said. "It's unable to lift the
+appendage with the new bone in. I never thought of that before but its
+'light' muscles aren't strong enough to lift the limb. We've got the
+poor creature pinned to the box by the weight of its own arm."
+
+"We can't do that to it," Remm said. "Isn't there any way you can give
+it a lighter bone?"
+
+"None that wouldn't take a retooling of the _converter_," Toolls said.
+"I'm not certain that I could do it, and even if I could, we don't have
+the time to spare. I could give it stronger muscles in the arm, but that
+may throw off the metabolism of the whole body. If it did, the result
+would be fatal. I'd hate to chance it."
+
+"I have an idea," Macker said. By the inflections of his tones the
+others knew that some incongruity of the situation had aroused Macker's
+sense of humor. "Why don't we give the creature an entirely new body? We
+could replace the flesh and viscera, as well as the cartilaginous
+structure, with our own type substance. It would probably be an
+indestructible being as far as its own world is concerned. And it would
+be as powerful as their mightiest machines. We'd leave behind us a
+superman that could change the course of this world's history. You could
+do it, couldn't you, Toolls?"
+
+"Quite simply."
+
+"Our policy has always been not to interfere in anyway with the races we
+study," Remm protested.
+
+"But our policy has also been never to harm any of them, if at all
+possible to avoid it," Macker insisted. "In common justice you have to
+complete the job Toolls began on the arm, or you're condemning this poor
+thing to death."
+
+"But do we have the right to loose such an unpredictable factor as it
+would be among them?" Remm asked. "After all, our purpose is exploration
+and observation, not playing the parts of gods to the primitives we
+encounter."
+
+"True, that is the rule which we have always followed in the past,"
+Macker agreed, "but it is in no way a requirement. We are empowered to
+use our judgment in all circumstances. And in this particular instance I
+believe I can convince you that the course I suggest is the more just
+one." He turned to Toolls. "Just what stage of cultural development
+would you say this creature's race has attained?"
+
+"It still retains more of an animal-like adaptation to its surroundings
+than an intellectual one," Toolls replied. "Its civilization is divided
+into various sized units of cooperation which it calls governments. Each
+unit vies with the others for a greater share of its world's goods. That
+same rivalry is carried down to the individual within the unit. Each
+strives for acquisition against his neighbor.
+
+"Further they retain many of their tribal instincts, such as
+gregariousness, emotional rather than intellectual propagation, and
+worship of the mightiest fighter. This last, however, is manifested by
+reverence for individuals attaining position of authority, or acquiring
+large amounts of their medium of exchange, rather than by physical
+superiority."
+
+"That's what I mean," Macker said. "Our policy in the past has been to
+avoid tampering, only because of the fear of bringing harm. If we
+created a super being among them, to act as a controlling and
+harmonizing force, we'd hasten their development by thousands of years.
+We'd be granting them the greatest possible boon!"
+
+"I don't know," Remm said, obviously swayed by Macker's logic. "I'm
+still hesitant about introducing a being into their midst whose thought
+processes would be so subtle and superior to their own. How do you feel
+about it, Toolls?"
+
+"What would they have to lose?" Toolls asked with his penchant for
+striking the core of an argument.
+
+"The right or wrong of such moral and philosophical considerations has
+always been a delicate thing to decide," Remm acquiesced reluctantly.
+"Go ahead if you think it is the right thing to do."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"All finished?" Macker asked.
+
+"That depends on how much you want me to do," Toolls replied. "I've
+substituted our 'heavy' substances for his entire body structure,
+including the brain--at the same time transferring his former memory and
+habit impressions. That was necessary if he is to be able to care for
+himself. Also I brought his muscular reaction time up to our norm, and
+speeded his reflexes."
+
+"Have you implanted any techniques which he did not possess before, such
+as far-seeing, or mental insight?" Macker asked.
+
+"No," Toolls said. "That is what I want your advice about. Just how much
+should I reveal about ourselves and our background? Or should he be left
+without any knowledge of us?"
+
+"Well ..." Now that the others had deferred to Macker's arguments, he
+had lost much of his certainty. "Perhaps we should at least let him know
+who we are, and what we have done. That would save him much alarm and
+perplexity when it comes time to reorient himself. On the other hand,
+perhaps we should go even farther and implant the knowledge of some of
+our sciences. Then he could do a better job of advancing his people. But
+maybe I'm wrong. What do you think about it, Remm?"
+
+"My personal opinion," Remm said, "is that we can't give him much of our
+science, because it would be like giving a baby a high explosive to play
+with. His race is much too primitive to handle it wisely. Either he, or
+someone to whom he imparts what we teach him, would be certain to bring
+catastrophe to his world. And if we let him learn less, but still
+remember his contact with us, in time his race would very likely come to
+regard us as gods. I would hesitate to drag in any metaphysical
+confusion to add to the uncertainties you are already engendering. My
+advice would be to wipe his mind of all memory of us. Let him explain
+his new found invincibility to himself in his own way."
+
+Macker had no criticism to offer to this suggestion. "Does he retain any
+of his immunity to this world's malignant germs?" he asked.
+
+"They are too impotent to represent any hazard to his present body
+mechanism," Toolls replied. "If and when he dies, it will not be from
+disease."
+
+"He will be subject to the deterioration of old age, the same as we are,
+won't he?" Macker asked.
+
+"Of course," Toolls said, "but that's the only thing that will be able
+to bring him down. He cannot be harmed by any force this 'light' world
+can produce; he is impervious to sickness; and he will live
+indefinitely."
+
+"Indefinitely?"
+
+"As his world reckons time. Their normal life span is less than a
+hundred years. Ours is over five thousand. He will probably live
+approximately twice that long, because he will be subjected to less
+stress and strain, living as he does on a world of lighter elements."
+
+"Then we have truly made a superman," Macker's tones inflected
+satisfaction. "I wish we were returning this way in a thousand years or
+so. I'd like to see the monumental changes he will effect."
+
+"We may at that," Remm said, "or others of our people will. He will
+probably be a living legend by then. I'd like to hear what his race has
+to say about him. Do they have names with which to differentiate
+individuals?"
+
+"Yes," Toolls said. "This one has a family designation of Pollnow, and
+a member designation of Orville."
+
+"It will be necessary for us to leave in exactly ten minutes," Remm
+reminded them. "Our next stopping place--the red star--will reach its
+nearest conjunction with this planet by the time we meet it out in
+space."
+
+"Then we will have time to do nothing more for him before we go," Macker
+said. "But as far as I can see we've forgotten nothing, have we,
+Toolls?"
+
+"Nothing," Toolls answered. "No--we forgot nothing."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+But Toolls was wrong. They had forgotten one thing. A minor detail,
+relatively....
+
+On Toolls' world his race, in the course of its evolution, had adjusted
+itself to its own particular environment. Logically, the final result
+was that they evolved into beings best able to survive in that
+environment. As such their food--a "heavy," highly concentrated
+food--was ideally suited to supply the needs of their "heavy,"
+tremendously avid organisms.
+
+Orville Pollnow had no such food available. His body--no larger than
+before--had an Earth mass of one hundred and eighty thousand pounds. One
+hundred and eighty thousand pounds--the weight of twelve hundred average
+sized men--of fiercely burning, intense virility. Even continuous
+eating--of his own world's food--could not supply the demands of that
+body.
+
+Twenty-four hours after the aliens left, Pollnow was dead--of
+starvation.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+    This etext was produced from _If Worlds of Science Fiction_ July
+    1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
+    copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
+    typographical errors have been corrected without note.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Vital Ingredient, by Charles V. De Vet
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30491 ***
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+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30491 ***</div>
+
+<div class="bk1"><p><big><i>It is man's most precious possession&mdash;no
+living thing can exist without it. But
+when they gave it to Orville, it killed
+him. For the answer, read 1/M.</i></big></p></div>
+
+<h1><span class="sp1">Vital<br />
+Ingredient</span></h1>
+
+<h2>By Charles V. De Vet</h2>
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">"Now watch</span>," Remm said, indicating
+the native. Macker had
+been absent, exploring the countryside
+in the immediate vicinity of
+their landing place, and had not
+witnessed the capture of the native,
+or the tests his two companions
+made on it.</p>
+
+<p>Macker followed Remm's gaze to
+where the biped native sat hunched.
+The creature was bent into an ungainly
+position, its body crooked at
+incongruous angles, in such a way
+as to allow most of its weight to
+rest on a packing-box at the base
+of a middle angle. Its stubby feet,
+on the ends of thin, pipelike legs,
+rested against the floor of the space
+ship. Its body was covered, almost
+entirely, with an artificial skin material
+of various colors. Some of the
+colors hurt Macker's eyes. In the
+few places where the flesh showed
+through the skin was an unhealthy,
+pallid white.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly the creature's head swiveled
+on its short neck until it faced
+them.</p>
+
+<p>"Those orifices in the upper portion
+of its skull are evidently organs
+of sight," Remm said. "It sees that
+we are quite a distance away. It
+will probably attempt to escape
+again."</p>
+
+<p>Slowly&mdash;slowly&mdash;the native's
+head rotated away from them in a
+half-circle until it faced Toolls,
+working over his instruments on the
+far side of the room. Then it turned
+its head back until it faced the door
+of the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"It is setting itself for flight
+now," Remm said. "Notice the evidence
+of strain on its face."</p>
+
+<p>The creature leaned forward and
+the appendages on the ends of its
+upper limbs clutched the sides of
+the box as it propelled its body forward.</p>
+
+<p>It raised its right foot in a slow
+arc, employing a double-jointed,
+breaking action of its leg. For a
+long moment it rested its entire
+weight on its lumpy right foot,
+while its momentum carried its
+body sluggishly forward. Then it repeated
+the motion with its left leg;
+then again its right. All the while
+evidencing great exertion and concentration
+of effort.</p>
+
+<p>"It is making what it considers a
+mad dash for freedom," Remm
+said. "Probably at the ultimate
+speed of which it is capable. That
+would be ridiculous except that it's
+normal for its own environment.
+This is definitely a slow-motion
+world."</p>
+
+<p>The creature was a third-way to
+the door now. Once again its head
+turned in its slow quarter-circle, to
+look at them. As it saw that Remm
+and Macker had not moved it altered
+the expression on its face.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to express its emotions
+through facial contortions," Remm
+said. "Though I suspect that the
+sounds it makes with the upper part
+of its trachea during moments of
+agitation are also outlets of emotional
+stress, rather than efforts at
+communication." He called across
+the room to Toolls. "What did you
+find out about its speech?"</p>
+
+<p>"Extremely primitive," Toolls replied.
+"Incredible as it may appear
+to us it uses combinations of
+sounds to form word-symbols. Each
+word indicates some action, or object;
+or denotes degree, time, or
+shades of meaning. Other words are
+merely connectives. It seems to
+make little use of inflections, the
+basis of a rational language.
+Thoughts which we can project
+with a few sounds would take it
+dozens of words to express."</p>
+
+<p>"Just how intelligent is it?"
+Macker asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Only as intelligent as a high degree
+of self-preservation instinct
+would make it."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you certain that it is a member
+of the dominant species of life
+on the planet?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's no doubt about it,"
+Toolls replied. "I've made very
+careful observations."</p>
+
+<p>"This attempt at escape is a pretty
+good example of its intelligence,"
+Remm said. "This is the sixth time
+it has tried to escape&mdash;in exactly
+the same way. As soon as it sees
+that we are farther away from it
+than it is from the door, it makes its
+dash."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="figr"><img src="images/001.png" width="359" height="500" alt="" title="" />
+<i><small><b>It was an arm to be proud of&mdash;but what good was it?</b></small></i></div>
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">The creature</span> was one step
+away from the space ship's open
+portal now and bringing its foot up
+to cross the threshold. Remm
+walked over and lifted it off the
+floor.</p>
+
+<p>"Its legs are still moving in a
+running motion," Macker said.
+"Doesn't it realize yet that you've
+picked it up?"</p>
+
+<p>"Its nervous system and reflexes
+are evidently as slow as its motor
+muscles," Remm replied. "There
+has not been time for the sensation
+of my picking it up to reach the
+brain, and for the brain to send
+back its message to the legs to stop
+their running motion."</p>
+
+<p>"How heavy is it?" Macker
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Only a few ounces," Remm replied.
+"But that's logical considering
+that this is a 'light' planet. If
+we took it back to our own 'heavy'
+world, gravity would crush it to a
+light film of the liquid which comprises
+the greater part of its substance."</p>
+
+<p>Remm set the creature down on
+the box in its former queerly contorted
+position. Toolls had left his
+instruments and strolled over beside
+them to observe the native.</p>
+
+<p>"One of its appendages seems
+bent at a peculiar angle," Macker
+said.</p>
+
+<p>"I noticed that," Remm answered.
+"I think that I may have
+broken the bone in several places
+when I first captured it. I was not
+aware then of how fragile it was.
+But now that you mention it, I
+should be able to use that injury
+to give you a good illustration of
+the interplay of emotional expressions
+on its face. Observe now as I
+touch it."</p>
+
+<p>Remm reached over and touched&mdash;very
+lightly&mdash;the broken portion
+of the native's appendage. The
+muscles of the creature's face pulled
+its flaccid flesh into distorted positions,
+bunching some and stretching
+others. "It is very probably registering
+pain," Remm said.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the starch seemed to
+leave the native's body and it slowly
+slumped across the packing-box.</p>
+
+<p>"Why is it doing that, Toolls?"
+Remm asked.</p>
+
+<p>Toolls concentrated for a minute,
+absorbing the feelings and
+thought pulsations emanating from
+the creature. "The conscious plane
+of its mind has blanked out," he
+said. "I presume the pain you
+caused by touching its wounded
+member resulted in a breakdown
+of its nervous system. The only
+thought waves I receive now are
+disjointed impressions and pictures
+following no rational series. However,
+I'm certain that it will be
+only temporary."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you think that in justice
+to the creature we should repair its
+wound before we free it?" Macker
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I had intended to have it done,"
+Remm replied. "You shouldn't
+have any trouble fixing it, should
+you, Toolls?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," Toolls answered. "I may
+as well attend to it right now." He
+rolled the portable <i>converter</i> over
+beside the creature and carefully
+laid its arm in the "pan." The <i>converter</i>
+automatically set its gauges
+and instruments of calculation, and
+gave its click of "ready."</p>
+
+<p>Toolls fed a short length of <i>basic</i>
+into the machine and it began its
+work. The native was still unconscious.</p>
+
+<p>The bone of the wounded arm
+slowly evaporated, beginning with
+the wrist joint. The evaporated
+portion was instantly replaced by
+the manufactured bone of the <i>converter</i>.
+At the same time it repaired
+all ruptured blood vessels and damaged
+ligaments and muscles.</p>
+
+<p>"It was not possible, of course,
+for me to replace the bone with another
+of the same composition as
+its own," Toolls said, after the machine
+had completed its work. "But
+I gave it one of our 'heavy' ones.
+There will be no force on this
+planet powerful enough to break it
+again."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">The native's</span> first evidence of
+a return to consciousness was a
+faint fluttering of the lids that covered
+its organs of vision. The lids
+opened and it looked up at them.</p>
+
+<p>"Its eyesight is as slow as its muscular
+reactions," Remm said.
+"Watch." Remm raised his hand
+and waved it slowly in front of the
+native's face. The eyes of the native,
+moving in odd, jerking movements,
+followed the hand's progress.
+Remm raised the hand&mdash;speeding
+its action slightly&mdash;and the eyesight
+faltered and lost it. The native's
+eyes rolled wildly until once
+again they located the hand.</p>
+
+<p>Remm took three steps forward.
+The native's eyes were unable to
+follow his change of position. Its
+gaze wandered about the room, until
+again its settled on Remm's waiting
+figure.</p>
+
+<p>"Can you imagine anything being
+so slow," Remm said, "and
+still ..." Suddenly Macker interrupted.
+"Something is wrong. It is
+trying to get up, but it can't." The
+native was registering signs of distress,
+kicking its legs and twisting its
+body into new positions of contortion.</p>
+
+<p>"I see what the trouble is," Toolls
+said. "It's unable to lift the appendage
+with the new bone in. I never
+thought of that before but its
+'light' muscles aren't strong
+enough to lift the limb. We've got
+the poor creature pinned to the box
+by the weight of its own arm."</p>
+
+<p>"We can't do that to it," Remm
+said. "Isn't there any way you can
+give it a lighter bone?"</p>
+
+<p>"None that wouldn't take a retooling
+of the <i>converter</i>," Toolls
+said. "I'm not certain that I could
+do it, and even if I could, we don't
+have the time to spare. I could give
+it stronger muscles in the arm, but
+that may throw off the metabolism
+of the whole body. If it did, the result
+would be fatal. I'd hate to
+chance it."</p>
+
+<p>"I have an idea," Macker said.
+By the inflections of his tones the
+others knew that some incongruity
+of the situation had aroused Macker's
+sense of humor. "Why don't
+we give the creature an entirely
+new body? We could replace the
+flesh and viscera, as well as the
+cartilaginous structure, with our
+own type substance. It would probably
+be an indestructible being as
+far as its own world is concerned.
+And it would be as powerful as
+their mightiest machines. We'd
+leave behind us a superman that
+could change the course of this
+world's history. You could do it,
+couldn't you, Toolls?"</p>
+
+<p>"Quite simply."</p>
+
+<p>"Our policy has always been not
+to interfere in anyway with the
+races we study," Remm protested.</p>
+
+<p>"But our policy has also been
+never to harm any of them, if at
+all possible to avoid it," Macker insisted.
+"In common justice you
+have to complete the job Toolls began
+on the arm, or you're condemning
+this poor thing to death."</p>
+
+<p>"But do we have the right to
+loose such an unpredictable factor
+as it would be among them?"
+Remm asked. "After all, our purpose
+is exploration and observation,
+not playing the parts of gods to the
+primitives we encounter."</p>
+
+<p>"True, that is the rule which we
+have always followed in the past,"
+Macker agreed, "but it is in no way
+a requirement. We are empowered
+to use our judgment in all circumstances.
+And in this particular instance
+I believe I can convince you
+that the course I suggest is the more
+just one." He turned to Toolls.
+"Just what stage of cultural development
+would you say this creature's
+race has attained?"</p>
+
+<p>"It still retains more of an animal-like
+adaptation to its surroundings
+than an intellectual one,"
+Toolls replied. "Its civilization is
+divided into various sized units of
+cooperation which it calls governments.
+Each unit vies with the
+others for a greater share of its
+world's goods. That same rivalry is
+carried down to the individual
+within the unit. Each strives for acquisition
+against his neighbor.</p>
+
+<p>"Further they retain many of
+their tribal instincts, such as gregariousness,
+emotional rather than
+intellectual propagation, and worship
+of the mightiest fighter. This
+last, however, is manifested by reverence
+for individuals attaining position
+of authority, or acquiring
+large amounts of their medium of
+exchange, rather than by physical
+superiority."</p>
+
+<p>"That's what I mean," Macker
+said. "Our policy in the past has
+been to avoid tampering, only because
+of the fear of bringing harm.
+If we created a super being among
+them, to act as a controlling and
+harmonizing force, we'd hasten
+their development by thousands of
+years. We'd be granting them the
+greatest possible boon!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," Remm said, obviously
+swayed by Macker's logic.
+"I'm still hesitant about introducing
+a being into their midst whose
+thought processes would be so subtle
+and superior to their own. How
+do you feel about it, Toolls?"</p>
+
+<p>"What would they have to lose?"
+Toolls asked with his penchant for
+striking the core of an argument.</p>
+
+<p>"The right or wrong of such
+moral and philosophical considerations
+has always been a delicate
+thing to decide," Remm acquiesced
+reluctantly. "Go ahead if you think
+it is the right thing to do."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">"All finished</span>?" Macker asked.</p>
+
+<p>"That depends on how much
+you want me to do," Toolls replied.
+"I've substituted our 'heavy'
+substances for his entire body structure,
+including the brain&mdash;at the
+same time transferring his former
+memory and habit impressions.
+That was necessary if he is to be
+able to care for himself. Also I
+brought his muscular reaction time
+up to our norm, and speeded his reflexes."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you implanted any techniques
+which he did not possess before,
+such as far-seeing, or mental
+insight?" Macker asked.</p>
+
+<p>"No," Toolls said. "That is what
+I want your advice about. Just how
+much should I reveal about ourselves
+and our background? Or
+should he be left without any
+knowledge of us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well ..." Now that the others
+had deferred to Macker's arguments,
+he had lost much of his certainty.
+"Perhaps we should at least
+let him know who we are, and what
+we have done. That would save him
+much alarm and perplexity when it
+comes time to reorient himself. On
+the other hand, perhaps we should
+go even farther and implant the
+knowledge of some of our sciences.
+Then he could do a better job of
+advancing his people. But maybe
+I'm wrong. What do you think
+about it, Remm?"</p>
+
+<p>"My personal opinion," Remm
+said, "is that we can't give him
+much of our science, because it
+would be like giving a baby a high
+explosive to play with. His race is
+much too primitive to handle it
+wisely. Either he, or someone to
+whom he imparts what we teach
+him, would be certain to bring
+catastrophe to his world. And if
+we let him learn less, but still remember
+his contact with us, in time
+his race would very likely come to
+regard us as gods. I would hesitate
+to drag in any metaphysical confusion
+to add to the uncertainties
+you are already engendering. My
+advice would be to wipe his mind
+of all memory of us. Let him explain
+his new found invincibility to
+himself in his own way."</p>
+
+<p>Macker had no criticism to offer
+to this suggestion. "Does he retain
+any of his immunity to this world's
+malignant germs?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"They are too impotent to represent
+any hazard to his present body
+mechanism," Toolls replied. "If and
+when he dies, it will not be from
+disease."</p>
+
+<p>"He will be subject to the deterioration
+of old age, the same as
+we are, won't he?" Macker asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," Toolls said, "but
+that's the only thing that will be
+able to bring him down. He cannot
+be harmed by any force this 'light'
+world can produce; he is impervious
+to sickness; and he will live indefinitely."</p>
+
+<p>"Indefinitely?"</p>
+
+<p>"As his world reckons time.
+Their normal life span is less than
+a hundred years. Ours is over five
+thousand. He will probably live
+approximately twice that long, because
+he will be subjected to less
+stress and strain, living as he does
+on a world of lighter elements."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we have truly made a
+superman," Macker's tones inflected
+satisfaction. "I wish we were
+returning this way in a thousand
+years or so. I'd like to see the monumental
+changes he will effect."</p>
+
+<p>"We may at that," Remm said,
+"or others of our people will. He
+will probably be a living legend by
+then. I'd like to hear what his race
+has to say about him. Do they
+have names with which to differentiate
+individuals?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," Toolls said. "This one has
+a family designation of Pollnow,
+and a member designation of Orville."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be necessary for us to
+leave in exactly ten minutes,"
+Remm reminded them. "Our next
+stopping place&mdash;the red star&mdash;will
+reach its nearest conjunction with
+this planet by the time we meet it
+out in space."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we will have time to do
+nothing more for him before we
+go," Macker said. "But as far as I
+can see we've forgotten nothing,
+have we, Toolls?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing," Toolls answered. "No&mdash;we
+forgot nothing."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">But Toolls</span> was wrong. They
+had forgotten one thing. A
+minor detail, relatively....</p>
+
+<p>On Toolls' world his race, in
+the course of its evolution, had adjusted
+itself to its own particular
+environment. Logically, the final result
+was that they evolved into
+beings best able to survive in that
+environment. As such their food&mdash;a
+"heavy," highly concentrated food&mdash;was
+ideally suited to supply the
+needs of their "heavy," tremendously
+avid organisms.</p>
+
+<p>Orville Pollnow had no such food
+available. His body&mdash;no larger than
+before&mdash;had an Earth mass of one
+hundred and eighty thousand
+pounds. One hundred and eighty
+thousand pounds&mdash;the weight of
+twelve hundred average sized men&mdash;of
+fiercely burning, intense virility.
+Even continuous eating&mdash;of his
+own world's food&mdash;could not supply
+the demands of that body.</p>
+
+<p>Twenty-four hours after the
+aliens left, Pollnow was dead&mdash;of
+starvation.</p>
+
+<p class="hd1">THE END</p>
+
+<div class="trn"><div class="figt"><a href="images/002-2.jpg"><img src="images/002-1.jpg" width="136" height="200" alt="" title="" /></a></div>
+
+<p><b><big>Transcriber's Note:</big></b></p>
+
+<p>This etext was produced from <i>If Worlds of Science Fiction</i> July 1952.
+Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
+copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
+typographical errors have been corrected without note.</p></div>
+
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 30491 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Vital Ingredient, by Charles V. De Vet
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Vital Ingredient
+
+Author: Charles V. De Vet
+
+Illustrator: Bob Martin
+
+Release Date: November 17, 2009 [EBook #30491]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VITAL INGREDIENT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+    _It is man's most precious possession--no living thing can exist
+    without it. But when they gave it to Orville, it killed him. For the
+    answer, read 1/M._
+
+
+        Vital
+      Ingredient
+
+ By Charles V. De Vet
+
+
+"Now watch," Remm said, indicating the native. Macker had been absent,
+exploring the countryside in the immediate vicinity of their landing
+place, and had not witnessed the capture of the native, or the tests his
+two companions made on it.
+
+Macker followed Remm's gaze to where the biped native sat hunched. The
+creature was bent into an ungainly position, its body crooked at
+incongruous angles, in such a way as to allow most of its weight to rest
+on a packing-box at the base of a middle angle. Its stubby feet, on the
+ends of thin, pipelike legs, rested against the floor of the space ship.
+Its body was covered, almost entirely, with an artificial skin material
+of various colors. Some of the colors hurt Macker's eyes. In the few
+places where the flesh showed through the skin was an unhealthy, pallid
+white.
+
+Slowly the creature's head swiveled on its short neck until it faced
+them.
+
+"Those orifices in the upper portion of its skull are evidently organs
+of sight," Remm said. "It sees that we are quite a distance away. It
+will probably attempt to escape again."
+
+Slowly--slowly--the native's head rotated away from them in a
+half-circle until it faced Toolls, working over his instruments on the
+far side of the room. Then it turned its head back until it faced the
+door of the ship.
+
+"It is setting itself for flight now," Remm said. "Notice the evidence
+of strain on its face."
+
+The creature leaned forward and the appendages on the ends of its upper
+limbs clutched the sides of the box as it propelled its body forward.
+
+It raised its right foot in a slow arc, employing a double-jointed,
+breaking action of its leg. For a long moment it rested its entire
+weight on its lumpy right foot, while its momentum carried its body
+sluggishly forward. Then it repeated the motion with its left leg; then
+again its right. All the while evidencing great exertion and
+concentration of effort.
+
+"It is making what it considers a mad dash for freedom," Remm said.
+"Probably at the ultimate speed of which it is capable. That would be
+ridiculous except that it's normal for its own environment. This is
+definitely a slow-motion world."
+
+The creature was a third-way to the door now. Once again its head turned
+in its slow quarter-circle, to look at them. As it saw that Remm and
+Macker had not moved it altered the expression on its face.
+
+"It seems to express its emotions through facial contortions," Remm
+said. "Though I suspect that the sounds it makes with the upper part of
+its trachea during moments of agitation are also outlets of emotional
+stress, rather than efforts at communication." He called across the room
+to Toolls. "What did you find out about its speech?"
+
+"Extremely primitive," Toolls replied. "Incredible as it may appear to
+us it uses combinations of sounds to form word-symbols. Each word
+indicates some action, or object; or denotes degree, time, or shades of
+meaning. Other words are merely connectives. It seems to make little use
+of inflections, the basis of a rational language. Thoughts which we can
+project with a few sounds would take it dozens of words to express."
+
+"Just how intelligent is it?" Macker asked.
+
+"Only as intelligent as a high degree of self-preservation instinct
+would make it."
+
+"Are you certain that it is a member of the dominant species of life on
+the planet?"
+
+"There's no doubt about it," Toolls replied. "I've made very careful
+observations."
+
+"This attempt at escape is a pretty good example of its intelligence,"
+Remm said. "This is the sixth time it has tried to escape--in exactly
+the same way. As soon as it sees that we are farther away from it than
+it is from the door, it makes its dash."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The creature was one step away from the space ship's open portal now and
+bringing its foot up to cross the threshold. Remm walked over and lifted
+it off the floor.
+
+"Its legs are still moving in a running motion," Macker said. "Doesn't
+it realize yet that you've picked it up?"
+
+[Illustration: _It was an arm to be proud of--but what good was it?_]
+
+"Its nervous system and reflexes are evidently as slow as its motor
+muscles," Remm replied. "There has not been time for the sensation of my
+picking it up to reach the brain, and for the brain to send back its
+message to the legs to stop their running motion."
+
+"How heavy is it?" Macker asked.
+
+"Only a few ounces," Remm replied. "But that's logical considering that
+this is a 'light' planet. If we took it back to our own 'heavy' world,
+gravity would crush it to a light film of the liquid which comprises the
+greater part of its substance."
+
+Remm set the creature down on the box in its former queerly contorted
+position. Toolls had left his instruments and strolled over beside them
+to observe the native.
+
+"One of its appendages seems bent at a peculiar angle," Macker said.
+
+"I noticed that," Remm answered. "I think that I may have broken the
+bone in several places when I first captured it. I was not aware then of
+how fragile it was. But now that you mention it, I should be able to use
+that injury to give you a good illustration of the interplay of
+emotional expressions on its face. Observe now as I touch it."
+
+Remm reached over and touched--very lightly--the broken portion of the
+native's appendage. The muscles of the creature's face pulled its
+flaccid flesh into distorted positions, bunching some and stretching
+others. "It is very probably registering pain," Remm said.
+
+Suddenly the starch seemed to leave the native's body and it slowly
+slumped across the packing-box.
+
+"Why is it doing that, Toolls?" Remm asked.
+
+Toolls concentrated for a minute, absorbing the feelings and thought
+pulsations emanating from the creature. "The conscious plane of its mind
+has blanked out," he said. "I presume the pain you caused by touching
+its wounded member resulted in a breakdown of its nervous system. The
+only thought waves I receive now are disjointed impressions and pictures
+following no rational series. However, I'm certain that it will be only
+temporary."
+
+"Don't you think that in justice to the creature we should repair its
+wound before we free it?" Macker asked.
+
+"I had intended to have it done," Remm replied. "You shouldn't have any
+trouble fixing it, should you, Toolls?"
+
+"No," Toolls answered. "I may as well attend to it right now." He rolled
+the portable _converter_ over beside the creature and carefully laid its
+arm in the "pan." The _converter_ automatically set its gauges and
+instruments of calculation, and gave its click of "ready."
+
+Toolls fed a short length of _basic_ into the machine and it began its
+work. The native was still unconscious.
+
+The bone of the wounded arm slowly evaporated, beginning with the wrist
+joint. The evaporated portion was instantly replaced by the
+manufactured bone of the _converter_. At the same time it repaired all
+ruptured blood vessels and damaged ligaments and muscles.
+
+"It was not possible, of course, for me to replace the bone with another
+of the same composition as its own," Toolls said, after the machine had
+completed its work. "But I gave it one of our 'heavy' ones. There will
+be no force on this planet powerful enough to break it again."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The native's first evidence of a return to consciousness was a faint
+fluttering of the lids that covered its organs of vision. The lids
+opened and it looked up at them.
+
+"Its eyesight is as slow as its muscular reactions," Remm said. "Watch."
+Remm raised his hand and waved it slowly in front of the native's face.
+The eyes of the native, moving in odd, jerking movements, followed the
+hand's progress. Remm raised the hand--speeding its action slightly--and
+the eyesight faltered and lost it. The native's eyes rolled wildly until
+once again they located the hand.
+
+Remm took three steps forward. The native's eyes were unable to follow
+his change of position. Its gaze wandered about the room, until again
+its settled on Remm's waiting figure.
+
+"Can you imagine anything being so slow," Remm said, "and still ..."
+Suddenly Macker interrupted. "Something is wrong. It is trying to get
+up, but it can't." The native was registering signs of distress, kicking
+its legs and twisting its body into new positions of contortion.
+
+"I see what the trouble is," Toolls said. "It's unable to lift the
+appendage with the new bone in. I never thought of that before but its
+'light' muscles aren't strong enough to lift the limb. We've got the
+poor creature pinned to the box by the weight of its own arm."
+
+"We can't do that to it," Remm said. "Isn't there any way you can give
+it a lighter bone?"
+
+"None that wouldn't take a retooling of the _converter_," Toolls said.
+"I'm not certain that I could do it, and even if I could, we don't have
+the time to spare. I could give it stronger muscles in the arm, but that
+may throw off the metabolism of the whole body. If it did, the result
+would be fatal. I'd hate to chance it."
+
+"I have an idea," Macker said. By the inflections of his tones the
+others knew that some incongruity of the situation had aroused Macker's
+sense of humor. "Why don't we give the creature an entirely new body? We
+could replace the flesh and viscera, as well as the cartilaginous
+structure, with our own type substance. It would probably be an
+indestructible being as far as its own world is concerned. And it would
+be as powerful as their mightiest machines. We'd leave behind us a
+superman that could change the course of this world's history. You could
+do it, couldn't you, Toolls?"
+
+"Quite simply."
+
+"Our policy has always been not to interfere in anyway with the races we
+study," Remm protested.
+
+"But our policy has also been never to harm any of them, if at all
+possible to avoid it," Macker insisted. "In common justice you have to
+complete the job Toolls began on the arm, or you're condemning this poor
+thing to death."
+
+"But do we have the right to loose such an unpredictable factor as it
+would be among them?" Remm asked. "After all, our purpose is exploration
+and observation, not playing the parts of gods to the primitives we
+encounter."
+
+"True, that is the rule which we have always followed in the past,"
+Macker agreed, "but it is in no way a requirement. We are empowered to
+use our judgment in all circumstances. And in this particular instance I
+believe I can convince you that the course I suggest is the more just
+one." He turned to Toolls. "Just what stage of cultural development
+would you say this creature's race has attained?"
+
+"It still retains more of an animal-like adaptation to its surroundings
+than an intellectual one," Toolls replied. "Its civilization is divided
+into various sized units of cooperation which it calls governments. Each
+unit vies with the others for a greater share of its world's goods. That
+same rivalry is carried down to the individual within the unit. Each
+strives for acquisition against his neighbor.
+
+"Further they retain many of their tribal instincts, such as
+gregariousness, emotional rather than intellectual propagation, and
+worship of the mightiest fighter. This last, however, is manifested by
+reverence for individuals attaining position of authority, or acquiring
+large amounts of their medium of exchange, rather than by physical
+superiority."
+
+"That's what I mean," Macker said. "Our policy in the past has been to
+avoid tampering, only because of the fear of bringing harm. If we
+created a super being among them, to act as a controlling and
+harmonizing force, we'd hasten their development by thousands of years.
+We'd be granting them the greatest possible boon!"
+
+"I don't know," Remm said, obviously swayed by Macker's logic. "I'm
+still hesitant about introducing a being into their midst whose thought
+processes would be so subtle and superior to their own. How do you feel
+about it, Toolls?"
+
+"What would they have to lose?" Toolls asked with his penchant for
+striking the core of an argument.
+
+"The right or wrong of such moral and philosophical considerations has
+always been a delicate thing to decide," Remm acquiesced reluctantly.
+"Go ahead if you think it is the right thing to do."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"All finished?" Macker asked.
+
+"That depends on how much you want me to do," Toolls replied. "I've
+substituted our 'heavy' substances for his entire body structure,
+including the brain--at the same time transferring his former memory and
+habit impressions. That was necessary if he is to be able to care for
+himself. Also I brought his muscular reaction time up to our norm, and
+speeded his reflexes."
+
+"Have you implanted any techniques which he did not possess before, such
+as far-seeing, or mental insight?" Macker asked.
+
+"No," Toolls said. "That is what I want your advice about. Just how much
+should I reveal about ourselves and our background? Or should he be left
+without any knowledge of us?"
+
+"Well ..." Now that the others had deferred to Macker's arguments, he
+had lost much of his certainty. "Perhaps we should at least let him know
+who we are, and what we have done. That would save him much alarm and
+perplexity when it comes time to reorient himself. On the other hand,
+perhaps we should go even farther and implant the knowledge of some of
+our sciences. Then he could do a better job of advancing his people. But
+maybe I'm wrong. What do you think about it, Remm?"
+
+"My personal opinion," Remm said, "is that we can't give him much of our
+science, because it would be like giving a baby a high explosive to play
+with. His race is much too primitive to handle it wisely. Either he, or
+someone to whom he imparts what we teach him, would be certain to bring
+catastrophe to his world. And if we let him learn less, but still
+remember his contact with us, in time his race would very likely come to
+regard us as gods. I would hesitate to drag in any metaphysical
+confusion to add to the uncertainties you are already engendering. My
+advice would be to wipe his mind of all memory of us. Let him explain
+his new found invincibility to himself in his own way."
+
+Macker had no criticism to offer to this suggestion. "Does he retain any
+of his immunity to this world's malignant germs?" he asked.
+
+"They are too impotent to represent any hazard to his present body
+mechanism," Toolls replied. "If and when he dies, it will not be from
+disease."
+
+"He will be subject to the deterioration of old age, the same as we are,
+won't he?" Macker asked.
+
+"Of course," Toolls said, "but that's the only thing that will be able
+to bring him down. He cannot be harmed by any force this 'light' world
+can produce; he is impervious to sickness; and he will live
+indefinitely."
+
+"Indefinitely?"
+
+"As his world reckons time. Their normal life span is less than a
+hundred years. Ours is over five thousand. He will probably live
+approximately twice that long, because he will be subjected to less
+stress and strain, living as he does on a world of lighter elements."
+
+"Then we have truly made a superman," Macker's tones inflected
+satisfaction. "I wish we were returning this way in a thousand years or
+so. I'd like to see the monumental changes he will effect."
+
+"We may at that," Remm said, "or others of our people will. He will
+probably be a living legend by then. I'd like to hear what his race has
+to say about him. Do they have names with which to differentiate
+individuals?"
+
+"Yes," Toolls said. "This one has a family designation of Pollnow, and
+a member designation of Orville."
+
+"It will be necessary for us to leave in exactly ten minutes," Remm
+reminded them. "Our next stopping place--the red star--will reach its
+nearest conjunction with this planet by the time we meet it out in
+space."
+
+"Then we will have time to do nothing more for him before we go," Macker
+said. "But as far as I can see we've forgotten nothing, have we,
+Toolls?"
+
+"Nothing," Toolls answered. "No--we forgot nothing."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+But Toolls was wrong. They had forgotten one thing. A minor detail,
+relatively....
+
+On Toolls' world his race, in the course of its evolution, had adjusted
+itself to its own particular environment. Logically, the final result
+was that they evolved into beings best able to survive in that
+environment. As such their food--a "heavy," highly concentrated
+food--was ideally suited to supply the needs of their "heavy,"
+tremendously avid organisms.
+
+Orville Pollnow had no such food available. His body--no larger than
+before--had an Earth mass of one hundred and eighty thousand pounds. One
+hundred and eighty thousand pounds--the weight of twelve hundred average
+sized men--of fiercely burning, intense virility. Even continuous
+eating--of his own world's food--could not supply the demands of that
+body.
+
+Twenty-four hours after the aliens left, Pollnow was dead--of
+starvation.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+    This etext was produced from _If Worlds of Science Fiction_ July
+    1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
+    copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
+    typographical errors have been corrected without note.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Vital Ingredient, by Charles V. De Vet
+
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+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Vital Ingredient
+
+Author: Charles V. De Vet
+
+Illustrator: Bob Martin
+
+Release Date: November 17, 2009 [EBook #30491]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VITAL INGREDIENT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="bk1"><p><big><i>It is man's most precious possession&mdash;no
+living thing can exist without it. But
+when they gave it to Orville, it killed
+him. For the answer, read 1/M.</i></big></p></div>
+
+<h1><span class="sp1">Vital<br />
+Ingredient</span></h1>
+
+<h2>By Charles V. De Vet</h2>
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">"Now watch</span>," Remm said, indicating
+the native. Macker had
+been absent, exploring the countryside
+in the immediate vicinity of
+their landing place, and had not
+witnessed the capture of the native,
+or the tests his two companions
+made on it.</p>
+
+<p>Macker followed Remm's gaze to
+where the biped native sat hunched.
+The creature was bent into an ungainly
+position, its body crooked at
+incongruous angles, in such a way
+as to allow most of its weight to
+rest on a packing-box at the base
+of a middle angle. Its stubby feet,
+on the ends of thin, pipelike legs,
+rested against the floor of the space
+ship. Its body was covered, almost
+entirely, with an artificial skin material
+of various colors. Some of the
+colors hurt Macker's eyes. In the
+few places where the flesh showed
+through the skin was an unhealthy,
+pallid white.</p>
+
+<p>Slowly the creature's head swiveled
+on its short neck until it faced
+them.</p>
+
+<p>"Those orifices in the upper portion
+of its skull are evidently organs
+of sight," Remm said. "It sees that
+we are quite a distance away. It
+will probably attempt to escape
+again."</p>
+
+<p>Slowly&mdash;slowly&mdash;the native's
+head rotated away from them in a
+half-circle until it faced Toolls,
+working over his instruments on the
+far side of the room. Then it turned
+its head back until it faced the door
+of the ship.</p>
+
+<p>"It is setting itself for flight
+now," Remm said. "Notice the evidence
+of strain on its face."</p>
+
+<p>The creature leaned forward and
+the appendages on the ends of its
+upper limbs clutched the sides of
+the box as it propelled its body forward.</p>
+
+<p>It raised its right foot in a slow
+arc, employing a double-jointed,
+breaking action of its leg. For a
+long moment it rested its entire
+weight on its lumpy right foot,
+while its momentum carried its
+body sluggishly forward. Then it repeated
+the motion with its left leg;
+then again its right. All the while
+evidencing great exertion and concentration
+of effort.</p>
+
+<p>"It is making what it considers a
+mad dash for freedom," Remm
+said. "Probably at the ultimate
+speed of which it is capable. That
+would be ridiculous except that it's
+normal for its own environment.
+This is definitely a slow-motion
+world."</p>
+
+<p>The creature was a third-way to
+the door now. Once again its head
+turned in its slow quarter-circle, to
+look at them. As it saw that Remm
+and Macker had not moved it altered
+the expression on its face.</p>
+
+<p>"It seems to express its emotions
+through facial contortions," Remm
+said. "Though I suspect that the
+sounds it makes with the upper part
+of its trachea during moments of
+agitation are also outlets of emotional
+stress, rather than efforts at
+communication." He called across
+the room to Toolls. "What did you
+find out about its speech?"</p>
+
+<p>"Extremely primitive," Toolls replied.
+"Incredible as it may appear
+to us it uses combinations of
+sounds to form word-symbols. Each
+word indicates some action, or object;
+or denotes degree, time, or
+shades of meaning. Other words are
+merely connectives. It seems to
+make little use of inflections, the
+basis of a rational language.
+Thoughts which we can project
+with a few sounds would take it
+dozens of words to express."</p>
+
+<p>"Just how intelligent is it?"
+Macker asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Only as intelligent as a high degree
+of self-preservation instinct
+would make it."</p>
+
+<p>"Are you certain that it is a member
+of the dominant species of life
+on the planet?"</p>
+
+<p>"There's no doubt about it,"
+Toolls replied. "I've made very
+careful observations."</p>
+
+<p>"This attempt at escape is a pretty
+good example of its intelligence,"
+Remm said. "This is the sixth time
+it has tried to escape&mdash;in exactly
+the same way. As soon as it sees
+that we are farther away from it
+than it is from the door, it makes its
+dash."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div class="figr"><img src="images/001.png" width="359" height="500" alt="" title="" />
+<i><small><b>It was an arm to be proud of&mdash;but what good was it?</b></small></i></div>
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">The creature</span> was one step
+away from the space ship's open
+portal now and bringing its foot up
+to cross the threshold. Remm
+walked over and lifted it off the
+floor.</p>
+
+<p>"Its legs are still moving in a
+running motion," Macker said.
+"Doesn't it realize yet that you've
+picked it up?"</p>
+
+<p>"Its nervous system and reflexes
+are evidently as slow as its motor
+muscles," Remm replied. "There
+has not been time for the sensation
+of my picking it up to reach the
+brain, and for the brain to send
+back its message to the legs to stop
+their running motion."</p>
+
+<p>"How heavy is it?" Macker
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Only a few ounces," Remm replied.
+"But that's logical considering
+that this is a 'light' planet. If
+we took it back to our own 'heavy'
+world, gravity would crush it to a
+light film of the liquid which comprises
+the greater part of its substance."</p>
+
+<p>Remm set the creature down on
+the box in its former queerly contorted
+position. Toolls had left his
+instruments and strolled over beside
+them to observe the native.</p>
+
+<p>"One of its appendages seems
+bent at a peculiar angle," Macker
+said.</p>
+
+<p>"I noticed that," Remm answered.
+"I think that I may have
+broken the bone in several places
+when I first captured it. I was not
+aware then of how fragile it was.
+But now that you mention it, I
+should be able to use that injury
+to give you a good illustration of
+the interplay of emotional expressions
+on its face. Observe now as I
+touch it."</p>
+
+<p>Remm reached over and touched&mdash;very
+lightly&mdash;the broken portion
+of the native's appendage. The
+muscles of the creature's face pulled
+its flaccid flesh into distorted positions,
+bunching some and stretching
+others. "It is very probably registering
+pain," Remm said.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the starch seemed to
+leave the native's body and it slowly
+slumped across the packing-box.</p>
+
+<p>"Why is it doing that, Toolls?"
+Remm asked.</p>
+
+<p>Toolls concentrated for a minute,
+absorbing the feelings and
+thought pulsations emanating from
+the creature. "The conscious plane
+of its mind has blanked out," he
+said. "I presume the pain you
+caused by touching its wounded
+member resulted in a breakdown
+of its nervous system. The only
+thought waves I receive now are
+disjointed impressions and pictures
+following no rational series. However,
+I'm certain that it will be
+only temporary."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you think that in justice
+to the creature we should repair its
+wound before we free it?" Macker
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"I had intended to have it done,"
+Remm replied. "You shouldn't
+have any trouble fixing it, should
+you, Toolls?"</p>
+
+<p>"No," Toolls answered. "I may
+as well attend to it right now." He
+rolled the portable <i>converter</i> over
+beside the creature and carefully
+laid its arm in the "pan." The <i>converter</i>
+automatically set its gauges
+and instruments of calculation, and
+gave its click of "ready."</p>
+
+<p>Toolls fed a short length of <i>basic</i>
+into the machine and it began its
+work. The native was still unconscious.</p>
+
+<p>The bone of the wounded arm
+slowly evaporated, beginning with
+the wrist joint. The evaporated
+portion was instantly replaced by
+the manufactured bone of the <i>converter</i>.
+At the same time it repaired
+all ruptured blood vessels and damaged
+ligaments and muscles.</p>
+
+<p>"It was not possible, of course,
+for me to replace the bone with another
+of the same composition as
+its own," Toolls said, after the machine
+had completed its work. "But
+I gave it one of our 'heavy' ones.
+There will be no force on this
+planet powerful enough to break it
+again."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">The native's</span> first evidence of
+a return to consciousness was a
+faint fluttering of the lids that covered
+its organs of vision. The lids
+opened and it looked up at them.</p>
+
+<p>"Its eyesight is as slow as its muscular
+reactions," Remm said.
+"Watch." Remm raised his hand
+and waved it slowly in front of the
+native's face. The eyes of the native,
+moving in odd, jerking movements,
+followed the hand's progress.
+Remm raised the hand&mdash;speeding
+its action slightly&mdash;and the eyesight
+faltered and lost it. The native's
+eyes rolled wildly until once
+again they located the hand.</p>
+
+<p>Remm took three steps forward.
+The native's eyes were unable to
+follow his change of position. Its
+gaze wandered about the room, until
+again its settled on Remm's waiting
+figure.</p>
+
+<p>"Can you imagine anything being
+so slow," Remm said, "and
+still ..." Suddenly Macker interrupted.
+"Something is wrong. It is
+trying to get up, but it can't." The
+native was registering signs of distress,
+kicking its legs and twisting its
+body into new positions of contortion.</p>
+
+<p>"I see what the trouble is," Toolls
+said. "It's unable to lift the appendage
+with the new bone in. I never
+thought of that before but its
+'light' muscles aren't strong
+enough to lift the limb. We've got
+the poor creature pinned to the box
+by the weight of its own arm."</p>
+
+<p>"We can't do that to it," Remm
+said. "Isn't there any way you can
+give it a lighter bone?"</p>
+
+<p>"None that wouldn't take a retooling
+of the <i>converter</i>," Toolls
+said. "I'm not certain that I could
+do it, and even if I could, we don't
+have the time to spare. I could give
+it stronger muscles in the arm, but
+that may throw off the metabolism
+of the whole body. If it did, the result
+would be fatal. I'd hate to
+chance it."</p>
+
+<p>"I have an idea," Macker said.
+By the inflections of his tones the
+others knew that some incongruity
+of the situation had aroused Macker's
+sense of humor. "Why don't
+we give the creature an entirely
+new body? We could replace the
+flesh and viscera, as well as the
+cartilaginous structure, with our
+own type substance. It would probably
+be an indestructible being as
+far as its own world is concerned.
+And it would be as powerful as
+their mightiest machines. We'd
+leave behind us a superman that
+could change the course of this
+world's history. You could do it,
+couldn't you, Toolls?"</p>
+
+<p>"Quite simply."</p>
+
+<p>"Our policy has always been not
+to interfere in anyway with the
+races we study," Remm protested.</p>
+
+<p>"But our policy has also been
+never to harm any of them, if at
+all possible to avoid it," Macker insisted.
+"In common justice you
+have to complete the job Toolls began
+on the arm, or you're condemning
+this poor thing to death."</p>
+
+<p>"But do we have the right to
+loose such an unpredictable factor
+as it would be among them?"
+Remm asked. "After all, our purpose
+is exploration and observation,
+not playing the parts of gods to the
+primitives we encounter."</p>
+
+<p>"True, that is the rule which we
+have always followed in the past,"
+Macker agreed, "but it is in no way
+a requirement. We are empowered
+to use our judgment in all circumstances.
+And in this particular instance
+I believe I can convince you
+that the course I suggest is the more
+just one." He turned to Toolls.
+"Just what stage of cultural development
+would you say this creature's
+race has attained?"</p>
+
+<p>"It still retains more of an animal-like
+adaptation to its surroundings
+than an intellectual one,"
+Toolls replied. "Its civilization is
+divided into various sized units of
+cooperation which it calls governments.
+Each unit vies with the
+others for a greater share of its
+world's goods. That same rivalry is
+carried down to the individual
+within the unit. Each strives for acquisition
+against his neighbor.</p>
+
+<p>"Further they retain many of
+their tribal instincts, such as gregariousness,
+emotional rather than
+intellectual propagation, and worship
+of the mightiest fighter. This
+last, however, is manifested by reverence
+for individuals attaining position
+of authority, or acquiring
+large amounts of their medium of
+exchange, rather than by physical
+superiority."</p>
+
+<p>"That's what I mean," Macker
+said. "Our policy in the past has
+been to avoid tampering, only because
+of the fear of bringing harm.
+If we created a super being among
+them, to act as a controlling and
+harmonizing force, we'd hasten
+their development by thousands of
+years. We'd be granting them the
+greatest possible boon!"</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," Remm said, obviously
+swayed by Macker's logic.
+"I'm still hesitant about introducing
+a being into their midst whose
+thought processes would be so subtle
+and superior to their own. How
+do you feel about it, Toolls?"</p>
+
+<p>"What would they have to lose?"
+Toolls asked with his penchant for
+striking the core of an argument.</p>
+
+<p>"The right or wrong of such
+moral and philosophical considerations
+has always been a delicate
+thing to decide," Remm acquiesced
+reluctantly. "Go ahead if you think
+it is the right thing to do."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">"All finished</span>?" Macker asked.</p>
+
+<p>"That depends on how much
+you want me to do," Toolls replied.
+"I've substituted our 'heavy'
+substances for his entire body structure,
+including the brain&mdash;at the
+same time transferring his former
+memory and habit impressions.
+That was necessary if he is to be
+able to care for himself. Also I
+brought his muscular reaction time
+up to our norm, and speeded his reflexes."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you implanted any techniques
+which he did not possess before,
+such as far-seeing, or mental
+insight?" Macker asked.</p>
+
+<p>"No," Toolls said. "That is what
+I want your advice about. Just how
+much should I reveal about ourselves
+and our background? Or
+should he be left without any
+knowledge of us?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well ..." Now that the others
+had deferred to Macker's arguments,
+he had lost much of his certainty.
+"Perhaps we should at least
+let him know who we are, and what
+we have done. That would save him
+much alarm and perplexity when it
+comes time to reorient himself. On
+the other hand, perhaps we should
+go even farther and implant the
+knowledge of some of our sciences.
+Then he could do a better job of
+advancing his people. But maybe
+I'm wrong. What do you think
+about it, Remm?"</p>
+
+<p>"My personal opinion," Remm
+said, "is that we can't give him
+much of our science, because it
+would be like giving a baby a high
+explosive to play with. His race is
+much too primitive to handle it
+wisely. Either he, or someone to
+whom he imparts what we teach
+him, would be certain to bring
+catastrophe to his world. And if
+we let him learn less, but still remember
+his contact with us, in time
+his race would very likely come to
+regard us as gods. I would hesitate
+to drag in any metaphysical confusion
+to add to the uncertainties
+you are already engendering. My
+advice would be to wipe his mind
+of all memory of us. Let him explain
+his new found invincibility to
+himself in his own way."</p>
+
+<p>Macker had no criticism to offer
+to this suggestion. "Does he retain
+any of his immunity to this world's
+malignant germs?" he asked.</p>
+
+<p>"They are too impotent to represent
+any hazard to his present body
+mechanism," Toolls replied. "If and
+when he dies, it will not be from
+disease."</p>
+
+<p>"He will be subject to the deterioration
+of old age, the same as
+we are, won't he?" Macker asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course," Toolls said, "but
+that's the only thing that will be
+able to bring him down. He cannot
+be harmed by any force this 'light'
+world can produce; he is impervious
+to sickness; and he will live indefinitely."</p>
+
+<p>"Indefinitely?"</p>
+
+<p>"As his world reckons time.
+Their normal life span is less than
+a hundred years. Ours is over five
+thousand. He will probably live
+approximately twice that long, because
+he will be subjected to less
+stress and strain, living as he does
+on a world of lighter elements."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we have truly made a
+superman," Macker's tones inflected
+satisfaction. "I wish we were
+returning this way in a thousand
+years or so. I'd like to see the monumental
+changes he will effect."</p>
+
+<p>"We may at that," Remm said,
+"or others of our people will. He
+will probably be a living legend by
+then. I'd like to hear what his race
+has to say about him. Do they
+have names with which to differentiate
+individuals?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," Toolls said. "This one has
+a family designation of Pollnow,
+and a member designation of Orville."</p>
+
+<p>"It will be necessary for us to
+leave in exactly ten minutes,"
+Remm reminded them. "Our next
+stopping place&mdash;the red star&mdash;will
+reach its nearest conjunction with
+this planet by the time we meet it
+out in space."</p>
+
+<p>"Then we will have time to do
+nothing more for him before we
+go," Macker said. "But as far as I
+can see we've forgotten nothing,
+have we, Toolls?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nothing," Toolls answered. "No&mdash;we
+forgot nothing."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="dcap">But Toolls</span> was wrong. They
+had forgotten one thing. A
+minor detail, relatively....</p>
+
+<p>On Toolls' world his race, in
+the course of its evolution, had adjusted
+itself to its own particular
+environment. Logically, the final result
+was that they evolved into
+beings best able to survive in that
+environment. As such their food&mdash;a
+"heavy," highly concentrated food&mdash;was
+ideally suited to supply the
+needs of their "heavy," tremendously
+avid organisms.</p>
+
+<p>Orville Pollnow had no such food
+available. His body&mdash;no larger than
+before&mdash;had an Earth mass of one
+hundred and eighty thousand
+pounds. One hundred and eighty
+thousand pounds&mdash;the weight of
+twelve hundred average sized men&mdash;of
+fiercely burning, intense virility.
+Even continuous eating&mdash;of his
+own world's food&mdash;could not supply
+the demands of that body.</p>
+
+<p>Twenty-four hours after the
+aliens left, Pollnow was dead&mdash;of
+starvation.</p>
+
+<p class="hd1">THE END</p>
+
+<div class="trn"><div class="figt"><a href="images/002-2.jpg"><img src="images/002-1.jpg" width="136" height="200" alt="" title="" /></a></div>
+
+<p><b><big>Transcriber's Note:</big></b></p>
+
+<p>This etext was produced from <i>If Worlds of Science Fiction</i> July 1952.
+Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
+copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
+typographical errors have been corrected without note.</p></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Vital Ingredient, by Charles V. De Vet
+
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Vital Ingredient, by Charles V. De Vet
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Vital Ingredient
+
+Author: Charles V. De Vet
+
+Illustrator: Bob Martin
+
+Release Date: November 17, 2009 [EBook #30491]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VITAL INGREDIENT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+    _It is man's most precious possession--no living thing can exist
+    without it. But when they gave it to Orville, it killed him. For the
+    answer, read 1/M._
+
+
+        Vital
+      Ingredient
+
+ By Charles V. De Vet
+
+
+"Now watch," Remm said, indicating the native. Macker had been absent,
+exploring the countryside in the immediate vicinity of their landing
+place, and had not witnessed the capture of the native, or the tests his
+two companions made on it.
+
+Macker followed Remm's gaze to where the biped native sat hunched. The
+creature was bent into an ungainly position, its body crooked at
+incongruous angles, in such a way as to allow most of its weight to rest
+on a packing-box at the base of a middle angle. Its stubby feet, on the
+ends of thin, pipelike legs, rested against the floor of the space ship.
+Its body was covered, almost entirely, with an artificial skin material
+of various colors. Some of the colors hurt Macker's eyes. In the few
+places where the flesh showed through the skin was an unhealthy, pallid
+white.
+
+Slowly the creature's head swiveled on its short neck until it faced
+them.
+
+"Those orifices in the upper portion of its skull are evidently organs
+of sight," Remm said. "It sees that we are quite a distance away. It
+will probably attempt to escape again."
+
+Slowly--slowly--the native's head rotated away from them in a
+half-circle until it faced Toolls, working over his instruments on the
+far side of the room. Then it turned its head back until it faced the
+door of the ship.
+
+"It is setting itself for flight now," Remm said. "Notice the evidence
+of strain on its face."
+
+The creature leaned forward and the appendages on the ends of its upper
+limbs clutched the sides of the box as it propelled its body forward.
+
+It raised its right foot in a slow arc, employing a double-jointed,
+breaking action of its leg. For a long moment it rested its entire
+weight on its lumpy right foot, while its momentum carried its body
+sluggishly forward. Then it repeated the motion with its left leg; then
+again its right. All the while evidencing great exertion and
+concentration of effort.
+
+"It is making what it considers a mad dash for freedom," Remm said.
+"Probably at the ultimate speed of which it is capable. That would be
+ridiculous except that it's normal for its own environment. This is
+definitely a slow-motion world."
+
+The creature was a third-way to the door now. Once again its head turned
+in its slow quarter-circle, to look at them. As it saw that Remm and
+Macker had not moved it altered the expression on its face.
+
+"It seems to express its emotions through facial contortions," Remm
+said. "Though I suspect that the sounds it makes with the upper part of
+its trachea during moments of agitation are also outlets of emotional
+stress, rather than efforts at communication." He called across the room
+to Toolls. "What did you find out about its speech?"
+
+"Extremely primitive," Toolls replied. "Incredible as it may appear to
+us it uses combinations of sounds to form word-symbols. Each word
+indicates some action, or object; or denotes degree, time, or shades of
+meaning. Other words are merely connectives. It seems to make little use
+of inflections, the basis of a rational language. Thoughts which we can
+project with a few sounds would take it dozens of words to express."
+
+"Just how intelligent is it?" Macker asked.
+
+"Only as intelligent as a high degree of self-preservation instinct
+would make it."
+
+"Are you certain that it is a member of the dominant species of life on
+the planet?"
+
+"There's no doubt about it," Toolls replied. "I've made very careful
+observations."
+
+"This attempt at escape is a pretty good example of its intelligence,"
+Remm said. "This is the sixth time it has tried to escape--in exactly
+the same way. As soon as it sees that we are farther away from it than
+it is from the door, it makes its dash."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The creature was one step away from the space ship's open portal now and
+bringing its foot up to cross the threshold. Remm walked over and lifted
+it off the floor.
+
+"Its legs are still moving in a running motion," Macker said. "Doesn't
+it realize yet that you've picked it up?"
+
+[Illustration: _It was an arm to be proud of--but what good was it?_]
+
+"Its nervous system and reflexes are evidently as slow as its motor
+muscles," Remm replied. "There has not been time for the sensation of my
+picking it up to reach the brain, and for the brain to send back its
+message to the legs to stop their running motion."
+
+"How heavy is it?" Macker asked.
+
+"Only a few ounces," Remm replied. "But that's logical considering that
+this is a 'light' planet. If we took it back to our own 'heavy' world,
+gravity would crush it to a light film of the liquid which comprises the
+greater part of its substance."
+
+Remm set the creature down on the box in its former queerly contorted
+position. Toolls had left his instruments and strolled over beside them
+to observe the native.
+
+"One of its appendages seems bent at a peculiar angle," Macker said.
+
+"I noticed that," Remm answered. "I think that I may have broken the
+bone in several places when I first captured it. I was not aware then of
+how fragile it was. But now that you mention it, I should be able to use
+that injury to give you a good illustration of the interplay of
+emotional expressions on its face. Observe now as I touch it."
+
+Remm reached over and touched--very lightly--the broken portion of the
+native's appendage. The muscles of the creature's face pulled its
+flaccid flesh into distorted positions, bunching some and stretching
+others. "It is very probably registering pain," Remm said.
+
+Suddenly the starch seemed to leave the native's body and it slowly
+slumped across the packing-box.
+
+"Why is it doing that, Toolls?" Remm asked.
+
+Toolls concentrated for a minute, absorbing the feelings and thought
+pulsations emanating from the creature. "The conscious plane of its mind
+has blanked out," he said. "I presume the pain you caused by touching
+its wounded member resulted in a breakdown of its nervous system. The
+only thought waves I receive now are disjointed impressions and pictures
+following no rational series. However, I'm certain that it will be only
+temporary."
+
+"Don't you think that in justice to the creature we should repair its
+wound before we free it?" Macker asked.
+
+"I had intended to have it done," Remm replied. "You shouldn't have any
+trouble fixing it, should you, Toolls?"
+
+"No," Toolls answered. "I may as well attend to it right now." He rolled
+the portable _converter_ over beside the creature and carefully laid its
+arm in the "pan." The _converter_ automatically set its gauges and
+instruments of calculation, and gave its click of "ready."
+
+Toolls fed a short length of _basic_ into the machine and it began its
+work. The native was still unconscious.
+
+The bone of the wounded arm slowly evaporated, beginning with the wrist
+joint. The evaporated portion was instantly replaced by the
+manufactured bone of the _converter_. At the same time it repaired all
+ruptured blood vessels and damaged ligaments and muscles.
+
+"It was not possible, of course, for me to replace the bone with another
+of the same composition as its own," Toolls said, after the machine had
+completed its work. "But I gave it one of our 'heavy' ones. There will
+be no force on this planet powerful enough to break it again."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The native's first evidence of a return to consciousness was a faint
+fluttering of the lids that covered its organs of vision. The lids
+opened and it looked up at them.
+
+"Its eyesight is as slow as its muscular reactions," Remm said. "Watch."
+Remm raised his hand and waved it slowly in front of the native's face.
+The eyes of the native, moving in odd, jerking movements, followed the
+hand's progress. Remm raised the hand--speeding its action slightly--and
+the eyesight faltered and lost it. The native's eyes rolled wildly until
+once again they located the hand.
+
+Remm took three steps forward. The native's eyes were unable to follow
+his change of position. Its gaze wandered about the room, until again
+its settled on Remm's waiting figure.
+
+"Can you imagine anything being so slow," Remm said, "and still ..."
+Suddenly Macker interrupted. "Something is wrong. It is trying to get
+up, but it can't." The native was registering signs of distress, kicking
+its legs and twisting its body into new positions of contortion.
+
+"I see what the trouble is," Toolls said. "It's unable to lift the
+appendage with the new bone in. I never thought of that before but its
+'light' muscles aren't strong enough to lift the limb. We've got the
+poor creature pinned to the box by the weight of its own arm."
+
+"We can't do that to it," Remm said. "Isn't there any way you can give
+it a lighter bone?"
+
+"None that wouldn't take a retooling of the _converter_," Toolls said.
+"I'm not certain that I could do it, and even if I could, we don't have
+the time to spare. I could give it stronger muscles in the arm, but that
+may throw off the metabolism of the whole body. If it did, the result
+would be fatal. I'd hate to chance it."
+
+"I have an idea," Macker said. By the inflections of his tones the
+others knew that some incongruity of the situation had aroused Macker's
+sense of humor. "Why don't we give the creature an entirely new body? We
+could replace the flesh and viscera, as well as the cartilaginous
+structure, with our own type substance. It would probably be an
+indestructible being as far as its own world is concerned. And it would
+be as powerful as their mightiest machines. We'd leave behind us a
+superman that could change the course of this world's history. You could
+do it, couldn't you, Toolls?"
+
+"Quite simply."
+
+"Our policy has always been not to interfere in anyway with the races we
+study," Remm protested.
+
+"But our policy has also been never to harm any of them, if at all
+possible to avoid it," Macker insisted. "In common justice you have to
+complete the job Toolls began on the arm, or you're condemning this poor
+thing to death."
+
+"But do we have the right to loose such an unpredictable factor as it
+would be among them?" Remm asked. "After all, our purpose is exploration
+and observation, not playing the parts of gods to the primitives we
+encounter."
+
+"True, that is the rule which we have always followed in the past,"
+Macker agreed, "but it is in no way a requirement. We are empowered to
+use our judgment in all circumstances. And in this particular instance I
+believe I can convince you that the course I suggest is the more just
+one." He turned to Toolls. "Just what stage of cultural development
+would you say this creature's race has attained?"
+
+"It still retains more of an animal-like adaptation to its surroundings
+than an intellectual one," Toolls replied. "Its civilization is divided
+into various sized units of cooperation which it calls governments. Each
+unit vies with the others for a greater share of its world's goods. That
+same rivalry is carried down to the individual within the unit. Each
+strives for acquisition against his neighbor.
+
+"Further they retain many of their tribal instincts, such as
+gregariousness, emotional rather than intellectual propagation, and
+worship of the mightiest fighter. This last, however, is manifested by
+reverence for individuals attaining position of authority, or acquiring
+large amounts of their medium of exchange, rather than by physical
+superiority."
+
+"That's what I mean," Macker said. "Our policy in the past has been to
+avoid tampering, only because of the fear of bringing harm. If we
+created a super being among them, to act as a controlling and
+harmonizing force, we'd hasten their development by thousands of years.
+We'd be granting them the greatest possible boon!"
+
+"I don't know," Remm said, obviously swayed by Macker's logic. "I'm
+still hesitant about introducing a being into their midst whose thought
+processes would be so subtle and superior to their own. How do you feel
+about it, Toolls?"
+
+"What would they have to lose?" Toolls asked with his penchant for
+striking the core of an argument.
+
+"The right or wrong of such moral and philosophical considerations has
+always been a delicate thing to decide," Remm acquiesced reluctantly.
+"Go ahead if you think it is the right thing to do."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"All finished?" Macker asked.
+
+"That depends on how much you want me to do," Toolls replied. "I've
+substituted our 'heavy' substances for his entire body structure,
+including the brain--at the same time transferring his former memory and
+habit impressions. That was necessary if he is to be able to care for
+himself. Also I brought his muscular reaction time up to our norm, and
+speeded his reflexes."
+
+"Have you implanted any techniques which he did not possess before, such
+as far-seeing, or mental insight?" Macker asked.
+
+"No," Toolls said. "That is what I want your advice about. Just how much
+should I reveal about ourselves and our background? Or should he be left
+without any knowledge of us?"
+
+"Well ..." Now that the others had deferred to Macker's arguments, he
+had lost much of his certainty. "Perhaps we should at least let him know
+who we are, and what we have done. That would save him much alarm and
+perplexity when it comes time to reorient himself. On the other hand,
+perhaps we should go even farther and implant the knowledge of some of
+our sciences. Then he could do a better job of advancing his people. But
+maybe I'm wrong. What do you think about it, Remm?"
+
+"My personal opinion," Remm said, "is that we can't give him much of our
+science, because it would be like giving a baby a high explosive to play
+with. His race is much too primitive to handle it wisely. Either he, or
+someone to whom he imparts what we teach him, would be certain to bring
+catastrophe to his world. And if we let him learn less, but still
+remember his contact with us, in time his race would very likely come to
+regard us as gods. I would hesitate to drag in any metaphysical
+confusion to add to the uncertainties you are already engendering. My
+advice would be to wipe his mind of all memory of us. Let him explain
+his new found invincibility to himself in his own way."
+
+Macker had no criticism to offer to this suggestion. "Does he retain any
+of his immunity to this world's malignant germs?" he asked.
+
+"They are too impotent to represent any hazard to his present body
+mechanism," Toolls replied. "If and when he dies, it will not be from
+disease."
+
+"He will be subject to the deterioration of old age, the same as we are,
+won't he?" Macker asked.
+
+"Of course," Toolls said, "but that's the only thing that will be able
+to bring him down. He cannot be harmed by any force this 'light' world
+can produce; he is impervious to sickness; and he will live
+indefinitely."
+
+"Indefinitely?"
+
+"As his world reckons time. Their normal life span is less than a
+hundred years. Ours is over five thousand. He will probably live
+approximately twice that long, because he will be subjected to less
+stress and strain, living as he does on a world of lighter elements."
+
+"Then we have truly made a superman," Macker's tones inflected
+satisfaction. "I wish we were returning this way in a thousand years or
+so. I'd like to see the monumental changes he will effect."
+
+"We may at that," Remm said, "or others of our people will. He will
+probably be a living legend by then. I'd like to hear what his race has
+to say about him. Do they have names with which to differentiate
+individuals?"
+
+"Yes," Toolls said. "This one has a family designation of Pollnow, and
+a member designation of Orville."
+
+"It will be necessary for us to leave in exactly ten minutes," Remm
+reminded them. "Our next stopping place--the red star--will reach its
+nearest conjunction with this planet by the time we meet it out in
+space."
+
+"Then we will have time to do nothing more for him before we go," Macker
+said. "But as far as I can see we've forgotten nothing, have we,
+Toolls?"
+
+"Nothing," Toolls answered. "No--we forgot nothing."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+But Toolls was wrong. They had forgotten one thing. A minor detail,
+relatively....
+
+On Toolls' world his race, in the course of its evolution, had adjusted
+itself to its own particular environment. Logically, the final result
+was that they evolved into beings best able to survive in that
+environment. As such their food--a "heavy," highly concentrated
+food--was ideally suited to supply the needs of their "heavy,"
+tremendously avid organisms.
+
+Orville Pollnow had no such food available. His body--no larger than
+before--had an Earth mass of one hundred and eighty thousand pounds. One
+hundred and eighty thousand pounds--the weight of twelve hundred average
+sized men--of fiercely burning, intense virility. Even continuous
+eating--of his own world's food--could not supply the demands of that
+body.
+
+Twenty-four hours after the aliens left, Pollnow was dead--of
+starvation.
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+    This etext was produced from _If Worlds of Science Fiction_ July
+    1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
+    copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
+    typographical errors have been corrected without note.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Vital Ingredient, by Charles V. De Vet
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VITAL INGREDIENT ***
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