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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..42614bc --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50904 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50904) diff --git a/old/50904-h.zip b/old/50904-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 363aa7c..0000000 --- a/old/50904-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50904-h/50904-h.htm b/old/50904-h/50904-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 3b4bb12..0000000 --- a/old/50904-h/50904-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1256 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of On the Fourth Planet, by J. 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Bone. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of On the Fourth Planet, by J.F. Bone - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: On the Fourth Planet - -Author: J.F. Bone - -Release Date: January 12, 2016 [EBook #50904] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE FOURTH PLANET *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="385" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>ON THE FOURTH PLANET</h1> - -<p>by J. F. BONE</p> - -<p>Illustrated by FINLAY</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Magazine April 1963.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>To Kworn the object was a roadblock, threatening his life.<br /> -But it was also a high road to a magnificent future!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The Ul Kworn paused in his search for food, extended his eye and -considered the thing that blocked his path.</p> - -<p>He hadn't notice the obstacle until he had almost touched it. His -attention had been focused upon gleaning every feeder large enough to -be edible from the lichens that covered his feeding strip. But the -unexpected warmth radiating from the object had startled him. Sundown -was at hand. There should be nothing living or non-living that radiated -a fraction of the heat that was coming from the gleaming metal wall -which lay before him. He expanded his mantle to trap the warmth as he -pushed his eye upward to look over the top. It wasn't high, just high -enough to be a nuisance. It curved away from him toward the boundaries -of his strip, extending completely across the width of his land.</p> - -<p>A dim racial memory told him that this was an artefact, a product of -the days when the Folk had leisure to dream and time to build. It had -probably been built by his remote ancestors millennia ago and had just -recently been uncovered from its hiding place beneath the sand. These -metal objects kept appearing and disappearing as the sands shifted -to the force of the wind. He had seen them before, but never a piece -so large or so well preserved. It shone as though it had been made -yesterday, gleaming with a soft silvery luster against the blue-black -darkness of the sky.</p> - -<p>As his eye cleared the top of the wall, he quivered with shock and -astonishment. For it was not a wall as he had thought. Instead, it was -the edge of a huge metal disc fifty raads in diameter. And that wasn't -all of it. Three thick columns of metal extended upward from the disc, -leaning inward as they rose into the sky. High overhead, almost beyond -the range of accurate vision, they converged to support an immense -cylinder set vertically to the ground. The cylinder was almost as great -in diameter as the disc upon which his eye first rested. It loomed -overhead, and he had a queasy feeling that it was about to fall and -crush him. Strange jointed excresences studded its surface, and in its -side, some two-thirds of the way up, two smaller cylinders projected -from the bigger one. They were set a little distance apart, divided by -a vertical row of four black designs, and pointed straight down his -feeding strip.</p> - -<p>The Ul Kworn eyed the giant structure with disgust and puzzlement. -The storm that had uncovered it must have been a great one to have -blown so much sand away. It was just his fortune to have the thing -squatting in his path! His mantle darkened with anger. Why was it that -everything happened to him? Why couldn't it have lain in someone else's -way, upon the land of one of his neighbors? It blocked him from nearly -three thousand square raads of life-sustaining soil. To cross it would -require energy he could not spare. Why couldn't it have been on the Ul -Caada's or the Ul Varsi's strip—or any other of the numberless Folk? -Why did he have to be faced with this roadblock?</p> - -<p>He couldn't go around it since it extended beyond his territory and, -therefore, he'd have to waste precious energy propelling his mass up -the wall and across the smooth shining surface of the disc—all of -which would have to be done without food, since his eye could see no -lichen growing upon the shiny metal surface.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The chill of evening had settled on the land. Most of the Folk were -already wrapped in their mantles, conserving their energy until the -dawn would warm them into life. But Kworn felt no need to estivate. It -was warm enough beside the wall.</p> - -<p>The air shimmered as it cooled. Microcrystals of ice formed upon the -legs of the structure, outlining them in shimmering contrast to the -drab shadowy landscape, with its gray-green cover of lichens stippled -with the purple balls of the lichen feeders that clung to them. Beyond -Kworn and his neighbors, spaced twenty raads apart, the mantled -bodies of the Folk stretched in a long single line across the rolling -landscape, vanishing into the darkness. Behind this line, a day's -travel to the rear, another line of the Folk was following. Behind them -was yet another. There were none ahead, for the Ul Kworn and the other -Ul were the elders of the Folk and moved along in the first rank where -their maturity and ability to reproduce had placed them according to -the Law.</p> - -<p>Caada and Varsi stirred restlessly, stimulated to movement by the heat -radiating from the obstacle, but compelled by the Law to hold their -place in the ranks until the sun's return would stimulate the others. -Their dark crimson mantles rippled over the soil as they sent restless -pseudopods to the boundaries of their strips.</p> - -<p>They were anxious in their attempt to communicate with the Ul Kworn.</p> - -<p>But Kworn wasn't ready to communicate. He held aloof as he sent a -thin pseudopod out toward the gleaming wall in front of him. He was -squandering energy; but he reasoned that he had better learn all -he could about this thing before he attempted to cross it tomorrow, -regardless of what it cost.</p> - -<p>It was obvious that he would have to cross it, for the Law was specific -about encroachment upon a neighbor's territory. <i>No member of the Folk -shall trespass the feeding land of another during the Time of Travel -except with published permission. Trespass shall be punished by the -ejection of the offender from his place in rank.</i></p> - -<p>And that was equivalent to a death sentence.</p> - -<p>He could ask Caada or Varsi for permission, but he was virtually -certain that he wouldn't get it. He wasn't on particularly good terms -with his neighbors. Caada was querulous, old and selfish. He had not -reproduced this season and his vitality was low. He was forever hungry -and not averse to slipping a sly pseudopod across the boundaries of his -land to poach upon that of his neighbor. Kworn had warned him some time -ago that he would not tolerate encroachment and would call for a group -judgment if there was any poaching. And since the Folk were physically -incapable of lying to one another, Caada would be banished. After that -Caada kept his peace, but his dislike for Kworn was always evident.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>But Varsi who held the land on Kworn's right was worse. He had advanced -to Ul status only a year ago. At that time there had been rumors among -the Folk about illicit feeding and stealing of germ plasm from the -smaller and weaker members of the race. But that could not be proved, -and many young Folk died in the grim process of growing to maturity. -Kworn shrugged. If Varsi was an example of the younger generation, -society was heading hell-bent toward Emptiness. He had no love for -the pushing, aggressive youngster who crowded out to the very borders -of his domain, pressing against his neighbors, alert and aggressive -toward the slightest accidental spillover into his territory. What -was worse, Varsi had reproduced successfully this year and thus had -rejuvenated. Kworn's own attempt had been only partially successful. -His energy reserves hadn't been great enough to produce a viable -offspring, and the rejuvenation process in his body had only gone to -partial completion. It would be enough to get him to the winter feeding -grounds. But as insurance he had taken a place beside Caada, who was -certain to go into Emptiness if the feeding en route was bad.</p> - -<p>Still, he hadn't figured that he would have Varsi beside him.</p> - -<p>He consoled himself with the thought that others might have as bad -neighbors as he. But he would never make the ultimate mistake of -exchanging germ plasm with either of his neighbors, not even if his -fertility and his position depended upon it. Cells like theirs would -do nothing to improve the sense of discipline and order he had so -carefully developed in his own. His offspring were courteous and -honorable, a credit to the Folk and to the name of Kworn. A father -should be proud of his offspring, so that when they developed to the -point where they could have descendants, he would not be ashamed of -what they would produce. An Ul, Kworn thought grimly, should have some -sense of responsibility toward the all-important future of the race.</p> - -<p>His anger died as he exerted synergic control. Anger was a waster of -energy, a luxury he couldn't afford. He had little enough as it was. It -had been a bad year. Spring was late, and winter had come early. The -summer had been dry and the lichens in the feeding grounds had grown -poorly. The tiny, bulbous lichen feeders, the main source of food for -the Folk, had failed to ripen to their usual succulent fullness. They -had been poor, shrunken things, hardly worth ingesting. And those along -the route to the winter feeding grounds were no better.</p> - -<p>Glumly he touched the wall before him with a tactile filament. It -was uncomfortably warm, smooth and slippery to the touch. He felt it -delicately, noting the almost microscopic horizontal ridges on the -wall's surface. He palpated with relief. The thing was climbable. But -even as he relaxed, he recoiled, the filament writhing in agony! The -wall had burned his flesh! Faint threads of vapor rose from where he -had touched the metal, freezing instantly in the chill air. He pinched -off the filament in an automatic protective constriction of his cells. -The pain ceased instantly, but the burning memory was so poignant that -his mantle twitched and shuddered convulsively for some time before the -reflexes died.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="479" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Thoughtfully he ingested his severed member. With a sense of numbing -shock he realized that he would be unable to pass across the disc. The -implications chilled him. If he could not pass, his land beyond the -roadblock would be vacant and open to preemption by his neighbors. Nor -could he wait until they had passed and rejoin them later. The Law was -specific on that point. <i>If one of the Folk lags behind in his rank, -his land becomes vacant and open to his neighbors. Nor can one who has -lagged behind reclaim his land by moving forward. He who abandons his -position, abandons it permanently.</i></p> - -<p>Wryly, he reflected that it was this very Law that had impelled him to -take a position beside the Ul Caada. And, of course, his neighbors knew -the Law as well as he. It was a part of them, a part of their cells -even before they split off from their parent. It would be the acme of -folly to expect that neighbors like Varsi or Caada would allow him to -pass over their land and hold his place in rank.</p> - -<p>Bitterness flooded him with a stimulation so piercing that Caada -extended a communication filament to project a question. "What is this -thing which lies upon your land and mine?" Caada asked. His projection -was weak and feeble. It was obvious that he would not last for many -more days unless feeding improved.</p> - -<p>"I do not know. It is something of metal, and it bars my land. I cannot -cross it. It burns me when I touch it."</p> - -<p>A quick twinge of excitement rushed along Caada's filament. The old Ul -broke the connection instantly, but not before Kworn read the flash of -hope that Kworn had kindled. There was no help in this quarter, and -the wild greed of Varsi was so well known that there was no sense even -trying that side.</p> - -<p>A surge of hopelessness swept through him. Unless he could find some -way to pass this barrier he was doomed.</p> - -<p>He didn't want to pass into Emptiness. He had seen too many others go -that way to want to follow them. For a moment he thought desperately -of begging Caada and Varsi for permission to cross into their land for -the short time that would be necessary to pass the barrier, but reason -asserted itself. Such an act was certain to draw a flat refusal and, -after all, he was the Ul Kworn and he had his pride. He would not beg -when begging was useless.</p> - -<p>And there was a bare possibility that he might survive if he closed his -mantle tightly about him and waited until all the ranks had passed. He -could then bring up the rear ... and, possibly, just possibly, there -would be sufficient food left to enable him to reach the winter feeding -grounds.</p> - -<p>And it might still be possible to cross the disc. There was enough -warmth in it to keep him active. By working all night he might be able -to build a path of sand across its surface and thus keep his tissues -from being seared by the metal. He would be technically violating the -law by moving ahead of the others, but if he did not feed ahead, no -harm would be done.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He moved closer to the barrier and began to pile sand against its base, -sloping it to make a broad ramp to the top of the disc. The work was -slow and the sand was slippery. The polished grains slipped away and -the ramp crumbled time after time. But he worked on, piling up sand -until it reached the top of the disc. He looked across the flat surface -that stretched before him.</p> - -<p>Fifty raads!</p> - -<p>It might as well be fifty zets. He couldn't do it. Already his energy -level was so low that he could hardly move, and to build a raad-wide -path across this expanse of metal was a task beyond his strength. He -drooped across the ramp, utterly exhausted. It was no use. What he -ought to do was open his mantle to Emptiness.</p> - -<p>He hadn't felt the communication filaments of Caada and Varsi touch -him. He had been too busy, but now with Caada's burst of glee, and -Varsi's cynical, "A noble decision, Ul Kworn. You should be commended," -he realized that they knew everything.</p> - -<p>His body rippled hopelessly. He was tired, too tired for anger. His -energy was low. He contemplated Emptiness impassively. Sooner or later -it came to all Folk. He had lived longer than most, and perhaps it -was his time to go. He was finished. He accepted the fact with a cold -fatalism that he never dreamed he possessed. Lying there on the sand, -his mantle spread wide, he waited for the end to come.</p> - -<p>It wouldn't come quickly, he thought. He was still far from the -cellular disorganization that preceded extinction. He was merely -exhausted, and in need of food to restore his energy.</p> - -<p>With food he might still have an outside chance of building the path in -time. But there was no food. He had gleaned his area completely before -he had ever reached the roadblock.</p> - -<p>Lying limp and relaxed on the ramp beside the barrier, he slowly became -conscious that the metal wasn't dead. It was alive! Rhythmic vibrations -passed through it and were transmitted to his body by the sand.</p> - -<p>A wild hope stirred within him. If the metal were alive it might hear -him if he tried to communicate. He concentrated his remaining reserves -of energy, steeled himself against the pain and pressed a communication -filament against the metal.</p> - -<p>"Help me!" he projected desperately. "You're blocking my strip! I -can't pass!"</p> - -<p>Off to one side he sensed Varsi's laughter and on the other felt -Caada's gloating greed.</p> - -<p>"I cannot wake this metal," he thought hopelessly as he tried again, -harder than before, ignoring the pain of his burning flesh.</p> - -<p>Something clicked sharply within the metal, and the tempo of the sounds -changed.</p> - -<p>"It's waking!" Kworn thought wildly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was a creaking noise from above. A rod moved out from the -cylinder and twisted into the ground in Varsi's territory, to the -accompaniment of clicking, grinding noises. A square grid lifted from -the top of the cylinder and began rotating. And Kworn shivered and -jerked to the tremendous power of the words that flowed through him. -They were words, but they had no meaning, waves of sound that hammered -at his receptors in an unknown tongue he could not understand. The -language of the Folk had changed since the days of the ancients, he -thought despairingly.</p> - -<p>And then, with a mantle-shattering roar, the cylinders jutting overhead -spouted flame and smoke. Two silvery balls trailing thin, dark -filaments shot out of the great cylinder and buried themselves in the -sand behind him. The filaments lay motionless in the sand as Kworn, -wrapped defensively in his mantle, rolled off the ramp to the ground -below.</p> - -<p>The silence that followed was so deep that it seemed like Emptiness had -taken the entire land.</p> - -<p>Slowly Kworn loosened his mantle. "In the name of my first ancestor," -he murmured shakily, "what was that?" His senses were shocked and -disorganized by the violence of the sound. It was worse even than the -roar and scream of the samshin that occasionally blew from the south, -carrying dust, lichens, feeders and even Folk who had been too slow or -too foolish to hide from the fury of the wind.</p> - -<p>Gingerly, Kworn inspected the damage to his mantle. It was minor. A -tiny rip that could easily be repaired, a few grains of sand that could -be extruded. He drew himself together to perform the repairs with the -least possible loss of energy, and as he did, he was conscious of an -emanation coming from the filaments that had been hurled from the -cylinder.</p> - -<p>Food!</p> - -<p>And such food!</p> - -<p>It was the distilled quintessence of a thousand purple feeders! It -came to his senses in a shimmering wave of ecstasy so great that his -mantle glowed a bright crimson. He stretched a pseudopod toward its -source, and as he touched the filament his whole body quivered with -anticipation. The barrier was blotted from his thoughts by an orgy -of shuddering delight almost too great for flesh to endure. Waves of -pleasure ran through his body as he swiftly extended to cover the -filament. It could be a trap, he thought, but it made no difference. -The demands of his depleted body and the sheer vacuole-constricting -delight of this incredible foodstuff made a combination too potent for -his will to resist, even if it had desired to do so. Waves of pleasure -rippled through him as more of his absorptive surface contacted the -filament. He snuggled against it, enfolding it completely, letting the -peristaltic rushes sweep through him. He had never fed like this as -long as he could recall. His energy levels swelled and pulsed as he -sucked the last delight from the cord, and contemplated the further -pleasure waiting for him in that other one lying scarcely twenty raads -away.</p> - -<p>Sensuously, he extended a pseudopod from his upper surface and probed -for the other filament. He was filled to the top of his primary vacuole -but the desire for more was stronger than ever—despite the fact that -he knew the food in the other filament would bring him to critical -level, would force him to reproduce. The thought amused him. As far -back as he could remember, no member of the Folk had ever budded an -offspring during the Time of Travel. It would be unheard of, something -that would go down through the years in the annals of the Folk, and -perhaps even cause a change in the Law.</p> - -<p>The pseudopod probed, reached and stopped short of its goal. There was -nothing around it but empty air.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Fear drove the slow orgasmic thoughts from his mind. Absorbed in -gluttony, he hadn't noticed that the filament had tightened and was -slowly drawing back into the cylinder from whence it came. And now it -was too late! He was already over the rim of the metal disc.</p> - -<p>Feverishly, he tried to disengage his absorptive surfaces from the -filament and crawl down its length to safety, but he couldn't move. He -was stuck to the dark cord by some strange adhesive that cemented his -cells firmly to the cord. He could not break free.</p> - -<p>The line moved steadily upward, dragging him inexorably toward a dark -opening in the cylinder overhead. Panic filled him! Desperately he -tried to loosen his trapped surfaces. His pseudopod lashed futilely -in the air, searching with panic for something to grip, something to -clutch that would stop this slow movement to the hell of pain that -waited for him in the metal high overhead.</p> - -<p>His searching flesh struck another's, and into his mind flooded the Ul -Caada's terrified thought. The old one had reacted quicker than he, -perhaps because he was poaching, but like himself he was attached and -could not break free.</p> - -<p>"Serves you right," Kworn projected grimly. "The thing was on my land. -You had no right to feed upon it."</p> - -<p>"Get me loose!" Caada screamed. His body flopped at the end of a -thick mass of digestive tissue, dangling from the line, writhing and -struggling in mindless terror. It was strange, Kworn thought, that fear -should be so much stronger in the old than in the young.</p> - -<p>"Cut loose, you fool," Kworn projected. "There isn't enough of you -adhered to hurt if it were lost. A little body substance isn't worth -your life. Hurry! You'll be too late if you don't. That metal is -poisonous to our flesh."</p> - -<p>"But it will be pain to cut my absorbing surface," Caada protested.</p> - -<p>"It will be death if you don't."</p> - -<p>"Then why don't you?"</p> - -<p>"I can't," Kworn said hopelessly. "All my surface is stuck to the -filament. I can't cut free." He was calm now, resigned to the -inevitable. His greed had brought him to this. Perhaps it was a fitting -punishment. But Caada need not die if he would show courage.</p> - -<p>He rotated his eye to watch his struggling neighbor. Apparently Caada -was going to take his advice. The tissue below the part of him stuck -to the filament began to thin. His pseudopod broke contact. But his -movements were slow and hesitant. Already his body mass was rising -above the edge of the disc.</p> - -<p>"Quick, you fool!" Kworn projected. "Another moment and you're dead!"</p> - -<p>But Caada couldn't hear. Slowly his tissues separated as he reluctantly -abandoned his absorptive surface. But he was already over the disc. -The last cells pinched off and he fell, mantle flapping, full on the -surface of the disc. For a moment he lay there quivering, and then his -body was blotted from sight by a cloud of frozen steam, and his essence -vanished screaming into Emptiness.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kworn shuddered. It was a terrible way to die. But his own fate would -be no better. He wrapped his mantle tightly around him as his leading -parts vanished into the dark hole in the cylinder. In a moment he would -be following Caada on the journey from which no member of the Folk had -ever returned. His body disappeared into the hole.</p> - -<p>—and was plunged into paradise!</p> - -<p>His foreparts slipped into a warm, thick liquid that loosened the -adhesive that bound him to the cord. As he slipped free, he slowly -realized that he was not to die. He was bathed in liquid food! He was -swimming in it! He was surrounded on all sides by incredible flavors -so strange and delicious that his mind could not classify them! The -filament had been good, but this—this was indescribable! He relaxed, -his mantle spreading through the food, savoring, absorbing, digesting, -metabolizing, excreting. His energy levels peaked. The nuclei of his -germ plasm swelled, their chromosomes split, and a great bud formed and -separated from his body. He had reproduced!</p> - -<p>Through a deadening fog of somatic sensation, he realized dully that -this was wrong, that the time wasn't right, that the space was limited, -and that the natural reaction to abundant food supply was wrong. But -for the moment he didn't care.</p> - -<p>For thousands of seasons he had traveled the paths between equator and -pole in a ceaseless hunt for food, growing and rejuvenating in good -seasons, shrinking and aging in bad. He had been bound to the soil, a -slave to the harsh demands of life and Nature. And now the routine was -broken.</p> - -<p>He luxuriated in his freedom. It must have been like this in the old -days, when the waters were plentiful and things grew in them that -could be eaten, and the Folk had time to dream young dreams and think -young thoughts, and build their thoughts and dreams into the gleaming -realities of cities and machines. Those were the days when the mind -went above the soil into the air and beyond it to the moons, the sun -and the evening stars.</p> - -<p>But that was long ago.</p> - -<p>He lay quietly, conscious of the change within him as his cells -multiplied to replace those he had lost, and his body grew in weight -and size. He was rejuvenated. The cells of his growing body, stimulated -by the abundance of food, released memories he had forgotten he had -ever possessed. His past ran in direct cellular continuity to the dawn -of his race, and in him was every memory he had experienced since -the beginning. Some were weak, others were stronger, but all were -there awaiting an effort of recall. All that was required was enough -stimulation to bring them out of hiding.</p> - -<p>And for the first time in millennia the stimulus was available. The -stimulus was growth, the rapid growth that only an abundant food supply -could give, the sort of growth that the shrunken environment outside -could not supply. With sudden clarity he saw how the Folk had shrunk in -mind and body as they slowly adapted to the ever-increasing rigor of -life. The rushing torrent of memory and sensation that swept through -him gave him a new awareness of what he had been once and what he had -become. His eye was lifted from the dirt and lichens.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>What he saw filled him with pity and contempt. Pity for what the Folk -had become; contempt for their failure to recognize it. Yet he had been -no better than the others. It was only through the accident of this -artefact that he had learned. The Folk <i>couldn't</i> know what the slow -dwindling of their food supply had done to them. Over the millennia -they had adapted, changing to fit the changing conditions, surviving -only because they were more intelligent and more tenacious than the -other forms of life that had become extinct. A thousand thousand -seasons had passed since the great war that had devastated the world. -A million years of slow adaptation to the barren waste that had been -formed when the ultimate products of Folk technology were loosed on -their creators, had created a race tied to a subsistence level of -existence, incapable of thinking beyond the basic necessities of life.</p> - -<p>The Ul Kworn sighed. It would be better if he would not remember so -much. But he could suppress neither the knowledge nor the memories. -They crowded in upon him, stimulated by the food in which he floated.</p> - -<p>Beside him, his offspring was growing. A bud always grew rapidly in -a favorable environment, and this one was ideal. Soon it would be as -large as himself. Yet it would never develop beyond an infant. It could -not mature without a transfer of germ plasm from other infants of the -Folk. And there were no infants.</p> - -<p>It would grow and keep on growing because there would be no check of -maturity upon its cells. It would remain a partly sentient lump of -flesh that would never be complete. And in time it would be dangerous. -When it had depleted the food supply it would turn on him in mindless -hunger. It wouldn't realize that the Ul Kworn was its father, or if it -did, it wouldn't care. An infant is ultimately selfish, and its desires -are the most important thing in its restricted universe.</p> - -<p>Kworn considered his situation dispassionately.</p> - -<p>It was obvious that he must escape from this trap before his offspring -destroyed him. Yet he could think of no way to avoid the poison -metal. He recognized it now, the element with the twelve protons in -its nucleus, a light metal seldom used by the Folk even in the days -of their greatness because of its ability to rapidly oxidize and its -propensity to burst into brilliant flame when heated. With sudden shock -he realized that the artefact was nothing less than a gigantic torch!</p> - -<p>Why had it been built like this? What was its function? Where had it -come from? Why hadn't it spoke since it had released that flood of -unintelligible gibberish before it had drawn him inside? Ever since he -had entered this food tank it had been quiet except for a clicking, -chattering whir that came from somewhere above him. He had the odd -impression that it was storing information about him and the way he -reacted in the tank.</p> - -<p>And then, abruptly, it broke into voice. Cryptic words poured from it, -piercing him with tiny knives of sound. The intensity and rapidity of -the projections shocked him, left him quivering and shaking when they -stopped as abruptly as they had begun.</p> - -<p>In the quiet that followed, Kworn tried to recall the sequence of the -noise. The words were like nothing he had ever heard. They were not the -language of the Folk either past or present. And they had a flow and -sequence that was not organic. They were mechanical, the product of a -metal intelligence that recorded and spoke but did not think. The Folk -had machines like that once.</p> - -<p>How had it begun? There had been a faint preliminary, an almost -soundless voice speaking a single word. Perhaps if he projected it, -it would trigger a response. Pitching his voice in the same key and -intensity he projected the word as best he could remember it.</p> - -<p>And the voice began again.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kworn quivered with excitement. Something outside the artefact was -forcing it to speak. He was certain of it. As certain as he was that -the artefact was recording himself and his offspring. But who—or -what—was receiving the record? And why?</p> - -<p>This could be a fascinating speculation, Kworn thought. But there -would be time enough for that later. His immediate need was to get out. -Already the food supply was running low, and his offspring was becoming -enormous. He'd have to leave soon if he was ever going to. And he'd -have to do something about his own growth. Already it was reaching -dangerous levels. He was on the ragged edge of another reproduction, -and he couldn't afford it.</p> - -<p>Regretfully, he began moving the cornified cells of his mantle and his -under layer toward his inner surfaces, arranging them in a protective -layer around his germ plasm and absorptive cells. There would be enough -surface absorption to take care of his maintenance needs, and his body -could retain its peak of cellular energy. Yet the desire to feed and -bud was almost overpowering. His body screamed at him for denying it -the right that food would give it, but Kworn resisted the demands of -his flesh until the frantic cellular urges passed.</p> - -<p>Beside him his offspring pulsed with physical sensation. Kworn envied -it even as he pitied it. The poor mindless thing could be used as a -means to the end of his escape, but it was useless for anything else. -It was far too large, and far too stupid, to survive in the outside -world. Kworn extruded a net of hairlike pseudopods and swept the tank -in which they lay. It was featureless, save for a hole where the -filament had not completely withdrawn when it had pulled him into -this place. A few places in the wall had a different texture than the -others, probably the sense organs of the recorder. He rippled with -satisfaction. There was a grille of poison metal in the top of the tank -through which flowed a steady current of warm air. It would be pleasant -to investigate this further, Kworn thought, but there was no time. His -offspring had seen to that.</p> - -<p>He placed his eye on a thin pseudopod and thrust it through the hole in -the wall of the tank. It was still night outside, but a faint line of -brightness along the horizon indicated the coming of dawn. The artefact -glittered icily beneath him, and he had a feeling of giddiness as he -looked down the vertiginous drop to the disc below. The dark blotch of -Caada's burned body was almost invisible against the faintly gleaming -loom of the still-warm disc. Kworn shuddered. Caada hadn't deserved a -death like that. Kworn looked down, estimating the chances with his new -intelligence, and then slapped a thick communication fibril against his -offspring's quivering flesh and hurled a projection at its recoiling -mass.</p> - -<p>Considering the fact that its cells were direct derivations of his -own, Kworn thought grimly, it was surprising how hard it was to -establish control. The youngster had developed a surprising amount of -individuality in its few xals of free existence. He felt a surge of -thankfulness to the old Ul Kworn as the youngster yielded to his firm -projection. His precursor had always sought compliant germ plasm to -produce what he had called "discipline and order." It was, in fact, -weakness. It was detrimental to survival. But right now that weakness -was essential.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Under the probing lash of his projection the infant extruded a thick -mass of tissue that met and interlocked with a similar mass of his own. -As soon as the contact firmed, Kworn began flowing toward his eye, -which was still in the half-open hole in the side of the tank.</p> - -<p>The outside cold struck his sense centers with spicules of ice as he -flowed to the outside, clinging to his offspring's gradually extending -pseudopod. Slowly he dropped below the cylinder. The infant was -frantic. It disliked the cold and struggled to break free, but Kworn -clung limpetlike to his offspring's flesh as it twisted and writhed in -an effort to return to the warmth and comfort into which it was born.</p> - -<p>"Let go!" his offspring screamed. "I don't like this place."</p> - -<p>"In a moment," Kworn said as he turned the vague writhings into a -swinging pendulum motion. "Help me move back and forth."</p> - -<p>"I can't. I'm cold. I hurt. Let me go!"</p> - -<p>"Help me," Kworn ordered grimly, "or hang out here and freeze."</p> - -<p>His offspring shuddered and twitched. The momentum of the swing -increased. Kworn tightened his grip.</p> - -<p>"You promised to let go!" his offspring wailed. "You prom—"</p> - -<p>The infant's projection was cut off as Kworn loosed himself at the -upward arc of the swing, spread his mantle and plummeted toward the -ground. Fear swept through him as his body curved through the thin -air, missing the edge of the disc and landing on the ground with a -sense-jarring thud. Behind and above him up against the cylinder, the -thick tendril of his offspring's flesh withdrew quickly from sight. -For a moment the Ul Kworn's gaze remained riveted on the row of odd -markings on the metal surface, and then he turned his attention to life.</p> - -<p>There was no reason to waste the pain of regret upon that half -sentient mass of tissue that was his offspring. The stupid flesh of his -flesh would remain happy in the darkness with the dwindling food until -its flesh grew great enough to touch the poison metal in the ceiling of -the tank.</p> - -<p>And then—</p> - -<p>With a harsh projection of horror, the Ul Kworn moved, circling the -artefact on Caada's vacated strip. And as he moved he concentrated -energy into his high-level communication organs, and projected a -warning of danger.</p> - -<p>"Move!" he screamed. "Move forward for your lives!"</p> - -<p>The line rippled. Reddish mantles unfolded as the Folk reacted. The -nearest, shocked from estivation, were in motion even before they came -to full awareness. Alarms like this weren't given without reason.</p> - -<p>Varsi's reaction, Kworn noted, was faster than any of his fellows. -The young Ul had some favorable self-preservation characteristics. -He'd have to consider sharing some germ plasm with him at the next -reproduction season, after all.</p> - -<p>In a giant arc, the Folk pressed forward under the white glow of -emerging dawn. Behind them the artefact began to project again in its -strange tongue. But in mid-cry it stopped abruptly. And from it came -a wail of mindless agony that tore at Kworn's mind with regret more -bitter because nothing could be done about it.</p> - -<p>His offspring had touched the poison metal.</p> - -<p>Kworn turned his eye backwards. The artefact was shaking on its broad -base from the violence of his offspring's tortured writhings. As he -watched a brilliant burst of light flared from its top. Heat swept -across the land, searing the lichens and a scattered few of the Folk -too slow to escape. The giant structure burned with a light more -brilliant than the sun and left behind a great cloud of white vapor -that hung on the air like the menacing cloud of a samshin. Beneath the -cloud the land was bare save for a few twisted pieces of smoking metal.</p> - -<p>The roadblock was gone.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kworn moved slowly forward, gleaning Caada's strip and half of his own -which he shared with Varsi.</p> - -<p>He would need that young Ul in the future. It was well to place him -under an obligation. The new thoughts and old memories weren't dying. -They remained, and were focused upon the idea of living better than -at this subsistence level. It should be possible to grow lichens, and -breed a more prolific type of lichen feeder. Water channeled from the -canals would stimulate lichen growth a thousand-fold. And with a more -abundant food supply, perhaps some of the Folk could be stimulated to -think and apply ancient buried skills to circumvent Nature.</p> - -<p>It was theoretically possible. The new breed would have to be like -Varsi, tough, driving and selfishly independent. In time they might -inherit the world. Civilization could arise again. It was not -impossible.</p> - -<p>His thoughts turned briefly back to the artefact. It still bothered -him. He still knew far too little about it. It was a fascinating -speculation to dream of what it might have been. At any rate, one thing -was sure. It was not a structure of his race. If nothing else, those -cabalistic markings on the side of the cylinder were utterly alien.</p> - -<p>Thoughtfully he traced them in the sand. What did they mean?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="500" height="378" alt=""/> -</div> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of On the Fourth Planet, by J.F. Bone - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE FOURTH PLANET *** - -***** This file should be named 50904-h.htm or 50904-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/0/50904/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Bone - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: On the Fourth Planet - -Author: J.F. Bone - -Release Date: January 12, 2016 [EBook #50904] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ON THE FOURTH PLANET *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - ON THE FOURTH PLANET - - by J. F. BONE - - Illustrated by FINLAY - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Magazine April 1963. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - To Kworn the object was a roadblock, threatening his life. - But it was also a high road to a magnificent future! - - -The Ul Kworn paused in his search for food, extended his eye and -considered the thing that blocked his path. - -He hadn't notice the obstacle until he had almost touched it. His -attention had been focused upon gleaning every feeder large enough to -be edible from the lichens that covered his feeding strip. But the -unexpected warmth radiating from the object had startled him. Sundown -was at hand. There should be nothing living or non-living that radiated -a fraction of the heat that was coming from the gleaming metal wall -which lay before him. He expanded his mantle to trap the warmth as he -pushed his eye upward to look over the top. It wasn't high, just high -enough to be a nuisance. It curved away from him toward the boundaries -of his strip, extending completely across the width of his land. - -A dim racial memory told him that this was an artefact, a product of -the days when the Folk had leisure to dream and time to build. It had -probably been built by his remote ancestors millennia ago and had just -recently been uncovered from its hiding place beneath the sand. These -metal objects kept appearing and disappearing as the sands shifted -to the force of the wind. He had seen them before, but never a piece -so large or so well preserved. It shone as though it had been made -yesterday, gleaming with a soft silvery luster against the blue-black -darkness of the sky. - -As his eye cleared the top of the wall, he quivered with shock and -astonishment. For it was not a wall as he had thought. Instead, it was -the edge of a huge metal disc fifty raads in diameter. And that wasn't -all of it. Three thick columns of metal extended upward from the disc, -leaning inward as they rose into the sky. High overhead, almost beyond -the range of accurate vision, they converged to support an immense -cylinder set vertically to the ground. The cylinder was almost as great -in diameter as the disc upon which his eye first rested. It loomed -overhead, and he had a queasy feeling that it was about to fall and -crush him. Strange jointed excresences studded its surface, and in its -side, some two-thirds of the way up, two smaller cylinders projected -from the bigger one. They were set a little distance apart, divided by -a vertical row of four black designs, and pointed straight down his -feeding strip. - -The Ul Kworn eyed the giant structure with disgust and puzzlement. -The storm that had uncovered it must have been a great one to have -blown so much sand away. It was just his fortune to have the thing -squatting in his path! His mantle darkened with anger. Why was it that -everything happened to him? Why couldn't it have lain in someone else's -way, upon the land of one of his neighbors? It blocked him from nearly -three thousand square raads of life-sustaining soil. To cross it would -require energy he could not spare. Why couldn't it have been on the Ul -Caada's or the Ul Varsi's strip--or any other of the numberless Folk? -Why did he have to be faced with this roadblock? - -He couldn't go around it since it extended beyond his territory and, -therefore, he'd have to waste precious energy propelling his mass up -the wall and across the smooth shining surface of the disc--all of -which would have to be done without food, since his eye could see no -lichen growing upon the shiny metal surface. - - * * * * * - -The chill of evening had settled on the land. Most of the Folk were -already wrapped in their mantles, conserving their energy until the -dawn would warm them into life. But Kworn felt no need to estivate. It -was warm enough beside the wall. - -The air shimmered as it cooled. Microcrystals of ice formed upon the -legs of the structure, outlining them in shimmering contrast to the -drab shadowy landscape, with its gray-green cover of lichens stippled -with the purple balls of the lichen feeders that clung to them. Beyond -Kworn and his neighbors, spaced twenty raads apart, the mantled -bodies of the Folk stretched in a long single line across the rolling -landscape, vanishing into the darkness. Behind this line, a day's -travel to the rear, another line of the Folk was following. Behind them -was yet another. There were none ahead, for the Ul Kworn and the other -Ul were the elders of the Folk and moved along in the first rank where -their maturity and ability to reproduce had placed them according to -the Law. - -Caada and Varsi stirred restlessly, stimulated to movement by the heat -radiating from the obstacle, but compelled by the Law to hold their -place in the ranks until the sun's return would stimulate the others. -Their dark crimson mantles rippled over the soil as they sent restless -pseudopods to the boundaries of their strips. - -They were anxious in their attempt to communicate with the Ul Kworn. - -But Kworn wasn't ready to communicate. He held aloof as he sent a -thin pseudopod out toward the gleaming wall in front of him. He was -squandering energy; but he reasoned that he had better learn all -he could about this thing before he attempted to cross it tomorrow, -regardless of what it cost. - -It was obvious that he would have to cross it, for the Law was specific -about encroachment upon a neighbor's territory. _No member of the Folk -shall trespass the feeding land of another during the Time of Travel -except with published permission. Trespass shall be punished by the -ejection of the offender from his place in rank._ - -And that was equivalent to a death sentence. - -He could ask Caada or Varsi for permission, but he was virtually -certain that he wouldn't get it. He wasn't on particularly good terms -with his neighbors. Caada was querulous, old and selfish. He had not -reproduced this season and his vitality was low. He was forever hungry -and not averse to slipping a sly pseudopod across the boundaries of his -land to poach upon that of his neighbor. Kworn had warned him some time -ago that he would not tolerate encroachment and would call for a group -judgment if there was any poaching. And since the Folk were physically -incapable of lying to one another, Caada would be banished. After that -Caada kept his peace, but his dislike for Kworn was always evident. - - * * * * * - -But Varsi who held the land on Kworn's right was worse. He had advanced -to Ul status only a year ago. At that time there had been rumors among -the Folk about illicit feeding and stealing of germ plasm from the -smaller and weaker members of the race. But that could not be proved, -and many young Folk died in the grim process of growing to maturity. -Kworn shrugged. If Varsi was an example of the younger generation, -society was heading hell-bent toward Emptiness. He had no love for -the pushing, aggressive youngster who crowded out to the very borders -of his domain, pressing against his neighbors, alert and aggressive -toward the slightest accidental spillover into his territory. What -was worse, Varsi had reproduced successfully this year and thus had -rejuvenated. Kworn's own attempt had been only partially successful. -His energy reserves hadn't been great enough to produce a viable -offspring, and the rejuvenation process in his body had only gone to -partial completion. It would be enough to get him to the winter feeding -grounds. But as insurance he had taken a place beside Caada, who was -certain to go into Emptiness if the feeding en route was bad. - -Still, he hadn't figured that he would have Varsi beside him. - -He consoled himself with the thought that others might have as bad -neighbors as he. But he would never make the ultimate mistake of -exchanging germ plasm with either of his neighbors, not even if his -fertility and his position depended upon it. Cells like theirs would -do nothing to improve the sense of discipline and order he had so -carefully developed in his own. His offspring were courteous and -honorable, a credit to the Folk and to the name of Kworn. A father -should be proud of his offspring, so that when they developed to the -point where they could have descendants, he would not be ashamed of -what they would produce. An Ul, Kworn thought grimly, should have some -sense of responsibility toward the all-important future of the race. - -His anger died as he exerted synergic control. Anger was a waster of -energy, a luxury he couldn't afford. He had little enough as it was. It -had been a bad year. Spring was late, and winter had come early. The -summer had been dry and the lichens in the feeding grounds had grown -poorly. The tiny, bulbous lichen feeders, the main source of food for -the Folk, had failed to ripen to their usual succulent fullness. They -had been poor, shrunken things, hardly worth ingesting. And those along -the route to the winter feeding grounds were no better. - -Glumly he touched the wall before him with a tactile filament. It -was uncomfortably warm, smooth and slippery to the touch. He felt it -delicately, noting the almost microscopic horizontal ridges on the -wall's surface. He palpated with relief. The thing was climbable. But -even as he relaxed, he recoiled, the filament writhing in agony! The -wall had burned his flesh! Faint threads of vapor rose from where he -had touched the metal, freezing instantly in the chill air. He pinched -off the filament in an automatic protective constriction of his cells. -The pain ceased instantly, but the burning memory was so poignant that -his mantle twitched and shuddered convulsively for some time before the -reflexes died. - - * * * * * - -Thoughtfully he ingested his severed member. With a sense of numbing -shock he realized that he would be unable to pass across the disc. The -implications chilled him. If he could not pass, his land beyond the -roadblock would be vacant and open to preemption by his neighbors. Nor -could he wait until they had passed and rejoin them later. The Law was -specific on that point. _If one of the Folk lags behind in his rank, -his land becomes vacant and open to his neighbors. Nor can one who has -lagged behind reclaim his land by moving forward. He who abandons his -position, abandons it permanently._ - -Wryly, he reflected that it was this very Law that had impelled him to -take a position beside the Ul Caada. And, of course, his neighbors knew -the Law as well as he. It was a part of them, a part of their cells -even before they split off from their parent. It would be the acme of -folly to expect that neighbors like Varsi or Caada would allow him to -pass over their land and hold his place in rank. - -Bitterness flooded him with a stimulation so piercing that Caada -extended a communication filament to project a question. "What is this -thing which lies upon your land and mine?" Caada asked. His projection -was weak and feeble. It was obvious that he would not last for many -more days unless feeding improved. - -"I do not know. It is something of metal, and it bars my land. I cannot -cross it. It burns me when I touch it." - -A quick twinge of excitement rushed along Caada's filament. The old Ul -broke the connection instantly, but not before Kworn read the flash of -hope that Kworn had kindled. There was no help in this quarter, and -the wild greed of Varsi was so well known that there was no sense even -trying that side. - -A surge of hopelessness swept through him. Unless he could find some -way to pass this barrier he was doomed. - -He didn't want to pass into Emptiness. He had seen too many others go -that way to want to follow them. For a moment he thought desperately -of begging Caada and Varsi for permission to cross into their land for -the short time that would be necessary to pass the barrier, but reason -asserted itself. Such an act was certain to draw a flat refusal and, -after all, he was the Ul Kworn and he had his pride. He would not beg -when begging was useless. - -And there was a bare possibility that he might survive if he closed his -mantle tightly about him and waited until all the ranks had passed. He -could then bring up the rear ... and, possibly, just possibly, there -would be sufficient food left to enable him to reach the winter feeding -grounds. - -And it might still be possible to cross the disc. There was enough -warmth in it to keep him active. By working all night he might be able -to build a path of sand across its surface and thus keep his tissues -from being seared by the metal. He would be technically violating the -law by moving ahead of the others, but if he did not feed ahead, no -harm would be done. - - * * * * * - -He moved closer to the barrier and began to pile sand against its base, -sloping it to make a broad ramp to the top of the disc. The work was -slow and the sand was slippery. The polished grains slipped away and -the ramp crumbled time after time. But he worked on, piling up sand -until it reached the top of the disc. He looked across the flat surface -that stretched before him. - -Fifty raads! - -It might as well be fifty zets. He couldn't do it. Already his energy -level was so low that he could hardly move, and to build a raad-wide -path across this expanse of metal was a task beyond his strength. He -drooped across the ramp, utterly exhausted. It was no use. What he -ought to do was open his mantle to Emptiness. - -He hadn't felt the communication filaments of Caada and Varsi touch -him. He had been too busy, but now with Caada's burst of glee, and -Varsi's cynical, "A noble decision, Ul Kworn. You should be commended," -he realized that they knew everything. - -His body rippled hopelessly. He was tired, too tired for anger. His -energy was low. He contemplated Emptiness impassively. Sooner or later -it came to all Folk. He had lived longer than most, and perhaps it -was his time to go. He was finished. He accepted the fact with a cold -fatalism that he never dreamed he possessed. Lying there on the sand, -his mantle spread wide, he waited for the end to come. - -It wouldn't come quickly, he thought. He was still far from the -cellular disorganization that preceded extinction. He was merely -exhausted, and in need of food to restore his energy. - -With food he might still have an outside chance of building the path in -time. But there was no food. He had gleaned his area completely before -he had ever reached the roadblock. - -Lying limp and relaxed on the ramp beside the barrier, he slowly became -conscious that the metal wasn't dead. It was alive! Rhythmic vibrations -passed through it and were transmitted to his body by the sand. - -A wild hope stirred within him. If the metal were alive it might hear -him if he tried to communicate. He concentrated his remaining reserves -of energy, steeled himself against the pain and pressed a communication -filament against the metal. - -"Help me!" he projected desperately. "You're blocking my strip! I -can't pass!" - -Off to one side he sensed Varsi's laughter and on the other felt -Caada's gloating greed. - -"I cannot wake this metal," he thought hopelessly as he tried again, -harder than before, ignoring the pain of his burning flesh. - -Something clicked sharply within the metal, and the tempo of the sounds -changed. - -"It's waking!" Kworn thought wildly. - - * * * * * - -There was a creaking noise from above. A rod moved out from the -cylinder and twisted into the ground in Varsi's territory, to the -accompaniment of clicking, grinding noises. A square grid lifted from -the top of the cylinder and began rotating. And Kworn shivered and -jerked to the tremendous power of the words that flowed through him. -They were words, but they had no meaning, waves of sound that hammered -at his receptors in an unknown tongue he could not understand. The -language of the Folk had changed since the days of the ancients, he -thought despairingly. - -And then, with a mantle-shattering roar, the cylinders jutting overhead -spouted flame and smoke. Two silvery balls trailing thin, dark -filaments shot out of the great cylinder and buried themselves in the -sand behind him. The filaments lay motionless in the sand as Kworn, -wrapped defensively in his mantle, rolled off the ramp to the ground -below. - -The silence that followed was so deep that it seemed like Emptiness had -taken the entire land. - -Slowly Kworn loosened his mantle. "In the name of my first ancestor," -he murmured shakily, "what was that?" His senses were shocked and -disorganized by the violence of the sound. It was worse even than the -roar and scream of the samshin that occasionally blew from the south, -carrying dust, lichens, feeders and even Folk who had been too slow or -too foolish to hide from the fury of the wind. - -Gingerly, Kworn inspected the damage to his mantle. It was minor. A -tiny rip that could easily be repaired, a few grains of sand that could -be extruded. He drew himself together to perform the repairs with the -least possible loss of energy, and as he did, he was conscious of an -emanation coming from the filaments that had been hurled from the -cylinder. - -Food! - -And such food! - -It was the distilled quintessence of a thousand purple feeders! It -came to his senses in a shimmering wave of ecstasy so great that his -mantle glowed a bright crimson. He stretched a pseudopod toward its -source, and as he touched the filament his whole body quivered with -anticipation. The barrier was blotted from his thoughts by an orgy -of shuddering delight almost too great for flesh to endure. Waves of -pleasure ran through his body as he swiftly extended to cover the -filament. It could be a trap, he thought, but it made no difference. -The demands of his depleted body and the sheer vacuole-constricting -delight of this incredible foodstuff made a combination too potent for -his will to resist, even if it had desired to do so. Waves of pleasure -rippled through him as more of his absorptive surface contacted the -filament. He snuggled against it, enfolding it completely, letting the -peristaltic rushes sweep through him. He had never fed like this as -long as he could recall. His energy levels swelled and pulsed as he -sucked the last delight from the cord, and contemplated the further -pleasure waiting for him in that other one lying scarcely twenty raads -away. - -Sensuously, he extended a pseudopod from his upper surface and probed -for the other filament. He was filled to the top of his primary vacuole -but the desire for more was stronger than ever--despite the fact that -he knew the food in the other filament would bring him to critical -level, would force him to reproduce. The thought amused him. As far -back as he could remember, no member of the Folk had ever budded an -offspring during the Time of Travel. It would be unheard of, something -that would go down through the years in the annals of the Folk, and -perhaps even cause a change in the Law. - -The pseudopod probed, reached and stopped short of its goal. There was -nothing around it but empty air. - - * * * * * - -Fear drove the slow orgasmic thoughts from his mind. Absorbed in -gluttony, he hadn't noticed that the filament had tightened and was -slowly drawing back into the cylinder from whence it came. And now it -was too late! He was already over the rim of the metal disc. - -Feverishly, he tried to disengage his absorptive surfaces from the -filament and crawl down its length to safety, but he couldn't move. He -was stuck to the dark cord by some strange adhesive that cemented his -cells firmly to the cord. He could not break free. - -The line moved steadily upward, dragging him inexorably toward a dark -opening in the cylinder overhead. Panic filled him! Desperately he -tried to loosen his trapped surfaces. His pseudopod lashed futilely -in the air, searching with panic for something to grip, something to -clutch that would stop this slow movement to the hell of pain that -waited for him in the metal high overhead. - -His searching flesh struck another's, and into his mind flooded the Ul -Caada's terrified thought. The old one had reacted quicker than he, -perhaps because he was poaching, but like himself he was attached and -could not break free. - -"Serves you right," Kworn projected grimly. "The thing was on my land. -You had no right to feed upon it." - -"Get me loose!" Caada screamed. His body flopped at the end of a -thick mass of digestive tissue, dangling from the line, writhing and -struggling in mindless terror. It was strange, Kworn thought, that fear -should be so much stronger in the old than in the young. - -"Cut loose, you fool," Kworn projected. "There isn't enough of you -adhered to hurt if it were lost. A little body substance isn't worth -your life. Hurry! You'll be too late if you don't. That metal is -poisonous to our flesh." - -"But it will be pain to cut my absorbing surface," Caada protested. - -"It will be death if you don't." - -"Then why don't you?" - -"I can't," Kworn said hopelessly. "All my surface is stuck to the -filament. I can't cut free." He was calm now, resigned to the -inevitable. His greed had brought him to this. Perhaps it was a fitting -punishment. But Caada need not die if he would show courage. - -He rotated his eye to watch his struggling neighbor. Apparently Caada -was going to take his advice. The tissue below the part of him stuck -to the filament began to thin. His pseudopod broke contact. But his -movements were slow and hesitant. Already his body mass was rising -above the edge of the disc. - -"Quick, you fool!" Kworn projected. "Another moment and you're dead!" - -But Caada couldn't hear. Slowly his tissues separated as he reluctantly -abandoned his absorptive surface. But he was already over the disc. -The last cells pinched off and he fell, mantle flapping, full on the -surface of the disc. For a moment he lay there quivering, and then his -body was blotted from sight by a cloud of frozen steam, and his essence -vanished screaming into Emptiness. - - * * * * * - -Kworn shuddered. It was a terrible way to die. But his own fate would -be no better. He wrapped his mantle tightly around him as his leading -parts vanished into the dark hole in the cylinder. In a moment he would -be following Caada on the journey from which no member of the Folk had -ever returned. His body disappeared into the hole. - ---and was plunged into paradise! - -His foreparts slipped into a warm, thick liquid that loosened the -adhesive that bound him to the cord. As he slipped free, he slowly -realized that he was not to die. He was bathed in liquid food! He was -swimming in it! He was surrounded on all sides by incredible flavors -so strange and delicious that his mind could not classify them! The -filament had been good, but this--this was indescribable! He relaxed, -his mantle spreading through the food, savoring, absorbing, digesting, -metabolizing, excreting. His energy levels peaked. The nuclei of his -germ plasm swelled, their chromosomes split, and a great bud formed and -separated from his body. He had reproduced! - -Through a deadening fog of somatic sensation, he realized dully that -this was wrong, that the time wasn't right, that the space was limited, -and that the natural reaction to abundant food supply was wrong. But -for the moment he didn't care. - -For thousands of seasons he had traveled the paths between equator and -pole in a ceaseless hunt for food, growing and rejuvenating in good -seasons, shrinking and aging in bad. He had been bound to the soil, a -slave to the harsh demands of life and Nature. And now the routine was -broken. - -He luxuriated in his freedom. It must have been like this in the old -days, when the waters were plentiful and things grew in them that -could be eaten, and the Folk had time to dream young dreams and think -young thoughts, and build their thoughts and dreams into the gleaming -realities of cities and machines. Those were the days when the mind -went above the soil into the air and beyond it to the moons, the sun -and the evening stars. - -But that was long ago. - -He lay quietly, conscious of the change within him as his cells -multiplied to replace those he had lost, and his body grew in weight -and size. He was rejuvenated. The cells of his growing body, stimulated -by the abundance of food, released memories he had forgotten he had -ever possessed. His past ran in direct cellular continuity to the dawn -of his race, and in him was every memory he had experienced since -the beginning. Some were weak, others were stronger, but all were -there awaiting an effort of recall. All that was required was enough -stimulation to bring them out of hiding. - -And for the first time in millennia the stimulus was available. The -stimulus was growth, the rapid growth that only an abundant food supply -could give, the sort of growth that the shrunken environment outside -could not supply. With sudden clarity he saw how the Folk had shrunk in -mind and body as they slowly adapted to the ever-increasing rigor of -life. The rushing torrent of memory and sensation that swept through -him gave him a new awareness of what he had been once and what he had -become. His eye was lifted from the dirt and lichens. - - * * * * * - -What he saw filled him with pity and contempt. Pity for what the Folk -had become; contempt for their failure to recognize it. Yet he had been -no better than the others. It was only through the accident of this -artefact that he had learned. The Folk _couldn't_ know what the slow -dwindling of their food supply had done to them. Over the millennia -they had adapted, changing to fit the changing conditions, surviving -only because they were more intelligent and more tenacious than the -other forms of life that had become extinct. A thousand thousand -seasons had passed since the great war that had devastated the world. -A million years of slow adaptation to the barren waste that had been -formed when the ultimate products of Folk technology were loosed on -their creators, had created a race tied to a subsistence level of -existence, incapable of thinking beyond the basic necessities of life. - -The Ul Kworn sighed. It would be better if he would not remember so -much. But he could suppress neither the knowledge nor the memories. -They crowded in upon him, stimulated by the food in which he floated. - -Beside him, his offspring was growing. A bud always grew rapidly in -a favorable environment, and this one was ideal. Soon it would be as -large as himself. Yet it would never develop beyond an infant. It could -not mature without a transfer of germ plasm from other infants of the -Folk. And there were no infants. - -It would grow and keep on growing because there would be no check of -maturity upon its cells. It would remain a partly sentient lump of -flesh that would never be complete. And in time it would be dangerous. -When it had depleted the food supply it would turn on him in mindless -hunger. It wouldn't realize that the Ul Kworn was its father, or if it -did, it wouldn't care. An infant is ultimately selfish, and its desires -are the most important thing in its restricted universe. - -Kworn considered his situation dispassionately. - -It was obvious that he must escape from this trap before his offspring -destroyed him. Yet he could think of no way to avoid the poison -metal. He recognized it now, the element with the twelve protons in -its nucleus, a light metal seldom used by the Folk even in the days -of their greatness because of its ability to rapidly oxidize and its -propensity to burst into brilliant flame when heated. With sudden shock -he realized that the artefact was nothing less than a gigantic torch! - -Why had it been built like this? What was its function? Where had it -come from? Why hadn't it spoke since it had released that flood of -unintelligible gibberish before it had drawn him inside? Ever since he -had entered this food tank it had been quiet except for a clicking, -chattering whir that came from somewhere above him. He had the odd -impression that it was storing information about him and the way he -reacted in the tank. - -And then, abruptly, it broke into voice. Cryptic words poured from it, -piercing him with tiny knives of sound. The intensity and rapidity of -the projections shocked him, left him quivering and shaking when they -stopped as abruptly as they had begun. - -In the quiet that followed, Kworn tried to recall the sequence of the -noise. The words were like nothing he had ever heard. They were not the -language of the Folk either past or present. And they had a flow and -sequence that was not organic. They were mechanical, the product of a -metal intelligence that recorded and spoke but did not think. The Folk -had machines like that once. - -How had it begun? There had been a faint preliminary, an almost -soundless voice speaking a single word. Perhaps if he projected it, -it would trigger a response. Pitching his voice in the same key and -intensity he projected the word as best he could remember it. - -And the voice began again. - - * * * * * - -Kworn quivered with excitement. Something outside the artefact was -forcing it to speak. He was certain of it. As certain as he was that -the artefact was recording himself and his offspring. But who--or -what--was receiving the record? And why? - -This could be a fascinating speculation, Kworn thought. But there -would be time enough for that later. His immediate need was to get out. -Already the food supply was running low, and his offspring was becoming -enormous. He'd have to leave soon if he was ever going to. And he'd -have to do something about his own growth. Already it was reaching -dangerous levels. He was on the ragged edge of another reproduction, -and he couldn't afford it. - -Regretfully, he began moving the cornified cells of his mantle and his -under layer toward his inner surfaces, arranging them in a protective -layer around his germ plasm and absorptive cells. There would be enough -surface absorption to take care of his maintenance needs, and his body -could retain its peak of cellular energy. Yet the desire to feed and -bud was almost overpowering. His body screamed at him for denying it -the right that food would give it, but Kworn resisted the demands of -his flesh until the frantic cellular urges passed. - -Beside him his offspring pulsed with physical sensation. Kworn envied -it even as he pitied it. The poor mindless thing could be used as a -means to the end of his escape, but it was useless for anything else. -It was far too large, and far too stupid, to survive in the outside -world. Kworn extruded a net of hairlike pseudopods and swept the tank -in which they lay. It was featureless, save for a hole where the -filament had not completely withdrawn when it had pulled him into -this place. A few places in the wall had a different texture than the -others, probably the sense organs of the recorder. He rippled with -satisfaction. There was a grille of poison metal in the top of the tank -through which flowed a steady current of warm air. It would be pleasant -to investigate this further, Kworn thought, but there was no time. His -offspring had seen to that. - -He placed his eye on a thin pseudopod and thrust it through the hole in -the wall of the tank. It was still night outside, but a faint line of -brightness along the horizon indicated the coming of dawn. The artefact -glittered icily beneath him, and he had a feeling of giddiness as he -looked down the vertiginous drop to the disc below. The dark blotch of -Caada's burned body was almost invisible against the faintly gleaming -loom of the still-warm disc. Kworn shuddered. Caada hadn't deserved a -death like that. Kworn looked down, estimating the chances with his new -intelligence, and then slapped a thick communication fibril against his -offspring's quivering flesh and hurled a projection at its recoiling -mass. - -Considering the fact that its cells were direct derivations of his -own, Kworn thought grimly, it was surprising how hard it was to -establish control. The youngster had developed a surprising amount of -individuality in its few xals of free existence. He felt a surge of -thankfulness to the old Ul Kworn as the youngster yielded to his firm -projection. His precursor had always sought compliant germ plasm to -produce what he had called "discipline and order." It was, in fact, -weakness. It was detrimental to survival. But right now that weakness -was essential. - - * * * * * - -Under the probing lash of his projection the infant extruded a thick -mass of tissue that met and interlocked with a similar mass of his own. -As soon as the contact firmed, Kworn began flowing toward his eye, -which was still in the half-open hole in the side of the tank. - -The outside cold struck his sense centers with spicules of ice as he -flowed to the outside, clinging to his offspring's gradually extending -pseudopod. Slowly he dropped below the cylinder. The infant was -frantic. It disliked the cold and struggled to break free, but Kworn -clung limpetlike to his offspring's flesh as it twisted and writhed in -an effort to return to the warmth and comfort into which it was born. - -"Let go!" his offspring screamed. "I don't like this place." - -"In a moment," Kworn said as he turned the vague writhings into a -swinging pendulum motion. "Help me move back and forth." - -"I can't. I'm cold. I hurt. Let me go!" - -"Help me," Kworn ordered grimly, "or hang out here and freeze." - -His offspring shuddered and twitched. The momentum of the swing -increased. Kworn tightened his grip. - -"You promised to let go!" his offspring wailed. "You prom--" - -The infant's projection was cut off as Kworn loosed himself at the -upward arc of the swing, spread his mantle and plummeted toward the -ground. Fear swept through him as his body curved through the thin -air, missing the edge of the disc and landing on the ground with a -sense-jarring thud. Behind and above him up against the cylinder, the -thick tendril of his offspring's flesh withdrew quickly from sight. -For a moment the Ul Kworn's gaze remained riveted on the row of odd -markings on the metal surface, and then he turned his attention to life. - -There was no reason to waste the pain of regret upon that half -sentient mass of tissue that was his offspring. The stupid flesh of his -flesh would remain happy in the darkness with the dwindling food until -its flesh grew great enough to touch the poison metal in the ceiling of -the tank. - -And then-- - -With a harsh projection of horror, the Ul Kworn moved, circling the -artefact on Caada's vacated strip. And as he moved he concentrated -energy into his high-level communication organs, and projected a -warning of danger. - -"Move!" he screamed. "Move forward for your lives!" - -The line rippled. Reddish mantles unfolded as the Folk reacted. The -nearest, shocked from estivation, were in motion even before they came -to full awareness. Alarms like this weren't given without reason. - -Varsi's reaction, Kworn noted, was faster than any of his fellows. -The young Ul had some favorable self-preservation characteristics. -He'd have to consider sharing some germ plasm with him at the next -reproduction season, after all. - -In a giant arc, the Folk pressed forward under the white glow of -emerging dawn. Behind them the artefact began to project again in its -strange tongue. But in mid-cry it stopped abruptly. And from it came -a wail of mindless agony that tore at Kworn's mind with regret more -bitter because nothing could be done about it. - -His offspring had touched the poison metal. - -Kworn turned his eye backwards. The artefact was shaking on its broad -base from the violence of his offspring's tortured writhings. As he -watched a brilliant burst of light flared from its top. Heat swept -across the land, searing the lichens and a scattered few of the Folk -too slow to escape. The giant structure burned with a light more -brilliant than the sun and left behind a great cloud of white vapor -that hung on the air like the menacing cloud of a samshin. Beneath the -cloud the land was bare save for a few twisted pieces of smoking metal. - -The roadblock was gone. - - * * * * * - -Kworn moved slowly forward, gleaning Caada's strip and half of his own -which he shared with Varsi. - -He would need that young Ul in the future. It was well to place him -under an obligation. The new thoughts and old memories weren't dying. -They remained, and were focused upon the idea of living better than -at this subsistence level. It should be possible to grow lichens, and -breed a more prolific type of lichen feeder. Water channeled from the -canals would stimulate lichen growth a thousand-fold. And with a more -abundant food supply, perhaps some of the Folk could be stimulated to -think and apply ancient buried skills to circumvent Nature. - -It was theoretically possible. The new breed would have to be like -Varsi, tough, driving and selfishly independent. In time they might -inherit the world. Civilization could arise again. It was not -impossible. - -His thoughts turned briefly back to the artefact. It still bothered -him. He still knew far too little about it. It was a fascinating -speculation to dream of what it might have been. At any rate, one thing -was sure. It was not a structure of his race. If nothing else, those -cabalistic markings on the side of the cylinder were utterly alien. - -Thoughtfully he traced them in the sand. What did they mean? - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of On the Fourth Planet, by J.F. 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