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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..3affb35 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51170 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51170) diff --git a/old/51170-8.txt b/old/51170-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c05585c..0000000 --- a/old/51170-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1869 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Fire and the Sword, by Frank M. Robinson - -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/license - - -Title: The Fire and the Sword - -Author: Frank M. Robinson - -Release Date: February 10, 2016 [EBook #51170] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRE AND THE SWORD *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - THE FIRE and THE SWORD - - By FRANK M. ROBINSON - - Illustrated by EMSH - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Science Fiction August 1951. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - Nothing could have seemed pleasanter than that - peaceful planet. Then why was a non-suicidal - man driven to suicide there? Yet it made sense. - - -_Why do people commit suicide?_ - -Templin tightened his safety belt and lay back on the acceleration -bunk. The lights in the cabin dimmed to a dull, red glow that meant the -time for takeoff was nearing. He could hear noises from deep within -the ship and the tiny whir of the ventilator fan, filling the air with -the sweetish smell of sleeping gas. To sleep the trip away was better -than to face the dull monotony of the stars for days on end. - -_Oh, they kill themselves for lots of reasons. Maybe ill health or -financial messes or family difficulties. An unhappy love affair. Or -more complex ones, if you went into it deeper. The failure to achieve -an ambition, failure to live up to one's own ideals. Weltschmerz, -perhaps._ - -He could smell the bitter fragrance of tobacco smoke mingling with -the gas. Eckert had lit a cigarette and was calmly blowing the smoke -at the neon "No Smoking" sign, which winked on and off in mechanical -disapproval. - -He turned his head slightly so he could just see Eckert in the bank -facing him. Eckert, one of the good gray men in the Service. The old -reliables, the ones who could take almost anything in their stride -because, at one time or another, they had had to. - -It was Eckert who had come into his office several days ago and told -him that Don Pendleton had killed himself. - -_Only Pendleton wasn't the type. He was the kind who have everything -to live for, the kind you instinctively know will amount to something -someday. And that was a lousy way to remember him. The clichés always -come first. Your memory plays traitor and boils friendship down to the -status of a breakfast food testimonial._ - -The soft red lights seemed to be dancing in the darkness of the cabin. -Eckert was just a dull, formless blur opposite him. His cigarette was -out. - -Eckert had come into his office without saying a word and had watched -his scenery-window. It had been snowing in the window, the white flakes -making a simple pattern drifting past the glass. Eckert had fiddled -with the controls and changed it to sunshine, then to a weird mixture -of hail amid the brassy, golden sunlight. - -And then Eckert had told him that Pendleton had taken the short way out. - -_He shouldn't get sentimental. But how the hell else should he remember -Pendleton? Try to forget it and drink a toast to him at the next class -reunion? And never, never be so crude as to speculate why Pendleton -should have done it? If, of course, he had...._ - -The cabin was hazy in the reddish glow, the sleeping gas a heavy -perfume. - -Eckert and he had talked it out and gone over the records. Pendleton -had come of good stock. There had been no mental instability in his -family for as far back as the genetic records went. He had been raised -in a middle-class neighborhood and attended a local grammar school -where he had achieved average grades and had given his instructors the -normal amount of trouble. Later, when he had made up his mind to enter -the Diplomatic Service, his grades had improved. He had worked hard at -it, though he wasn't what you would call a grind. In high school and -later in college, he was the well-balanced type, athletic, popular, -hard-working. - -_How long would it be before memories faded and all there was left -of Pendleton was a page of statistics? He had been on this team, he -had been elected president of that, he had graduated with such and -such honors. But try getting a picture of him by reading the records, -resurrect him from a page of black print. Would he be human? Would -he be flesh and blood? Hell, no! In the statistics Pendleton was the -All-Around Boy, the cold marble statue with the finely chiseled muscles -and the smooth, blank sockets where the eyes should be. Maybe someday -fate would play a trick on a hero-worshiping public and there would -actually be kids like that. But they wouldn't be human; they wouldn't -be born. Parents would get them by sending in so many box tops._ - -He was drowsy; the room was filled with the gas now. It would be only a -matter of minutes before he would be asleep. - -Pendleton had been in his second year as attache on Tunpesh, a small -planet with a G-type sun. The Service had stumbled across it recently -and decided the system was worth diplomatic recognition of some kind, -so Pendleton had been sent there. He had been the first attache to be -sent and naturally he had gone alone. - -There was no need to send more. Tunpesh had been inspected and -certified and approved. The natives were primitive and friendly. Or -maybe the Service had slipped up, as it sometimes did, and Tunpesh had -received something less than a thorough survey. - -And then an unscheduled freighter had put in for repairs, one of -the very few ships that ever came by Tunpesh. The captain had tried -to pay his respects to Pendleton. Only Pendleton wasn't there. The -natives said he had killed himself and showed the captain the little -flower-covered plot where they had buried him. - -Tunpesh had been Pendleton's second assignment. - -_The natives were oh-so-friendly. So friendly that he had made sure -that a certain box was on board, filled with shiny atomic rifles, -needle pistols, and the fat little gas guns. They might be needed. -People like Pendleton didn't kill themselves, did they? No, they -didn't. But sometimes they were murdered._ - -It was almost black inside the cabin now; only a thin red line around -the ceiling told how close they were to takeoff. His head was thick -with drowsiness, his eyelids a heavy weight that he knew he couldn't -keep open much longer. - -Eckert and he had been chosen to go to Tunpesh and investigate. The two -of them, working together, should be able to find out why Pendleton had -killed himself. - -_But that wasn't the real reason. Maybe Eckert thought so, but he knew -better. The real reason they were going there was to find out why -Pendleton had been killed and who had killed him. That was it._ - -_Who had killed Cock Robin?_ - -The thin red line was practically microscopic now and Templin could -feel his lashes lying gently on his cheeks. But he wasn't asleep--not -quite. There was something buzzing about in the dim recesses of his -mind. - -Their information on Tunpesh was limited. They knew that it had no -trading concessions or armed forces and that nobody from neighboring -systems seemed to know much about it or even visited it. But a staff -anthropologist must have been routinely assigned to Tunpesh to furnish -data and reports. - -"Ted?" he murmured sleepily. - -A faint stirring in the black bulk opposite him. "Yes?" - -"How come our anthropologist on Tunpesh didn't come across with more -information?" - -A drowsy mumble from the other cot: "He wasn't there long enough. He -committed suicide not long after landing." - -The room was a whirling pool of blackness into which his mind was -slowly slipping. Takeoff was only seconds away. - -_Why do people commit suicide?_ - - * * * * * - -"It's a nice day, isn't it, Ted?" Eckert took a deep and pleasurable -breath. "It's the type of day that makes you feel good just to be -alive." - -Warm breezes rustled through Eckert's graying hair and tugged gently -at his tunic. The air smelled as if it had been washed and faintly -perfumed with the balsamy scent of something very much like pine. A -few hundred yards away, a forest towered straight and slim and coolly -inviting, and brilliantly colored birds whirled and fluttered in the -foliage. - -The rocketport, where they were standing surrounded by their luggage, -was a grassy valley where the all too infrequent ships could land and -discharge cargo or make repairs. There was a blackened patch on it now, -with little blast-ignited flames dying out around the edges. _It won't -be long before it will be green again_, he thought. The grass looked -as though it grew fast--it would certainly have plenty of time to grow -before the next ship landed. - -He looked at the slim, dwindling shape that was the rocket, and was -suddenly, acutely aware that he and Templin would be stranded for six -months on a foreign and very possibly dangerous planet. And there would -be no way of calling for help or of leaving before the six months were -up. - -He stood there for a moment, drinking in the fresh air and feeling the -warmth of the sun against his face. It might be a pleasant six months -at that, away from the din and the hustle and confusion, spending the -time in a place where the sun was warm and inviting. - -_I must be getting old_, he thought, _thinking about the warmth and -comfort. Like old dogs and octogenarians._ - -Templin was looking at the scenery with a disappointed expression on -his face. Eckert stole a side glance at him and for a fleeting moment -felt vaguely concerned. "Don't be disappointed if it doesn't look like -cloak-and-dagger right off, Ray. What seems innocent enough on the -surface can prove to be quite dangerous underneath." - -"It's rather hard to think of danger in a setting like this." - -Eckert nodded agreement. "It wouldn't fit, would it? It would be like a -famous singer suddenly doing a jazz number in an opera, or having the -princess in a fairy tale turn out to be ugly." He gestured toward the -village. "You could hardly class that as dangerous from its outward -appearance, could you?" - -The rocketport was in a small valley, surrounded by low, wooded hills. -The village started where the port left off and crawled and wound over -the wooded ridges. Small houses of sun-baked, white-washed mud crouched -in the shadow of huge trees and hugged the banks of a small stream. - -It looked fairly primitive, Eckert thought, and yet it didn't have the -earmarks, the characteristics of most primitive villages. It didn't -seem cluttered or dirty and you didn't feel like beating a hasty -retreat when the wind was blowing toward you. - -A few adults were watching them curiously and the usual bunch of -kids that always congregated around rocketports quickly gathered. -Eckert stared at them for a moment, wondering what it was that seemed -odd about them, and they stared back with all the alert dignity of -childhood. They finally came out on the field and clustered around him -and Templin. - -Templin studied them warily. "Better watch them, Ted. Even kids can be -dangerous." - -_It's because you never suspect kids_, Eckert thought, _you never think -they'll do any harm. But they can be taught. They could do as much -damage with a knife as a man could, for instance. And they might have -other weapons._ - -But the idea still didn't go with the warm sun and the blue sky and the -piny scent of the trees. - -One of the adults of the village started to walk toward them. - -"The reception committee," Templin said tightly. His hand went inside -his tunic. - -He couldn't be blamed for being jumpy, Eckert realized. This was his -first time out, his first mission like this. And, of course, Pendleton -had been a pretty good friend of his. - -"I'd be very careful what I did," Eckert said softly. "I would hate to -start something merely because I misunderstood their intentions." - -The committee of one was a middle-aged man dressed in a simple strip of -white cloth twisted about his waist and allowed to hang freely to his -knees. When he got closer, Eckert became less sure of his age. He had -the firm, tanned musculature of a much younger man, though a slightly -seamed face and white hair aged him somewhat. Eckert still had the -feeling that if you wanted to know his exact age, you'd have to look -at his teeth or know something about his epiphyseal closures. - -"You are _menshars_ from Earth?" The voice was husky and pleasant and -the pronunciation was very clear. Eckert regarded him thoughtfully -and made a few mental notes. He wasn't bowing and scraping like most -natives who weren't too familiar with visitors from the sky, and yet he -was hardly either friendly or hostile. - -"You learned our language from Pendleton and Reynolds?" Reynolds had -been the anthropologist. - -"We have had visitors from Earth before." He hesitated a moment -and then offered his hand, somewhat shyly, Eckert thought, in the -Terrestrial sign of greeting. "You may call me _Jathong_ if you wish." -He paused a moment to say something in his native tongue to the kids -who were around. They promptly scattered and picked up the luggage. -"While you are here, you will need a place to stay. There is one ready, -if you will follow me." - -He was polite, Eckert thought. He didn't ask what they were there -for or how long they were going to stay. But then again, perhaps the -natives were a better judge of that than he and Templin. - -The town was larger than he had thought at first, stretching over a -wide expanse of the countryside. There wasn't, so far as he could see, -much manufacturing above the level of handicrafts and simple weaving. -Colored patches on far hillsides indicated the presence of farms, and -practically every house in the village had its small garden. - -What manufacturing there was seemed to be carried on in the central -square of the town, where a few adults and children squatted in the -warm afternoon sun and worked industriously at potter's wheels and -weaver's looms. The other part of the square was given over to the -native bazaar where pots and bolts of cloth were for sale, and where -numerous stalls were loaded with dried fruits and vegetables and the -cleaned and plucked carcasses of the local variety of fowl. - -It was late afternoon when they followed Jathong into a small, -white-washed house midway up a hill. - -"You are free to use this while you are here," he said. - -Eckert and Templin took a quick tour of the few rooms. They were well -furnished, in a rustic sort of way, and what modern conveniences they -didn't have they could easily do without. The youngsters who had -carried their luggage left it outside and quietly faded away. It was -getting dark; Eckert opened one of the boxes they had brought along, -took out an electric lantern and lighted it. He turned to Jathong. - -"You've been very kind to us and we would like to repay you. You may -take what you wish of anything within this box." He opened another of -the boxes and displayed the usual trade goods--brightly colored cloth -and finely worked jewelry and a few mechanical contrivances that Eckert -knew usually appealed to the primitive imagination. - -Jathong ran his hand over the cloth and held some of the jewelry up to -the light. Eckert knew by the way he looked at it that he wasn't at all -impressed. "I am grateful," he said finally, "but there is nothing I -want." He turned and walked away into the gathering darkness. - -"The incorruptible native." Templin laughed sarcastically. - -Eckert shrugged. "That's one of the things you do out of habit, try -and buy some of the natives so you'll have friends in case you need -them." He stopped for a moment, thinking. "Did you notice the context? -He didn't say he didn't want what we showed him. He said there was -_nothing_ that he wanted. Implying that everything he wanted, he -already had." - -"That's not very typical of a primitive society, is it?" - -"No, I'm afraid it's not." Eckert started unpacking some of the boxes. -"You know, Ray, I got a kick out of the kids. They're a healthy-looking -lot, aren't they?" - -"Too healthy," Templin said. "There didn't seem to be any sick ones or -ones with runny noses or cuts or black eyes or bruises. It doesn't seem -natural." - -"They're probably just well brought-up kids," Eckert said sharply. -"Maybe they've been taught not to get in fights or play around in the -mud on the way home from school." He felt faintly irritated, annoyed at -the way Templin had put it, as if any deviation from an Earth norm was -potentially dangerous. - -"Ted." Templin's voice was strained. "This could be a trap, you know." - -"In what way?" - -The words came out slowly. "The people are too casual, as though -they're playing a rehearsed part. Here we are, from an entirely -different solar system, landed in what must be to them an unusual -manner. They couldn't have seen rockets more than three or four -times before. It should still be a novelty to them. And yet how much -curiosity did they show? Hardly any. Was there any fear? No. And the -cute, harmless little kids." He looked at Eckert. "Maybe that's what -we're supposed to think--just an idyllic, harmless society. Maybe -that's what Pendleton thought, right to the very end." - -He was keyed up, jumpy, Eckert realized. He would probably be seeing -things in every shadow and imagining danger to be lurking around every -corner. - -"It hasn't been established yet that Pendleton was killed, Ray. Let's -keep an open mind until we know for certain." - -He flicked out the light and lay back on the cool bed, letting his -body relax completely. The cool night wind blew lazily through the -wood slat blinds, carrying the fragrance of the trees and the grass, -and he inhaled deeply and let his thoughts wander for a moment. It was -going to be pleasant to live on Tunpesh for six months--even if the six -months were all they had to live. The climate was superb and the people -seemed a cut above the usual primitive culture. If he ever retired some -day, he thought suddenly, he would have to remember Tunpesh. It would -be pleasant to spend his old age here. And the fishing was probably -excellent.... - -He turned his head a little to watch Templin get ready for bed. There -were advantages in taking him along that Templin probably didn't -even realize. He wondered what Templin would do if he ever found out -that the actual reason he had been chosen to go was that his own -psychological chart was very close to Pendleton's. Pendleton's own -feelings and emotions would almost exactly be duplicated in Templin's. - -A few stray wisps of starlight pierced through the blinds and sparkled -for an instant on a small metal box strapped to Templin's waist. A -power pack, Eckert saw grimly, probably leading to the buttons on his -tunic. A very convenient, portable, and hard to detect weapon. - -There were disadvantages in taking Templin, too. - - * * * * * - -"Just how primitive do you think the society is, Ted?" - -Eckert put down the chain he had been whittling and reached for his -pipe and tobacco. - -"I don't think it's primitive at all. There are too many disparities. -Their knowledge of a lot of things is a little more than empirical -knowledge; they associate the growth of crops with fertilizer and -nitrogen in the soil as well as sunlight, rather than the blessings of -some native god. And they differ a lot in other respects. Their art and -their music are advanced. Free art exists along with purely decorative -art, and their techniques are finely developed." - -"I'm glad you agree, then. Take a look at this." Templin threw a shiny -bit of metal on the rough-hewn table. Eckert picked it up and inspected -it. It was heavy and one side of it was extremely sharp. - -"What's it for?" - -"They've got a hospital set up here. Not a hospital like any we know, -of course, but a hospital nonetheless. It's not used very much; -apparently the natives don't get sick here. But occasionally there are -hunting accidents and injuries that require surgery. The strip of metal -there is a scalpel." He laughed shortly. "Primitive little gadget, but -it works well--as well as any of ours." - -Eckert hefted it in his palm. "The most important thing is that they -have the knowledge to use it. Surgery isn't a simple science." - -"Well, what do you think about it?" - -"The obvious. They evidently have as much technology as they want, at -least in fields where they have to have it." - -"How come they haven't gone any further?" - -"Why should they? You can live without skycars and rocket ships, you -know." - -"Did you ever wonder what kind of weapons they might have?" - -"The important thing," Eckert mused, "is not if they have them, but if -they'd use them. And I rather doubt that they would. We've been here -for two weeks now and they've been very kind to us, seeing that we've -had food and water and what fuel we need." - -"It's known in the livestock trade as being fattened up for the -slaughter," Templeton said. - -Eckert sighed and watched a fat bug waddle across a small patch of -sunlight on the wooden floor. It was bad enough drawing an assignment -in a totally foreign culture, even if the natives were humanoid. It -complicated things beyond all measure when your partner in the project -seemed likely to turn into a vendettist. It meant that Eckert would -have to split his energies. He'd have to do what investigating he could -among the Tunpeshans, and he'd have to watch Templin to see that he -didn't go off half-cocked and spoil everything. - -"You're convinced that Pendleton was murdered, aren't you?" - -Templin nodded. "Sure." - -"Why?" - -"The Tunpeshans know why we're here. We've dropped enough hints along -those lines. But nobody has mentioned Pendleton; nobody has volunteered -any information about him. And he was an attache here for three -years. Didn't anybody know him during that time? We've let slip a few -discreet statements that we would like to talk to Pendleton's friends, -yet nobody's come around. Apparently, in all the three years he was -here, Pendleton didn't make any friends. And that's a little hard to -believe. It's more likely that his friends have been silenced and any -information about him is being withheld for a reason." - -"What reason?" - -Templin shrugged. "Murder. What other reason could there be?" - -Eckert rolled up the thin, slatted blinds and stared out at the -scenery. A hundred feet down the road, a native woman was going to -market, leading a species of food animal by the halter. - -"They grow their women nice, don't they?" - -"Physically perfect, like the men," Templin grumbled. "You could get an -inferiority complex just from watching the people here. Everybody's so -damn perfect. Nobody's sick, nobody's unhealthy, nobody is too fat or -too thin, nobody's unhappy. The only variation is that they don't all -look alike. Perfection. It gets boring after a while." - -"Does it? I hadn't noticed." Eckert turned away from the blinds. His -voice was crisp. "I knew Don Pendleton quite well, too," he said. "But -it isn't blinding me to what I'm here for. We came to find out what -happened to him, not to substantiate any preconceived notions. What -we find out may be vitally important to anybody serving here in the -future. I would hate to see our efforts spoiled because you've already -made up your mind." - -"You knew Pendleton," Templin repeated grimly. "Do you think it was -suicide?" - -"I don't think there's such a thing as a suicide type, when you come -down to it. I'm not ruling out the possibility of murder, either. I'm -trying to keep an open mind." - -"What have we accomplished so far? What have we found out?" - -"We've got six months," Eckert said quietly. "Six months in which -we'll try to live here inconspicuously and study the people and try to -cultivate informants. We would get nowhere if we came barging in asking -all sorts of questions. And don't forget, Ray, we're all alone on -Tunpesh. If it is a case of murder, what happens when the natives find -out that we know it is?" - -Templin's eyes dueled for a moment. Then he turned his back and walked -to the window. "I suppose you're right," he said at last. "It's nice -living here, Ted. Maybe I've been fighting it. But I can't help -thinking that Don must have liked it here, too." - - * * * * * - -One of the hardest things to learn in a foreign culture, Eckert -thought, is when to enjoy yourself, when to work and when to worry. - -"_Pelache, menshar?_" - -"_Sharra!_" He took the small bowl of _pelache_ nuts, helped himself -to a few, and passed the bowl on. This was definitely the time to -enjoy himself, not to work or worry. He had heard about the _halera_ a -few days ago, and, by judicious hinting to the proper authorities, he -and Templin had been invited. It was a good chance to observe native -customs. A little anthropology--with refreshments. - -The main courses started making the rounds and he took generous -helpings of the roasted _ulami_ and the broiled _halunch_ and numerous -dabs from the side dishes of steaming vegetables. Between every course, -they passed around a small flagon of the hot, spiced native wine, but -he noticed that nobody drank to excess. - -_The old Greek ideal_, he thought: _moderation in everything._ - -He looked at Templin, sitting across from him in the huge circle, and -shrugged mentally. Templin looked as if he was about to break down and -enjoy himself, but there was still a slight bulge under his tunic, -where he had strapped his power pack. Any fool should have known that -nothing would happen at a banquet like this. The only actual danger lay -in Templin's getting excited and doing something he was bound to regret -later on. And even that danger was not quite as likely now. - -_There will be hell to pay_, Eckert thought, _if Templin ever finds out -that I sabotaged his power pack._ - -"You look thoughtful, _menshar_ Eckert." - -Eckert took another sip of the wine and turned to the Tunpeshan on his -left. He was a tall, muscular man with sharp eyes, a firm chin and a -certain aura of authority. - -"I was wondering if my countryman Pendleton had offended your people in -any way, Nayova." Now was as good a time as any to pump him for what he -knew about Pendleton's death. - -"So far as I know, _menshar_ Pendleton offended no one. I do not know -what duties he had to perform here, but he was a generous and courteous -man." - -Eckert gnawed the dainty meat off a slender _ulami_ bone and tried to -appear casual in his questioning. - -"I am sure he was, Nayova. I am sure, too, that you were as kind to him -as you have been to Templin and myself. My Government is grateful to -you for that." - -Nayova seemed pleased. "We tried to do as well for _menshar_ Pendleton -as we could. While he was here, he had the house that you have now and -we saw that he was supplied with food and all other necessities." - -Eckert had a sudden clammy feeling which quickly passed away. What -Nayova had said was something he'd make sure Templin never heard about. -He wiped his mouth on a broad, flat leaf that had been provided and -took another sip of the wine. - -"We were shocked to find out that _menshar_ Pendleton had killed -himself. We knew him quite well and we could not bring ourselves to -believe he had done such a thing." - -Nayova's gaze slid away from him. "Perhaps it was the will of the Great -One," he said vaguely. He didn't seem anxious to talk about it. - -Eckert stared bleakly at his wine glass and tried to put the pieces of -information together. They probably had a taboo about self-destruction -which would make it difficult to talk about. That would make it even -harder for him to find out by direct questioning. - -A native fife trilled shrilly and a group of young men and women walked -into the room. The circle broke to let them through and they came and -knelt before Nayova. When he clapped his hands sharply, they retreated -to the center of the circle and began the slow motions of a native -dance. - -The sound of the fife softened and died and the slow monotonous beat of -drums took its place. The beat slowly increased and so did the rhythm -of the dancers. The small fires at the corners of the hut were allowed -to dwindle and the center of the circle became filled with the motions -of shadows intermixed with the swift, sure movements of glistening -limbs. Eckert felt his eyebrows crawl upward. Apparently the dance was -the Tunpeshan version of the _rites de passage_. He glanced across -the circle at Templin. Templin's face--what he could see of it by the -flickering light--was brick red. - -A voice spoke in his ear. "It is hard for us to imagine anybody doing -what _menshar_ Pendleton did. It is ..." and he used a native word that -Eckert translated as being roughly equivalent to "_obscene_." - -The dancers at the center of the circle finally bowed out with small -garlands of flowers on their heads that signified their reaching -adulthood. Acrobats then took the stage and went through a dizzying -routine, and they in turn were succeeded by a native singer. - -They were all excellent, Eckert thought. If anything, they were too -good. - -The bowl of _pelache_ nuts made its way around again and Nayova leaned -over to speak to him. "If there is any possibility that I can help you -while you are here, _menshar_ Eckert, you have but to ask." - -It would probably be a mistake to ask for a list of Pendleton's -friends, but there was a way around that. "I would like to meet any -of your people who had dealings with Pendleton, either in business or -socially. I will do everything not to inconvenience them in any way." - -"I think they would be glad to help you. I shall ask them to go to you -this coming week." - - * * * * * - -It wasn't a driving rain, just a gentle drizzle that made the lanes -muddy and plastered Eckert's tunic against him. He didn't mind it; the -rain was warm and the trees and grass smelled good in the wet. - -"How would you classify the culture after seeing the ceremony, Ted?" -Templin asked. - -"About what you would expect. An Apollonian culture, simple and -dignified. Nothing in excess, no striving for great emotional release." - -Templin nodded soberly. "It grows on you, doesn't it? You find yourself -getting to like the place. And I suppose that's dangerous, too. You -tend to let your guard down, the way Pendleton must have. You--what was -that?" - -Eckert tensed. There was a gentle padding in the mud, several hundred -feet behind them. Templin flattened himself in the shadows alongside -a house. His hand darted inside his tunic and came out with the slim -deadliness of a needle gun. - -"Don't use it!" Eckert whispered tersely. - -Templin's eyes were thin, frightened slits in the darkness. "Why not?" - -Eckert's mind raced. It might be nothing at all, and then again it -might be disaster. But there was still a chance that Templin might be -wrong. And there were more immediate reasons. - -"How many charges do you have for that?" - -"Twelve." - -"You think you can stand there and hold them off with only twelve -charges for your needle gun?" - -"There's my power pack." - -"It's no good," Eckert said softly. "The batteries in it are dead. I -was afraid you might do something foolish with it." - -The footsteps were only yards away. He listened intently, but it was -hard to tell how many there were by the sound. - -"What do we do then?" - -"See if they're following us first," Eckert said practically. "They -might not be, you know." - -They slid out from the shadows and ducked down another lane between the -houses. The footsteps behind them speeded up and came down the same -lane. - -"We'll have to head back for our house," Eckert whispered. - -They started running as quietly as they could, slipping and sliding -in the mud. Another stretch past the shuttered, crouching houses and -they found themselves in the square they had visited on the day they -had landed. It was deserted, the looms and pottery wheels covered with -cloth and reeds to keep off the rain. They darted across it, two thin -shadows racing across the open plaza, and hurried down another path. - -The last path led to the small river that cut through the city. Templin -looked around, gestured to Eckert, waded into the water and crouched -under the small bridge that spanned it. Eckert swore silently to -himself, then followed Templin in. - -The cold water swirled under his armpits and he bit his lips to keep -himself from sneezing. Templin's emotions were contagious. Would he -have worried about the footsteps? He frowned and tried to be honest -with himself. Perhaps he would--and perhaps he wouldn't have. But he -couldn't have let Templin stay there and face the unknown approachers. -Not Templin. - -Footsteps approached the bridge, hesitated a moment, then pattered on -the wooden structure and faded off down the muddy path. Eckert let his -breath out slowly. The footsteps were curiously light. - -There was only one pair of them. - - * * * * * - -"I would like to know something," Templin said coldly. He stripped off -his power pack and let it fall to the floor of their house. "Why did -you decide to substitute dead batteries in the pack?" - -"Because," Eckert said shortly, "I was afraid you would do something -with it that you might regret later. You're inexperienced in situations -like this. Your reactions aren't to be trusted. One false move here and -we could follow Pendleton, however he died. You know that." He wriggled -out of his tunic and slowly peeled off his wet trousers. - -There was a timid knock at the door. He wrapped a blanket about -himself and motioned to Templin to stand to one side. Templin grabbed a -small stool, hefted it in one hand, and complied. - -Eckert went to the door and casually threw it open. - -A girl stood there, half in the outer darkness and half in the -yellowish light from the room, covered with mud to the knees and -drenched to the skin. - -"The _menshar_ forgot this at the _halera_," she said softly. She -quickly handed him his pipe and a soggy bag of tobacco, and disappeared -instantly into the rain. He listened for the sound of her footsteps in -the soft mud and then closed the door. - -Templin put down the stool and stared stupidly at the pipe and the -tobacco sack. Eckert placed them carefully on the table and began to -towel himself. - -"We probably face as much danger from our own imaginations as from -anything else," he said grimly. "Tell me, would you have fired first, -or would you have waited until you found out for sure who she was and -what she wanted when she first started to follow us?" - -"I don't know," Templin said sullenly. - -"Then I'll leave to your imagination the position we would be in now, -if you had given in to your impulse." - - * * * * * - -"We haven't found out much, have we?" Templin demanded some days later. - -"No," Eckert admitted. "We haven't." - -He riffled through the thick stack of cards on the table. -Statistically, the results were not only interesting but slightly -phenomenal. During the three years or so that Pendleton had been -on Tunpesh, he had met and known approximately seven hundred of -the natives. By far the greater majority of these, of course, were -purely casual and meant nothing. Almost a hundred, though, had had -extended relations with Pendleton in business or social affairs. Of -this hundred, none--not a single one--would admit that he had known -Pendleton well or could be considered a friend of his. About all they -had to say was that Pendleton had been healthy and easy to get along -with, and one warm night he had shocked the community by going off and -shooting himself. - -"Like Richard Cory," Eckert said aloud. - -"Like who?" Templin asked. - -"Richard Cory. A character in a poem by a Twentieth Century poet, -Edwin Arlington Robinson. Apparently he had everything to live for, -but 'Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet -through his head.'" - -"I'll have to look it up some day," Templin said. He pointed to the -stack of cards. "That's so much waste paper, isn't it?" - -"Yes, it is," Eckert said reluctantly. "To be frank, I had hoped we'd -know a lot more by now. I still can't understand why we haven't dug up -anybody who will admit having been his friend." - -"How do you know they're telling the truth? Or, for that matter, how do -you know that the ones we've seen so far are the ones who _actually_ -knew Pendleton?" - -Eckert drummed his fingers on the table. _You handle different human -cultures for twenty-five years and you get to the point where you can -tell if people are lying or not. Or do you? Maybe just an old man's -conceit. Age alone never lent wisdom. Regardless of the personal -reasons that Templin might have for thinking the Tunpeshans are lying, -the fact remains that they very easily could be. And what should you do -if they are?_ - -There was a polite knock at the door. - -"We've got another visitor," Templin said sarcastically. "He probably -saw Pendleton at a _halera_ four years ago and wants to be sure we know -all about it." - -The Tunpeshan looked faintly familiar to Eckert. There was something -about the man's carriage.... - -"I met you the day you landed," the Tunpeshan began, and Eckert -remembered. Jathong, the guide who had shown them to the house. - -"You knew Pendleton?" - -Jathong nodded. "I and a fellow weaver took over his small office after -he had left it." Eckert recalled the small office in the square with -the bolts of cloth on display, and the small mud brick on the window -ledge with the incised lettering reading: - - DONALD PENDLETON, SERVICE ATTACHE. - -"Why you didn't tell us this before?" - -"I didn't know what kind and how much information you wanted." - -_We didn't ask him_, Eckert thought, _so he didn't volunteer any -information. Polite, to say the least._ - -"How long did you know him?" - -"Since he landed. I was the one appointed to him." - -"What do you mean--appointed to him?" - -"To try to learn his language, and try to teach him ours." - -Eckert felt his interest rising. Jathong, then, must have known -Pendleton fairly well. - -"Did he have any enemies that you know of?" - -"Enemies?" Jathong seemed ignorant of the meaning of the word, so -Eckert explained. "No, he had no enemies. He would naturally have none -such on Tunpesh." - -Templin leaned forward, tense. "If he had no enemies, why did he have -no friends? You, for example, knew him longer and better than most. Why -is it that you weren't his friend?" - -Jathong looked unhappy, as if being forced to say something he wanted -not to say. "Pendleton was _kava_--I cannot explain it. The concept is -difficult. You would not understand." - -He might be running the danger of throwing too many questions at -Jathong, Eckert realized, and having him freeze up or turn vague. But -it couldn't be helped. They had made no progress at all by subtlety, -and time would eventually run out. - -He tried to broach the next question delicately. "Did Pendleton know -any of the women of your race?" - -"He knew some of the women, as he knew the men." - -The answer didn't tell Eckert what he wanted to know. "Was he in love -with any woman?" It sounded crude the way he put it, but it was hard to -think of any other way of asking it. - - * * * * * - -Jathong looked at him incredulously, as if Eckert had asked him if -Pendleton had had two heads. - -"That would have been impossible. None of our women would have--could -have--been in love with _menshar_ Pendleton." - -_One line of inquiry just gone phht_, Eckert thought. _But Pendleton -wasn't one to let a broken heart get him down anyway._ - -"Why not?" Templin cut in harshly. "He wasn't hard to look at and he -would have made a good husband." - -Jathong diplomatically turned around to face Templin. "I have told you -once--Pendleton was _kava_. It would have been quite impossible." - -The answer to what had happened to Pendleton probably lay in Jathong's -inability to explain his own terms, Eckert believed. One could get just -so close, and then the definitions became vague and useless. - -He asked a few more questions and finally dismissed Jathong. The -interview, like all the others he and Templin had held during the last -week, had been worthless. They knew nothing more than they had when -they landed. - -"I still think they're lying," Templin said almost savagely. "Or -perhaps the ones who really know something haven't come around." - - * * * * * - -Eckert got his pipe and sat near the doorway, letting the sunlight -streaming through the foliage of a nearby tree dapple his face with a -checkerboard pattern of modulated lights and velvety shadows. - -"If they're evading us or if they're lying, then the society is a -dangerous one for us. But I still can't believe it. They're not -warlike. They don't seem to have many weapons and definitely none of an -advanced type." - -"How could anybody know for sure?" - -Eckert methodically knocked the cold ashes out of his pipe and -added more tobacco. "Easy. Despite what you read in story books, no -civilization lives simply, governs itself simply, and yet possesses -'super-blasters.' The sword-and-blaster combination just doesn't exist. -Any weapon above the level of bows and arrows or knives is the product -of a well advanced technology. Along with weapons, of course, you have -to have good communications. Now take an ordinary radio and think of -the degree of knowledge, technology, and industrialization that would -have to exist to supply it. There's nothing like that here." - -Templin came over to the warmth streaming in through the doorway. "It -almost seems that they're acting in concert, though--as if there were -some kind of plot, where, by prearrangement, everybody knows exactly -what to say." - -"You're wrong again. You can practically smell a dictatorship or a -tyranny, which is the only situation in which almost one hundred per -cent of the population will follow the same line through fear of the -consequences if they don't. In a situation like that, the people are -frightened, unhappy. You can hardly say that's the case on Tunpesh." - -"No," Templin admitted, "you couldn't. But, still, you have to admit -that the answers we've received so far are just too unanimous--and too -sketchy. All agree that Pendleton was a fine fellow; all agree that he -had no native friends." - -Eckert nodded. "I'll go along with that. And I think it's time we did -something about it. Tonight we'll have to start eliminating certain -ideas." - -He took a small case from their pile of luggage and opened it. Inside -was a small, battery-powered box with various dials set on the front -and the usual electrodes and nerve probes protruding from the sides and -the top. - -Templin looked at it with surprise. - -"That will be dangerous to use, won't it?" - -"It might be more dangerous not to. Time is getting to be a factor -and we have to make some progress. We have a safety margin of a sort -in that we can erase memories of its use, but the procedure is still -risky." - -"Who do we use it on?" - -"As long as we're going to use it," Eckert said grimly, "we might as -well start at the top." - -When they had started out, the investigation had seemed fairly simple -to Eckert. There were two possibilities--either Pendleton had committed -suicide or he had been murdered. Knowing Pendleton's record, the first -possibility had seemed remote. A few weeks on Tunpesh had convinced him -that the second possibility was also remote. One or the other had to be -eliminated. The second would be the easiest. - -There were other reasons as well. Templin was still convinced that -Pendleton had been killed, and Templin was an emotional man with access -to powerful weapons. The question was not what he might eventually do, -but when. - - * * * * * - -The night looked as if it would be another rainy one. It was cooler -than usual and dark clouds were scudding across the starlit sky. Eckert -and Templin stood in the shadows of the house, watching the dark lane -for any casual strollers. Eckert looked at his watch. A few minutes -more and Nayova would come out for his evening walk. - -Eckert had just started to think longingly of his bed and the warmth -inside his house when the door opened and Nayova appeared in the -opening. Eckert held his breath while the chieftain stood uncertainly -in the doorway, testing the night air, and then let it out slowly when -Nayova started down the lane. - -They closed in on him. - -"The _menshars_ from Earth," he said without alarm. "Is there something -you wish?" - -"We would like you to come with us to our house for a while," Eckert -started in. - -Nayova looked puzzled. "I do not understand. Would not tomorrow do as -well?" - -"I'm afraid it'll have to be tonight." - -Nayova was obviously not quite sure of their threat. - -"No, I...." - -Eckert caught him before he touched the ground. Templin took the rag -off the butt of the needle gun, lifted the ruler's feet, and they -disappeared into the brush along the lane. - -They would have to sneak back to the house, Eckert knew, and hope that -nobody saw them lugging the unconscious native. He laughed a little -grimly to himself. Templin had expected cloak-and-dagger. It looked as -if he was going to get more than his share of it, after all. - -Once inside the house, Eckert arranged the electrodes and the small -nerve probes on Nayova, who had come to. - -"I am sorry," Eckert said formally, "but we find this necessary. You -understand that we have to find out all we can about Pendleton. We have -no choice." - -He found it difficult to look the ruler in the face, even with the -realization that this was strictly in the line of duty and that the -chieftain would not be hurt. - -"But I have cooperated with you in every way possible!" Nayova -protested. "I have told you everything we know!" - -"That's right," Templin said bluntly. "And now we're going to ask you -the same questions." - -Nayova looked blank for a moment and then reddened as he understood. - - * * * * * - -Templin turned to the dials on the little square box. - -"We would like to know," Eckert said politely, "where you were two -weeks ago at this time of night." - -Nayova looked surprised. "You know that I was at the _halera_, the -coming-of-age ceremony. You were there with me, as my guests. You -should assuredly know I was there." - -Eckert looked over at Templin, who nodded shortly. It had been a -standard question, to test the apparatus. - -"Did Pendleton have any enemies here on Tunpesh?" - -Nayova emphatically shook his head. "To the best of my knowledge, -_menshar_ Pendleton had no enemies here. He would have none." - -Templin's face showed its disappointment. - -"Who were his friends?" - -"He had no friends." - -Templin glowered angrily, but he said nothing. - -Eckert frowned. The same answer--Pendleton had had no enemies and yet -he had had no friends. - -"Would you say he was well liked here?" - -"I would say no." - -"Why not?" - -A shrug. "It is hard to explain and you would not be able to -understand." - -"Did somebody here kill Pendleton?" - -Eckert could hear Templin suck in his breath. - -"No." - -"Ask him that again," Templin cut in. - -"Did somebody kill Pendleton?" - -"No." - -"Did Pendleton kill himself?" - -A trace of disgust showed on Nayova's face. - -"Yes." - -"Why?" - -"I do not know." - -Templin gestured to Eckert to take the box. "Let me ask him." He came -around and faced the native. "Why did your people kill Pendleton?" - -"We did not kill him. We had no reason to wish him harm." - -"Do you expect us to believe that Pendleton killed himself? We knew him -better than that." - -"You may believe whatever you wish. But men change and perhaps he did. -We did not kill him. Such an act would have been repugnant to us." - -"I think that's enough," Eckert said calmly. - -Templin bit his lip as Eckert touched another dial on the machine. -Nayova suddenly jerked, looked blank, and slumped in the chair. - -Eckert took off the electrodes. "Help me take him back, will you, Ray?" - - * * * * * - -They carried Nayova to his house, stayed with him until he showed signs -of recovering, and then left. - -"Why didn't you use a drug?" Templin demanded. - -"Possible allergy or serum reaction. We don't know enough about these -people to take chances--they're humanoid, not human." - -"They can fool machines, though, can't they?" - -Eckert didn't reply. - -"All right, I know they can't," Templin said grudgingly. "He was -telling the truth all the time, wasn't he?" - -Eckert nodded. "I never did think he was lying. They don't seem to be -the type; their culture doesn't allow for it." - -They were silent for a while, walking quietly in the lanes between the -shuttered, seemingly untenanted houses. - -"I'm glad," Templin said quietly. "It's off my mind. It's hard to -believe that anybody here would ... deliberately kill somebody else." - -Templin's reactions would be worth something now for Eckert to study. -They wouldn't be inhibited by his conviction that the natives had -murdered his best friend. Just what reactions and emotions he would -display, Eckert wasn't sure, nor how Templin's psychology, so similar -to Pendleton's, would help solve the problem. - -They had eliminated one possibility, but that still left them with the -one they had started with. - -_Why had Pendleton taken the short way out?_ - - * * * * * - -A breeze scampered through the open door and played tag with the papers -on the desk. Eckert swore without annoyance and calmly started chasing -those that had been blown on the floor. - -"What did Pendleton have to say in his reports?" Templin sat in the -doorway, his eyes barely open. He had begun taking siestas in the early -afternoon, after their usual light lunch. It was pleasant to sit on the -worn wood and feel the warmth of sun and smell the crisp freshness of -the outdoors, or maybe watch the kids playing in the lane, catching the -butterflies that floated past in the afternoon air. - -"About what you'd expect. Mostly reports on the industry, climate, -system of government, and general anthropological information that -he thought might prove interesting. As far as I can see, he didn't -lack enthusiasm for making the reports. If anything, he grew more -enthusiastic as time went on. He practically wrote us treatises on -every phase of life on Tunpesh." - -Templin's eyes closed all the way. - -"Any indication in his reports that he didn't like it here?" - -"Just the other way around. Everything points to the fact that he liked -the climate, the people, the way they lived." - -"I don't blame him," Templin murmured. "This is a lovely place to be. -The climate is wonderful, the people are happy, hard-working. The -society itself seems to be--perfect. Sometimes you can't help but -compare it too damn favorably to Earth." - -Eckert shoved the papers to one side and came over to where Templin -sat. He felt rather lazy himself. The warmth and sunshine corroded -ambition, as it did in most climates like this. - -"You know, there isn't any crime here," Templin continued. He laughed -to himself. "Except the minor crime wave we caused when we landed here -five months ago. No criminals, no villains foreclosing mortgages, no -gamblers bleeding the gullible white, and nobody trying to sell gold -bricks. I can't get over it." - - * * * * * - -A butterfly flapped into the sunlight that glistened on his tunic, like -a drop of water on a piece of black velvet. It hung there for a moment -and then was off, its wings flashing. - -Eckert watched it go in a sort of torpor. It was pleasant to relax and -slip the leash off your thoughts quietly and see where they took you. -Maybe it was a sort of letdown. They had expected six months of danger -in a potentially criminal culture, and instead it had been paradise. - -As Templin said, you couldn't help but compare it to Earth. No greed, -no belligerency, no contempt for the rights of others. No cynicism, no -sarcasm, and no trampling crowds in the stores. The little important -things.... - -"Where did you go last night, Ray?" - -Templin stirred. "A community meeting. Almost like a Quaker meeting. -You get up and say what you think. The one last night was about some -local government issues. They talked it over, decided what to do, and -how much each person should contribute. The original democracy, Ted." - -Eckert was wide awake. "I wonder why I wasn't invited." He felt -slightly put out that Templin should have been asked to something like -that and he hadn't been. - -"I wasn't invited," Templin said. "I invited myself." - -"Have you noticed," Eckert mused, "we haven't been invited to too many -functions lately?" - -"They know we're busy," Templin said lazily. "They're too polite to ask -us to go some place if they thought we were busy doing something else." - -"You like it here, don't you, Ray?" - -Templin brushed idly at a marauding mosquito. "It took me pretty long -to warm up to it, but I guess I do." - -They only had a month left, Eckert knew--a month to do practically -nothing but lie in the sun and watch the people. Oh, they could go -through the motions of investigating and look over Pendleton's old -records and reports, but there was nothing in them of any value. - -He yawned and sat down and settled his back against the door frame. It -began to look as if they'd never find out why Pendleton had done what -he had. And it didn't seem to matter, somehow. - - * * * * * - -Eckert opened the door slowly. Templin was asleep on the bed, the -sunlight lying in bands across his tanned, bare back. He had on a strip -of white cloth, knotted at the waist in imitation of what the natives -wore. - -It was mussed now, and the knot had started to come loose. - -He looked a lot healthier than he had when they had first landed. More -peaceful, more content. He appeared to have gained ten pounds and shed, -five years in the last six months. - -And now the vacation was over. It was time to go back. - -"Ray," Eckert called out to him softly. - -Templin didn't stir, but continued his soft and very regular breathing. - -Eckert found a book and dropped it on the floor with a thud. Templin -woke up, but didn't move. - -"What do you want, Ted?" - -"How did you know it was me?" - -Templin chuckled, as if it were hugely funny. "Riddles yet. Who else -would it be? No Tunpeshan would be rude enough to wake somebody up in -the middle of a nap, so it had to be you." - -"You know what you would have done if somebody had awakened you like -that five months ago?" - -Templin tried to nod, but was slightly handicapped by the bed -underneath him. "I would have pulled my trusty atomgun and plugged him." - -Eckert went over to where they kept their luggage and started pulling -the boxes out from the wall. "Well, I've got good news for you. A liner -just landed to pick us up. They were going through this sector and they -got an order from the Service to stop by for us. Some cargo-wallopers -will be here in a few minutes to help us with our gear." - -"Ted." - -Eckert paused. - -"Yes?" - -"I'm not going back." - -"Why not?" Eckert's face had a look of almost clinical curiosity on it. - -"Why should I? I like it here. I want to live here the rest of my life." - - * * * * * - -The pieces began to fall in place. - -"I'm not so sure you'd like it, Ray. Not after a while. All your -friends are back on Earth. Everybody you know is back there. It's just -the novelty of something new and something different here. I've felt -that way a lot of times in different cultures and different societies. -You'd change your mind after a while." - -"Those aren't reasons, Ted. Why should I go back to a world where most -of the people are unhappy at some time and a few people all the time? -As far as I'm concerned, Tunpesh is my home now, and I don't intend to -leave it." - -Eckert was fascinated. It was like a case history unfolding right -before his eyes. - -"Are you sure you would enjoy it here for the rest of your life? Have -you made any friends to take the place of those back home?" - -"It takes time to become acquainted, even more time to make friends," -Templin said defensively. - -"You can't desert the Service," Eckert pointed out. "You still have -your duty." - -Templin laughed in his pillow. "It won't work, Ted. Duty's just a catch -word, a jingo phrase. They can get along without me and you know it." - -"What about Pendleton, Ray? He died here, you know, in mysterious -circumstances." - -"Would going back help him any? He wasn't murdered; we know that. And -why do people commit suicide? For what one of several thousand possible -reasons did Pendleton? We don't know. We'll never know. And if we did -know, what good would it do?" - -He had changed a lot in six months, Eckert saw. - -Too much. - -"What if I told you I knew why Pendleton killed himself?" Eckert asked. -"And that you would do the same if you stayed here?" - -"Don't use it, Ted. It's poor psychology. It won't work." - -The pieces made a perfect picture. But Templin was going back whether -he wanted to or not. The only difficulty was that, deep underneath, -Eckert sympathized with him. Perhaps if he had been younger, less -experienced.... - -"Then you won't go back with us?" - -Templin closed his eyes and rolled over on his back. "No." - -There was dead silence. Templin could smell the piny scent of the woods -and feel the warmth of soft sunlight that lanced through the blinds. -Some place far away, there was the faint chatter of kids at play, but -outside of that it was quiet. - -Too quiet. - -Templin opened his eyes in sudden alarm. "Ted! Don't!" He caught the -gas full in the face and tumbled back on the bed, unconscious. - - * * * * * - -Eckert opened the hatch to the observation cabin as quietly as he -could. Templin was seated on one of the pneumatic couches, staring -soberly at a small yellow star in the black sky. He didn't look up. - -"It's me, Ray," Eckert said. - -Templin didn't move. - -"I suppose I owe you an apology," Eckert began, "but I had to gas you -to get you to leave. Otherwise you wouldn't have left. And the same -thing would have happened to you that happened to Don Pendleton." - -"You're sure of that?" Templin asked bitterly. - -"Reasonably. You're a lot like Pendleton, you know. In fact, that's -why you were selected to go--not so much because you knew him as the -fact that psychologically you were a lot like him. We thought that by -studying your response to situations there, we would have a picture of -what Pendleton's must have been." - -Templin didn't want to talk about it, Eckert realized, but it had to be -explained to him. - -"Do you want to know why Pendleton killed himself?" - -Templin shrugged listlessly. - -"I suppose we should have seen it right away," Eckert continued. -"Any race that is so happy with their way of life that they show no -curiosity about strangers, the way they live, or what possessions they -have, must have something to be happy about. Tunpesh is something that -might happen only once in a thousand civilizations, maybe less, Ray. - -"The environment is perfection and so are the people, or at least as -near to perfection as it's possible to get. An intelligent people who -have as much technology as they desire, living simply with themselves -and each other. A fluke of nature, perhaps. No criminals, no insane, -no neurotics. A perfect cultural pattern. Tunpesh is a paradise. You -didn't want to leave, neither did I, and neither did Pendleton." - -Templin turned on him. "So it was paradise. Would it have been criminal -if I had stayed there? Who would it have hurt?" - -"It would have hurt you," Eckert said gravely. "Because the Tunpeshans -would never have accepted you. We're too different, Ray. We're too -aggressive, too pushy, too persistent. We're not--perfect. You see, no -matter how long we stayed there, we would never have fit in. We lived -in a harsh society and we bear the scars of it. Our own environment -has conditioned us, and we can't change. Oh, we could try, but it -would crop up in little ways. Because of that, the natives could never -genuinely like us. We'd never belong. Their own cultural pattern -wouldn't allow them to accept us. - -"Their cultural pattern is like the Fire and the Sword that were placed -outside the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve were driven out, to -keep it sacrosanct. If you're an outsider, you stay outside. You can -never come in." - - * * * * * - -He paused a moment, waiting for Templin to say something. Templin -didn't. - -"The natives have a word for it, _Kava_. It means, I suppose, -_different_--not necessarily inferior, just different. We should have -seen it as time went on. We weren't invited places; they seemed to -avoid us. A natural reaction for them, I guess I have to admit." - -Eckert cleared his throat huskily. "You see, what happened to -Pendleton," he continued awkwardly, "is that he fell in love with -paradise, but paradise would have nothing to do with him. By the time -three years were up, he knew that he was an outcast in Eden. And he -couldn't leave, to come back and try to forget. He was stranded in -paradise and had to look forward to spending four more years there as a -pariah. He couldn't do it. And neither could you." - -He was quiet for a moment, thinking of the cool, scented air and the -warm sunshine and the happy kids playing on the grassy lanes. - -"I suppose it didn't affect you at all, did it?" Templin asked -venomously. - - * * * * * - -A shadow crossed Eckert's face. "You should know better than that, Ray. -Do you think I'll ever forget it? Do you think I'll ever be satisfied -with my own culture again?" - -"What are you going to do about it?" - -"It's dangerous to human beings, Ray. Looking at it brutally, -their culture has killed two of our people as surely as if Tunpesh -were populated by murderous savages. We'll probably send a larger -commission, throw it open to commerce, try to change it." - -Templin gripped the sides of the couch, his face strained and tense -with anxiety. "What happens to it depends on the report you make, -doesn't it?" - -"Yes, it does." - -"Then make up something in your report. Say the climate is bad for -Earthmen. Say anything, but don't let them change Tunpesh!" - -Eckert looked at him for a long moment, remembering. - -"Okay, Ray," he said slowly. "We'll leave paradise alone. Strictly -alone. It'll be put on the quarantine list." - -He turned and left. - -Behind him, Templin swiveled around in his chair and gazed bleakly at -the tiny mote of yellow fading in the blackness of space. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Fire and the Sword, by Frank M. 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Robinson - -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/license - - -Title: The Fire and the Sword - -Author: Frank M. Robinson - -Release Date: February 10, 2016 [EBook #51170] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIRE AND THE SWORD *** - - - - -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="364" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>THE FIRE and THE SWORD</h1> - -<p>By FRANK M. ROBINSON</p> - -<p>Illustrated by EMSH</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Science Fiction August 1951.<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">Nothing could have seemed pleasanter than that<br /> -peaceful planet. Then why was a non-suicidal<br /> -man driven to suicide there? Yet it made sense.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><i>Why do people commit suicide?</i></p> - -<p>Templin tightened his safety belt and lay back on the acceleration -bunk. The lights in the cabin dimmed to a dull, red glow that meant the -time for takeoff was nearing. He could hear noises from deep within -the ship and the tiny whir of the ventilator fan, filling the air with -the sweetish smell of sleeping gas. To sleep the trip away was better -than to face the dull monotony of the stars for days on end.</p> - -<p><i>Oh, they kill themselves for lots of reasons. Maybe ill health or -financial messes or family difficulties. An unhappy love affair. Or -more complex ones, if you went into it deeper. The failure to achieve -an ambition, failure to live up to one's own ideals. Weltschmerz, -perhaps.</i></p> - -<p>He could smell the bitter fragrance of tobacco smoke mingling with -the gas. Eckert had lit a cigarette and was calmly blowing the smoke -at the neon "No Smoking" sign, which winked on and off in mechanical -disapproval.</p> - -<p>He turned his head slightly so he could just see Eckert in the bank -facing him. Eckert, one of the good gray men in the Service. The old -reliables, the ones who could take almost anything in their stride -because, at one time or another, they had had to.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="388" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>It was Eckert who had come into his office several days ago and told -him that Don Pendleton had killed himself.</p> - -<p><i>Only Pendleton wasn't the type. He was the kind who have everything -to live for, the kind you instinctively know will amount to something -someday. And that was a lousy way to remember him. The clichés always -come first. Your memory plays traitor and boils friendship down to the -status of a breakfast food testimonial.</i></p> - -<p>The soft red lights seemed to be dancing in the darkness of the cabin. -Eckert was just a dull, formless blur opposite him. His cigarette was -out.</p> - -<p>Eckert had come into his office without saying a word and had watched -his scenery-window. It had been snowing in the window, the white flakes -making a simple pattern drifting past the glass. Eckert had fiddled -with the controls and changed it to sunshine, then to a weird mixture -of hail amid the brassy, golden sunlight.</p> - -<p>And then Eckert had told him that Pendleton had taken the short way out.</p> - -<p><i>He shouldn't get sentimental. But how the hell else should he remember -Pendleton? Try to forget it and drink a toast to him at the next class -reunion? And never, never be so crude as to speculate why Pendleton -should have done it? If, of course, he had....</i></p> - -<p>The cabin was hazy in the reddish glow, the sleeping gas a heavy -perfume.</p> - -<p>Eckert and he had talked it out and gone over the records. Pendleton -had come of good stock. There had been no mental instability in his -family for as far back as the genetic records went. He had been raised -in a middle-class neighborhood and attended a local grammar school -where he had achieved average grades and had given his instructors the -normal amount of trouble. Later, when he had made up his mind to enter -the Diplomatic Service, his grades had improved. He had worked hard at -it, though he wasn't what you would call a grind. In high school and -later in college, he was the well-balanced type, athletic, popular, -hard-working.</p> - -<p><i>How long would it be before memories faded and all there was left -of Pendleton was a page of statistics? He had been on this team, he -had been elected president of that, he had graduated with such and -such honors. But try getting a picture of him by reading the records, -resurrect him from a page of black print. Would he be human? Would -he be flesh and blood? Hell, no! In the statistics Pendleton was the -All-Around Boy, the cold marble statue with the finely chiseled muscles -and the smooth, blank sockets where the eyes should be. Maybe someday -fate would play a trick on a hero-worshiping public and there would -actually be kids like that. But they wouldn't be human; they wouldn't -be born. Parents would get them by sending in so many box tops.</i></p> - -<p>He was drowsy; the room was filled with the gas now. It would be only a -matter of minutes before he would be asleep.</p> - -<p>Pendleton had been in his second year as attache on Tunpesh, a small -planet with a G-type sun. The Service had stumbled across it recently -and decided the system was worth diplomatic recognition of some kind, -so Pendleton had been sent there. He had been the first attache to be -sent and naturally he had gone alone.</p> - -<p>There was no need to send more. Tunpesh had been inspected and -certified and approved. The natives were primitive and friendly. Or -maybe the Service had slipped up, as it sometimes did, and Tunpesh had -received something less than a thorough survey.</p> - -<p>And then an unscheduled freighter had put in for repairs, one of -the very few ships that ever came by Tunpesh. The captain had tried -to pay his respects to Pendleton. Only Pendleton wasn't there. The -natives said he had killed himself and showed the captain the little -flower-covered plot where they had buried him.</p> - -<p>Tunpesh had been Pendleton's second assignment.</p> - -<p><i>The natives were oh-so-friendly. So friendly that he had made sure -that a certain box was on board, filled with shiny atomic rifles, -needle pistols, and the fat little gas guns. They might be needed. -People like Pendleton didn't kill themselves, did they? No, they -didn't. But sometimes they were murdered.</i></p> - -<p>It was almost black inside the cabin now; only a thin red line around -the ceiling told how close they were to takeoff. His head was thick -with drowsiness, his eyelids a heavy weight that he knew he couldn't -keep open much longer.</p> - -<p>Eckert and he had been chosen to go to Tunpesh and investigate. The two -of them, working together, should be able to find out why Pendleton had -killed himself.</p> - -<p><i>But that wasn't the real reason. Maybe Eckert thought so, but he knew -better. The real reason they were going there was to find out why -Pendleton had been killed and who had killed him. That was it.</i></p> - -<p><i>Who had killed Cock Robin?</i></p> - -<p>The thin red line was practically microscopic now and Templin could -feel his lashes lying gently on his cheeks. But he wasn't asleep—not -quite. There was something buzzing about in the dim recesses of his -mind.</p> - -<p>Their information on Tunpesh was limited. They knew that it had no -trading concessions or armed forces and that nobody from neighboring -systems seemed to know much about it or even visited it. But a staff -anthropologist must have been routinely assigned to Tunpesh to furnish -data and reports.</p> - -<p>"Ted?" he murmured sleepily.</p> - -<p>A faint stirring in the black bulk opposite him. "Yes?"</p> - -<p>"How come our anthropologist on Tunpesh didn't come across with more -information?"</p> - -<p>A drowsy mumble from the other cot: "He wasn't there long enough. He -committed suicide not long after landing."</p> - -<p>The room was a whirling pool of blackness into which his mind was -slowly slipping. Takeoff was only seconds away.</p> - -<p><i>Why do people commit suicide?</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"It's a nice day, isn't it, Ted?" Eckert took a deep and pleasurable -breath. "It's the type of day that makes you feel good just to be -alive."</p> - -<p>Warm breezes rustled through Eckert's graying hair and tugged gently -at his tunic. The air smelled as if it had been washed and faintly -perfumed with the balsamy scent of something very much like pine. A -few hundred yards away, a forest towered straight and slim and coolly -inviting, and brilliantly colored birds whirled and fluttered in the -foliage.</p> - -<p>The rocketport, where they were standing surrounded by their luggage, -was a grassy valley where the all too infrequent ships could land and -discharge cargo or make repairs. There was a blackened patch on it now, -with little blast-ignited flames dying out around the edges. <i>It won't -be long before it will be green again</i>, he thought. The grass looked -as though it grew fast—it would certainly have plenty of time to grow -before the next ship landed.</p> - -<p>He looked at the slim, dwindling shape that was the rocket, and was -suddenly, acutely aware that he and Templin would be stranded for six -months on a foreign and very possibly dangerous planet. And there would -be no way of calling for help or of leaving before the six months were -up.</p> - -<p>He stood there for a moment, drinking in the fresh air and feeling the -warmth of the sun against his face. It might be a pleasant six months -at that, away from the din and the hustle and confusion, spending the -time in a place where the sun was warm and inviting.</p> - -<p><i>I must be getting old</i>, he thought, <i>thinking about the warmth and -comfort. Like old dogs and octogenarians.</i></p> - -<p>Templin was looking at the scenery with a disappointed expression on -his face. Eckert stole a side glance at him and for a fleeting moment -felt vaguely concerned. "Don't be disappointed if it doesn't look like -cloak-and-dagger right off, Ray. What seems innocent enough on the -surface can prove to be quite dangerous underneath."</p> - -<p>"It's rather hard to think of danger in a setting like this."</p> - -<p>Eckert nodded agreement. "It wouldn't fit, would it? It would be like a -famous singer suddenly doing a jazz number in an opera, or having the -princess in a fairy tale turn out to be ugly." He gestured toward the -village. "You could hardly class that as dangerous from its outward -appearance, could you?"</p> - -<p>The rocketport was in a small valley, surrounded by low, wooded hills. -The village started where the port left off and crawled and wound over -the wooded ridges. Small houses of sun-baked, white-washed mud crouched -in the shadow of huge trees and hugged the banks of a small stream.</p> - -<p>It looked fairly primitive, Eckert thought, and yet it didn't have the -earmarks, the characteristics of most primitive villages. It didn't -seem cluttered or dirty and you didn't feel like beating a hasty -retreat when the wind was blowing toward you.</p> - -<p>A few adults were watching them curiously and the usual bunch of -kids that always congregated around rocketports quickly gathered. -Eckert stared at them for a moment, wondering what it was that seemed -odd about them, and they stared back with all the alert dignity of -childhood. They finally came out on the field and clustered around him -and Templin.</p> - -<p>Templin studied them warily. "Better watch them, Ted. Even kids can be -dangerous."</p> - -<p><i>It's because you never suspect kids</i>, Eckert thought, <i>you never think -they'll do any harm. But they can be taught. They could do as much -damage with a knife as a man could, for instance. And they might have -other weapons.</i></p> - -<p>But the idea still didn't go with the warm sun and the blue sky and the -piny scent of the trees.</p> - -<p>One of the adults of the village started to walk toward them.</p> - -<p>"The reception committee," Templin said tightly. His hand went inside -his tunic.</p> - -<p>He couldn't be blamed for being jumpy, Eckert realized. This was his -first time out, his first mission like this. And, of course, Pendleton -had been a pretty good friend of his.</p> - -<p>"I'd be very careful what I did," Eckert said softly. "I would hate to -start something merely because I misunderstood their intentions."</p> - -<p>The committee of one was a middle-aged man dressed in a simple strip of -white cloth twisted about his waist and allowed to hang freely to his -knees. When he got closer, Eckert became less sure of his age. He had -the firm, tanned musculature of a much younger man, though a slightly -seamed face and white hair aged him somewhat. Eckert still had the -feeling that if you wanted to know his exact age, you'd have to look -at his teeth or know something about his epiphyseal closures.</p> - -<p>"You are <i>menshars</i> from Earth?" The voice was husky and pleasant and -the pronunciation was very clear. Eckert regarded him thoughtfully -and made a few mental notes. He wasn't bowing and scraping like most -natives who weren't too familiar with visitors from the sky, and yet he -was hardly either friendly or hostile.</p> - -<p>"You learned our language from Pendleton and Reynolds?" Reynolds had -been the anthropologist.</p> - -<p>"We have had visitors from Earth before." He hesitated a moment -and then offered his hand, somewhat shyly, Eckert thought, in the -Terrestrial sign of greeting. "You may call me <i>Jathong</i> if you wish." -He paused a moment to say something in his native tongue to the kids -who were around. They promptly scattered and picked up the luggage. -"While you are here, you will need a place to stay. There is one ready, -if you will follow me."</p> - -<p>He was polite, Eckert thought. He didn't ask what they were there -for or how long they were going to stay. But then again, perhaps the -natives were a better judge of that than he and Templin.</p> - -<p>The town was larger than he had thought at first, stretching over a -wide expanse of the countryside. There wasn't, so far as he could see, -much manufacturing above the level of handicrafts and simple weaving. -Colored patches on far hillsides indicated the presence of farms, and -practically every house in the village had its small garden.</p> - -<p>What manufacturing there was seemed to be carried on in the central -square of the town, where a few adults and children squatted in the -warm afternoon sun and worked industriously at potter's wheels and -weaver's looms. The other part of the square was given over to the -native bazaar where pots and bolts of cloth were for sale, and where -numerous stalls were loaded with dried fruits and vegetables and the -cleaned and plucked carcasses of the local variety of fowl.</p> - -<p>It was late afternoon when they followed Jathong into a small, -white-washed house midway up a hill.</p> - -<p>"You are free to use this while you are here," he said.</p> - -<p>Eckert and Templin took a quick tour of the few rooms. They were well -furnished, in a rustic sort of way, and what modern conveniences they -didn't have they could easily do without. The youngsters who had -carried their luggage left it outside and quietly faded away. It was -getting dark; Eckert opened one of the boxes they had brought along, -took out an electric lantern and lighted it. He turned to Jathong.</p> - -<p>"You've been very kind to us and we would like to repay you. You may -take what you wish of anything within this box." He opened another of -the boxes and displayed the usual trade goods—brightly colored cloth -and finely worked jewelry and a few mechanical contrivances that Eckert -knew usually appealed to the primitive imagination.</p> - -<p>Jathong ran his hand over the cloth and held some of the jewelry up to -the light. Eckert knew by the way he looked at it that he wasn't at all -impressed. "I am grateful," he said finally, "but there is nothing I -want." He turned and walked away into the gathering darkness.</p> - -<p>"The incorruptible native." Templin laughed sarcastically.</p> - -<p>Eckert shrugged. "That's one of the things you do out of habit, try -and buy some of the natives so you'll have friends in case you need -them." He stopped for a moment, thinking. "Did you notice the context? -He didn't say he didn't want what we showed him. He said there was -<i>nothing</i> that he wanted. Implying that everything he wanted, he -already had."</p> - -<p>"That's not very typical of a primitive society, is it?"</p> - -<p>"No, I'm afraid it's not." Eckert started unpacking some of the boxes. -"You know, Ray, I got a kick out of the kids. They're a healthy-looking -lot, aren't they?"</p> - -<p>"Too healthy," Templin said. "There didn't seem to be any sick ones or -ones with runny noses or cuts or black eyes or bruises. It doesn't seem -natural."</p> - -<p>"They're probably just well brought-up kids," Eckert said sharply. -"Maybe they've been taught not to get in fights or play around in the -mud on the way home from school." He felt faintly irritated, annoyed at -the way Templin had put it, as if any deviation from an Earth norm was -potentially dangerous.</p> - -<p>"Ted." Templin's voice was strained. "This could be a trap, you know."</p> - -<p>"In what way?"</p> - -<p>The words came out slowly. "The people are too casual, as though -they're playing a rehearsed part. Here we are, from an entirely -different solar system, landed in what must be to them an unusual -manner. They couldn't have seen rockets more than three or four -times before. It should still be a novelty to them. And yet how much -curiosity did they show? Hardly any. Was there any fear? No. And the -cute, harmless little kids." He looked at Eckert. "Maybe that's what -we're supposed to think—just an idyllic, harmless society. Maybe -that's what Pendleton thought, right to the very end."</p> - -<p>He was keyed up, jumpy, Eckert realized. He would probably be seeing -things in every shadow and imagining danger to be lurking around every -corner.</p> - -<p>"It hasn't been established yet that Pendleton was killed, Ray. Let's -keep an open mind until we know for certain."</p> - -<p>He flicked out the light and lay back on the cool bed, letting his -body relax completely. The cool night wind blew lazily through the -wood slat blinds, carrying the fragrance of the trees and the grass, -and he inhaled deeply and let his thoughts wander for a moment. It was -going to be pleasant to live on Tunpesh for six months—even if the six -months were all they had to live. The climate was superb and the people -seemed a cut above the usual primitive culture. If he ever retired some -day, he thought suddenly, he would have to remember Tunpesh. It would -be pleasant to spend his old age here. And the fishing was probably -excellent....</p> - -<p>He turned his head a little to watch Templin get ready for bed. There -were advantages in taking him along that Templin probably didn't -even realize. He wondered what Templin would do if he ever found out -that the actual reason he had been chosen to go was that his own -psychological chart was very close to Pendleton's. Pendleton's own -feelings and emotions would almost exactly be duplicated in Templin's.</p> - -<p>A few stray wisps of starlight pierced through the blinds and sparkled -for an instant on a small metal box strapped to Templin's waist. A -power pack, Eckert saw grimly, probably leading to the buttons on his -tunic. A very convenient, portable, and hard to detect weapon.</p> - -<p>There were disadvantages in taking Templin, too.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Just how primitive do you think the society is, Ted?"</p> - -<p>Eckert put down the chain he had been whittling and reached for his -pipe and tobacco.</p> - -<p>"I don't think it's primitive at all. There are too many disparities. -Their knowledge of a lot of things is a little more than empirical -knowledge; they associate the growth of crops with fertilizer and -nitrogen in the soil as well as sunlight, rather than the blessings of -some native god. And they differ a lot in other respects. Their art and -their music are advanced. Free art exists along with purely decorative -art, and their techniques are finely developed."</p> - -<p>"I'm glad you agree, then. Take a look at this." Templin threw a shiny -bit of metal on the rough-hewn table. Eckert picked it up and inspected -it. It was heavy and one side of it was extremely sharp.</p> - -<p>"What's it for?"</p> - -<p>"They've got a hospital set up here. Not a hospital like any we know, -of course, but a hospital nonetheless. It's not used very much; -apparently the natives don't get sick here. But occasionally there are -hunting accidents and injuries that require surgery. The strip of metal -there is a scalpel." He laughed shortly. "Primitive little gadget, but -it works well—as well as any of ours."</p> - -<p>Eckert hefted it in his palm. "The most important thing is that they -have the knowledge to use it. Surgery isn't a simple science."</p> - -<p>"Well, what do you think about it?"</p> - -<p>"The obvious. They evidently have as much technology as they want, at -least in fields where they have to have it."</p> - -<p>"How come they haven't gone any further?"</p> - -<p>"Why should they? You can live without skycars and rocket ships, you -know."</p> - -<p>"Did you ever wonder what kind of weapons they might have?"</p> - -<p>"The important thing," Eckert mused, "is not if they have them, but if -they'd use them. And I rather doubt that they would. We've been here -for two weeks now and they've been very kind to us, seeing that we've -had food and water and what fuel we need."</p> - -<p>"It's known in the livestock trade as being fattened up for the -slaughter," Templeton said.</p> - -<p>Eckert sighed and watched a fat bug waddle across a small patch of -sunlight on the wooden floor. It was bad enough drawing an assignment -in a totally foreign culture, even if the natives were humanoid. It -complicated things beyond all measure when your partner in the project -seemed likely to turn into a vendettist. It meant that Eckert would -have to split his energies. He'd have to do what investigating he could -among the Tunpeshans, and he'd have to watch Templin to see that he -didn't go off half-cocked and spoil everything.</p> - -<p>"You're convinced that Pendleton was murdered, aren't you?"</p> - -<p>Templin nodded. "Sure."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"The Tunpeshans know why we're here. We've dropped enough hints along -those lines. But nobody has mentioned Pendleton; nobody has volunteered -any information about him. And he was an attache here for three -years. Didn't anybody know him during that time? We've let slip a few -discreet statements that we would like to talk to Pendleton's friends, -yet nobody's come around. Apparently, in all the three years he was -here, Pendleton didn't make any friends. And that's a little hard to -believe. It's more likely that his friends have been silenced and any -information about him is being withheld for a reason."</p> - -<p>"What reason?"</p> - -<p>Templin shrugged. "Murder. What other reason could there be?"</p> - -<p>Eckert rolled up the thin, slatted blinds and stared out at the -scenery. A hundred feet down the road, a native woman was going to -market, leading a species of food animal by the halter.</p> - -<p>"They grow their women nice, don't they?"</p> - -<p>"Physically perfect, like the men," Templin grumbled. "You could get an -inferiority complex just from watching the people here. Everybody's so -damn perfect. Nobody's sick, nobody's unhealthy, nobody is too fat or -too thin, nobody's unhappy. The only variation is that they don't all -look alike. Perfection. It gets boring after a while."</p> - -<p>"Does it? I hadn't noticed." Eckert turned away from the blinds. His -voice was crisp. "I knew Don Pendleton quite well, too," he said. "But -it isn't blinding me to what I'm here for. We came to find out what -happened to him, not to substantiate any preconceived notions. What -we find out may be vitally important to anybody serving here in the -future. I would hate to see our efforts spoiled because you've already -made up your mind."</p> - -<p>"You knew Pendleton," Templin repeated grimly. "Do you think it was -suicide?"</p> - -<p>"I don't think there's such a thing as a suicide type, when you come -down to it. I'm not ruling out the possibility of murder, either. I'm -trying to keep an open mind."</p> - -<p>"What have we accomplished so far? What have we found out?"</p> - -<p>"We've got six months," Eckert said quietly. "Six months in which -we'll try to live here inconspicuously and study the people and try to -cultivate informants. We would get nowhere if we came barging in asking -all sorts of questions. And don't forget, Ray, we're all alone on -Tunpesh. If it is a case of murder, what happens when the natives find -out that we know it is?"</p> - -<p>Templin's eyes dueled for a moment. Then he turned his back and walked -to the window. "I suppose you're right," he said at last. "It's nice -living here, Ted. Maybe I've been fighting it. But I can't help -thinking that Don must have liked it here, too."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>One of the hardest things to learn in a foreign culture, Eckert -thought, is when to enjoy yourself, when to work and when to worry.</p> - -<p>"<i>Pelache, menshar?</i>"</p> - -<p>"<i>Sharra!</i>" He took the small bowl of <i>pelache</i> nuts, helped himself -to a few, and passed the bowl on. This was definitely the time to -enjoy himself, not to work or worry. He had heard about the <i>halera</i> a -few days ago, and, by judicious hinting to the proper authorities, he -and Templin had been invited. It was a good chance to observe native -customs. A little anthropology—with refreshments.</p> - -<p>The main courses started making the rounds and he took generous -helpings of the roasted <i>ulami</i> and the broiled <i>halunch</i> and numerous -dabs from the side dishes of steaming vegetables. Between every course, -they passed around a small flagon of the hot, spiced native wine, but -he noticed that nobody drank to excess.</p> - -<p><i>The old Greek ideal</i>, he thought: <i>moderation in everything.</i></p> - -<p>He looked at Templin, sitting across from him in the huge circle, and -shrugged mentally. Templin looked as if he was about to break down and -enjoy himself, but there was still a slight bulge under his tunic, -where he had strapped his power pack. Any fool should have known that -nothing would happen at a banquet like this. The only actual danger lay -in Templin's getting excited and doing something he was bound to regret -later on. And even that danger was not quite as likely now.</p> - -<p><i>There will be hell to pay</i>, Eckert thought, <i>if Templin ever finds out -that I sabotaged his power pack.</i></p> - -<p>"You look thoughtful, <i>menshar</i> Eckert."</p> - -<p>Eckert took another sip of the wine and turned to the Tunpeshan on his -left. He was a tall, muscular man with sharp eyes, a firm chin and a -certain aura of authority.</p> - -<p>"I was wondering if my countryman Pendleton had offended your people in -any way, Nayova." Now was as good a time as any to pump him for what he -knew about Pendleton's death.</p> - -<p>"So far as I know, <i>menshar</i> Pendleton offended no one. I do not know -what duties he had to perform here, but he was a generous and courteous -man."</p> - -<p>Eckert gnawed the dainty meat off a slender <i>ulami</i> bone and tried to -appear casual in his questioning.</p> - -<p>"I am sure he was, Nayova. I am sure, too, that you were as kind to him -as you have been to Templin and myself. My Government is grateful to -you for that."</p> - -<p>Nayova seemed pleased. "We tried to do as well for <i>menshar</i> Pendleton -as we could. While he was here, he had the house that you have now and -we saw that he was supplied with food and all other necessities."</p> - -<p>Eckert had a sudden clammy feeling which quickly passed away. What -Nayova had said was something he'd make sure Templin never heard about. -He wiped his mouth on a broad, flat leaf that had been provided and -took another sip of the wine.</p> - -<p>"We were shocked to find out that <i>menshar</i> Pendleton had killed -himself. We knew him quite well and we could not bring ourselves to -believe he had done such a thing."</p> - -<p>Nayova's gaze slid away from him. "Perhaps it was the will of the Great -One," he said vaguely. He didn't seem anxious to talk about it.</p> - -<p>Eckert stared bleakly at his wine glass and tried to put the pieces of -information together. They probably had a taboo about self-destruction -which would make it difficult to talk about. That would make it even -harder for him to find out by direct questioning.</p> - -<p>A native fife trilled shrilly and a group of young men and women walked -into the room. The circle broke to let them through and they came and -knelt before Nayova. When he clapped his hands sharply, they retreated -to the center of the circle and began the slow motions of a native -dance.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="600" height="278" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The sound of the fife softened and died and the slow monotonous beat of -drums took its place. The beat slowly increased and so did the rhythm -of the dancers. The small fires at the corners of the hut were allowed -to dwindle and the center of the circle became filled with the motions -of shadows intermixed with the swift, sure movements of glistening -limbs. Eckert felt his eyebrows crawl upward. Apparently the dance was -the Tunpeshan version of the <i>rites de passage</i>. He glanced across -the circle at Templin. Templin's face—what he could see of it by the -flickering light—was brick red.</p> - -<p>A voice spoke in his ear. "It is hard for us to imagine anybody doing -what <i>menshar</i> Pendleton did. It is ..." and he used a native word that -Eckert translated as being roughly equivalent to "<i>obscene</i>."</p> - -<p>The dancers at the center of the circle finally bowed out with small -garlands of flowers on their heads that signified their reaching -adulthood. Acrobats then took the stage and went through a dizzying -routine, and they in turn were succeeded by a native singer.</p> - -<p>They were all excellent, Eckert thought. If anything, they were too -good.</p> - -<p>The bowl of <i>pelache</i> nuts made its way around again and Nayova leaned -over to speak to him. "If there is any possibility that I can help you -while you are here, <i>menshar</i> Eckert, you have but to ask."</p> - -<p>It would probably be a mistake to ask for a list of Pendleton's -friends, but there was a way around that. "I would like to meet any -of your people who had dealings with Pendleton, either in business or -socially. I will do everything not to inconvenience them in any way."</p> - -<p>"I think they would be glad to help you. I shall ask them to go to you -this coming week."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It wasn't a driving rain, just a gentle drizzle that made the lanes -muddy and plastered Eckert's tunic against him. He didn't mind it; the -rain was warm and the trees and grass smelled good in the wet.</p> - -<p>"How would you classify the culture after seeing the ceremony, Ted?" -Templin asked.</p> - -<p>"About what you would expect. An Apollonian culture, simple and -dignified. Nothing in excess, no striving for great emotional release."</p> - -<p>Templin nodded soberly. "It grows on you, doesn't it? You find yourself -getting to like the place. And I suppose that's dangerous, too. You -tend to let your guard down, the way Pendleton must have. You—what was -that?"</p> - -<p>Eckert tensed. There was a gentle padding in the mud, several hundred -feet behind them. Templin flattened himself in the shadows alongside -a house. His hand darted inside his tunic and came out with the slim -deadliness of a needle gun.</p> - -<p>"Don't use it!" Eckert whispered tersely.</p> - -<p>Templin's eyes were thin, frightened slits in the darkness. "Why not?"</p> - -<p>Eckert's mind raced. It might be nothing at all, and then again it -might be disaster. But there was still a chance that Templin might be -wrong. And there were more immediate reasons.</p> - -<p>"How many charges do you have for that?"</p> - -<p>"Twelve."</p> - -<p>"You think you can stand there and hold them off with only twelve -charges for your needle gun?"</p> - -<p>"There's my power pack."</p> - -<p>"It's no good," Eckert said softly. "The batteries in it are dead. I -was afraid you might do something foolish with it."</p> - -<p>The footsteps were only yards away. He listened intently, but it was -hard to tell how many there were by the sound.</p> - -<p>"What do we do then?"</p> - -<p>"See if they're following us first," Eckert said practically. "They -might not be, you know."</p> - -<p>They slid out from the shadows and ducked down another lane between the -houses. The footsteps behind them speeded up and came down the same -lane.</p> - -<p>"We'll have to head back for our house," Eckert whispered.</p> - -<p>They started running as quietly as they could, slipping and sliding -in the mud. Another stretch past the shuttered, crouching houses and -they found themselves in the square they had visited on the day they -had landed. It was deserted, the looms and pottery wheels covered with -cloth and reeds to keep off the rain. They darted across it, two thin -shadows racing across the open plaza, and hurried down another path.</p> - -<p>The last path led to the small river that cut through the city. Templin -looked around, gestured to Eckert, waded into the water and crouched -under the small bridge that spanned it. Eckert swore silently to -himself, then followed Templin in.</p> - -<p>The cold water swirled under his armpits and he bit his lips to keep -himself from sneezing. Templin's emotions were contagious. Would he -have worried about the footsteps? He frowned and tried to be honest -with himself. Perhaps he would—and perhaps he wouldn't have. But he -couldn't have let Templin stay there and face the unknown approachers. -Not Templin.</p> - -<p>Footsteps approached the bridge, hesitated a moment, then pattered on -the wooden structure and faded off down the muddy path. Eckert let his -breath out slowly. The footsteps were curiously light.</p> - -<p>There was only one pair of them.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"I would like to know something," Templin said coldly. He stripped off -his power pack and let it fall to the floor of their house. "Why did -you decide to substitute dead batteries in the pack?"</p> - -<p>"Because," Eckert said shortly, "I was afraid you would do something -with it that you might regret later. You're inexperienced in situations -like this. Your reactions aren't to be trusted. One false move here and -we could follow Pendleton, however he died. You know that." He wriggled -out of his tunic and slowly peeled off his wet trousers.</p> - -<p>There was a timid knock at the door. He wrapped a blanket about -himself and motioned to Templin to stand to one side. Templin grabbed a -small stool, hefted it in one hand, and complied.</p> - -<p>Eckert went to the door and casually threw it open.</p> - -<p>A girl stood there, half in the outer darkness and half in the -yellowish light from the room, covered with mud to the knees and -drenched to the skin.</p> - -<p>"The <i>menshar</i> forgot this at the <i>halera</i>," she said softly. She -quickly handed him his pipe and a soggy bag of tobacco, and disappeared -instantly into the rain. He listened for the sound of her footsteps in -the soft mud and then closed the door.</p> - -<p>Templin put down the stool and stared stupidly at the pipe and the -tobacco sack. Eckert placed them carefully on the table and began to -towel himself.</p> - -<p>"We probably face as much danger from our own imaginations as from -anything else," he said grimly. "Tell me, would you have fired first, -or would you have waited until you found out for sure who she was and -what she wanted when she first started to follow us?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," Templin said sullenly.</p> - -<p>"Then I'll leave to your imagination the position we would be in now, -if you had given in to your impulse."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"We haven't found out much, have we?" Templin demanded some days later.</p> - -<p>"No," Eckert admitted. "We haven't."</p> - -<p>He riffled through the thick stack of cards on the table. -Statistically, the results were not only interesting but slightly -phenomenal. During the three years or so that Pendleton had been -on Tunpesh, he had met and known approximately seven hundred of -the natives. By far the greater majority of these, of course, were -purely casual and meant nothing. Almost a hundred, though, had had -extended relations with Pendleton in business or social affairs. Of -this hundred, none—not a single one—would admit that he had known -Pendleton well or could be considered a friend of his. About all they -had to say was that Pendleton had been healthy and easy to get along -with, and one warm night he had shocked the community by going off and -shooting himself.</p> - -<p>"Like Richard Cory," Eckert said aloud.</p> - -<p>"Like who?" Templin asked.</p> - -<p>"Richard Cory. A character in a poem by a Twentieth Century poet, -Edwin Arlington Robinson. Apparently he had everything to live for, -but 'Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet -through his head.'"</p> - -<p>"I'll have to look it up some day," Templin said. He pointed to the -stack of cards. "That's so much waste paper, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, it is," Eckert said reluctantly. "To be frank, I had hoped we'd -know a lot more by now. I still can't understand why we haven't dug up -anybody who will admit having been his friend."</p> - -<p>"How do you know they're telling the truth? Or, for that matter, how do -you know that the ones we've seen so far are the ones who <i>actually</i> -knew Pendleton?"</p> - -<p>Eckert drummed his fingers on the table. <i>You handle different human -cultures for twenty-five years and you get to the point where you can -tell if people are lying or not. Or do you? Maybe just an old man's -conceit. Age alone never lent wisdom. Regardless of the personal -reasons that Templin might have for thinking the Tunpeshans are lying, -the fact remains that they very easily could be. And what should you do -if they are?</i></p> - -<p>There was a polite knock at the door.</p> - -<p>"We've got another visitor," Templin said sarcastically. "He probably -saw Pendleton at a <i>halera</i> four years ago and wants to be sure we know -all about it."</p> - -<p>The Tunpeshan looked faintly familiar to Eckert. There was something -about the man's carriage....</p> - -<p>"I met you the day you landed," the Tunpeshan began, and Eckert -remembered. Jathong, the guide who had shown them to the house.</p> - -<p>"You knew Pendleton?"</p> - -<p>Jathong nodded. "I and a fellow weaver took over his small office after -he had left it." Eckert recalled the small office in the square with -the bolts of cloth on display, and the small mud brick on the window -ledge with the incised lettering reading:</p> - -<p class="ph4">DONALD PENDLETON, SERVICE ATTACHE.</p> - -<p>"Why you didn't tell us this before?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't know what kind and how much information you wanted."</p> - -<p><i>We didn't ask him</i>, Eckert thought, <i>so he didn't volunteer any -information. Polite, to say the least.</i></p> - -<p>"How long did you know him?"</p> - -<p>"Since he landed. I was the one appointed to him."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean—appointed to him?"</p> - -<p>"To try to learn his language, and try to teach him ours."</p> - -<p>Eckert felt his interest rising. Jathong, then, must have known -Pendleton fairly well.</p> - -<p>"Did he have any enemies that you know of?"</p> - -<p>"Enemies?" Jathong seemed ignorant of the meaning of the word, so -Eckert explained. "No, he had no enemies. He would naturally have none -such on Tunpesh."</p> - -<p>Templin leaned forward, tense. "If he had no enemies, why did he have -no friends? You, for example, knew him longer and better than most. Why -is it that you weren't his friend?"</p> - -<p>Jathong looked unhappy, as if being forced to say something he wanted -not to say. "Pendleton was <i>kava</i>—I cannot explain it. The concept is -difficult. You would not understand."</p> - -<p>He might be running the danger of throwing too many questions at -Jathong, Eckert realized, and having him freeze up or turn vague. But -it couldn't be helped. They had made no progress at all by subtlety, -and time would eventually run out.</p> - -<p>He tried to broach the next question delicately. "Did Pendleton know -any of the women of your race?"</p> - -<p>"He knew some of the women, as he knew the men."</p> - -<p>The answer didn't tell Eckert what he wanted to know. "Was he in love -with any woman?" It sounded crude the way he put it, but it was hard to -think of any other way of asking it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Jathong looked at him incredulously, as if Eckert had asked him if -Pendleton had had two heads.</p> - -<p>"That would have been impossible. None of our women would have—could -have—been in love with <i>menshar</i> Pendleton."</p> - -<p><i>One line of inquiry just gone phht</i>, Eckert thought. <i>But Pendleton -wasn't one to let a broken heart get him down anyway.</i></p> - -<p>"Why not?" Templin cut in harshly. "He wasn't hard to look at and he -would have made a good husband."</p> - -<p>Jathong diplomatically turned around to face Templin. "I have told you -once—Pendleton was <i>kava</i>. It would have been quite impossible."</p> - -<p>The answer to what had happened to Pendleton probably lay in Jathong's -inability to explain his own terms, Eckert believed. One could get just -so close, and then the definitions became vague and useless.</p> - -<p>He asked a few more questions and finally dismissed Jathong. The -interview, like all the others he and Templin had held during the last -week, had been worthless. They knew nothing more than they had when -they landed.</p> - -<p>"I still think they're lying," Templin said almost savagely. "Or -perhaps the ones who really know something haven't come around."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Eckert got his pipe and sat near the doorway, letting the sunlight -streaming through the foliage of a nearby tree dapple his face with a -checkerboard pattern of modulated lights and velvety shadows.</p> - -<p>"If they're evading us or if they're lying, then the society is a -dangerous one for us. But I still can't believe it. They're not -warlike. They don't seem to have many weapons and definitely none of an -advanced type."</p> - -<p>"How could anybody know for sure?"</p> - -<p>Eckert methodically knocked the cold ashes out of his pipe and -added more tobacco. "Easy. Despite what you read in story books, no -civilization lives simply, governs itself simply, and yet possesses -'super-blasters.' The sword-and-blaster combination just doesn't exist. -Any weapon above the level of bows and arrows or knives is the product -of a well advanced technology. Along with weapons, of course, you have -to have good communications. Now take an ordinary radio and think of -the degree of knowledge, technology, and industrialization that would -have to exist to supply it. There's nothing like that here."</p> - -<p>Templin came over to the warmth streaming in through the doorway. "It -almost seems that they're acting in concert, though—as if there were -some kind of plot, where, by prearrangement, everybody knows exactly -what to say."</p> - -<p>"You're wrong again. You can practically smell a dictatorship or a -tyranny, which is the only situation in which almost one hundred per -cent of the population will follow the same line through fear of the -consequences if they don't. In a situation like that, the people are -frightened, unhappy. You can hardly say that's the case on Tunpesh."</p> - -<p>"No," Templin admitted, "you couldn't. But, still, you have to admit -that the answers we've received so far are just too unanimous—and too -sketchy. All agree that Pendleton was a fine fellow; all agree that he -had no native friends."</p> - -<p>Eckert nodded. "I'll go along with that. And I think it's time we did -something about it. Tonight we'll have to start eliminating certain -ideas."</p> - -<p>He took a small case from their pile of luggage and opened it. Inside -was a small, battery-powered box with various dials set on the front -and the usual electrodes and nerve probes protruding from the sides and -the top.</p> - -<p>Templin looked at it with surprise.</p> - -<p>"That will be dangerous to use, won't it?"</p> - -<p>"It might be more dangerous not to. Time is getting to be a factor -and we have to make some progress. We have a safety margin of a sort -in that we can erase memories of its use, but the procedure is still -risky."</p> - -<p>"Who do we use it on?"</p> - -<p>"As long as we're going to use it," Eckert said grimly, "we might as -well start at the top."</p> - -<p>When they had started out, the investigation had seemed fairly simple -to Eckert. There were two possibilities—either Pendleton had committed -suicide or he had been murdered. Knowing Pendleton's record, the first -possibility had seemed remote. A few weeks on Tunpesh had convinced him -that the second possibility was also remote. One or the other had to be -eliminated. The second would be the easiest.</p> - -<p>There were other reasons as well. Templin was still convinced that -Pendleton had been killed, and Templin was an emotional man with access -to powerful weapons. The question was not what he might eventually do, -but when.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The night looked as if it would be another rainy one. It was cooler -than usual and dark clouds were scudding across the starlit sky. Eckert -and Templin stood in the shadows of the house, watching the dark lane -for any casual strollers. Eckert looked at his watch. A few minutes -more and Nayova would come out for his evening walk.</p> - -<p>Eckert had just started to think longingly of his bed and the warmth -inside his house when the door opened and Nayova appeared in the -opening. Eckert held his breath while the chieftain stood uncertainly -in the doorway, testing the night air, and then let it out slowly when -Nayova started down the lane.</p> - -<p>They closed in on him.</p> - -<p>"The <i>menshars</i> from Earth," he said without alarm. "Is there something -you wish?"</p> - -<p>"We would like you to come with us to our house for a while," Eckert -started in.</p> - -<p>Nayova looked puzzled. "I do not understand. Would not tomorrow do as -well?"</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid it'll have to be tonight."</p> - -<p>Nayova was obviously not quite sure of their threat.</p> - -<p>"No, I...."</p> - -<p>Eckert caught him before he touched the ground. Templin took the rag -off the butt of the needle gun, lifted the ruler's feet, and they -disappeared into the brush along the lane.</p> - -<p>They would have to sneak back to the house, Eckert knew, and hope that -nobody saw them lugging the unconscious native. He laughed a little -grimly to himself. Templin had expected cloak-and-dagger. It looked as -if he was going to get more than his share of it, after all.</p> - -<p>Once inside the house, Eckert arranged the electrodes and the small -nerve probes on Nayova, who had come to.</p> - -<p>"I am sorry," Eckert said formally, "but we find this necessary. You -understand that we have to find out all we can about Pendleton. We have -no choice."</p> - -<p>He found it difficult to look the ruler in the face, even with the -realization that this was strictly in the line of duty and that the -chieftain would not be hurt.</p> - -<p>"But I have cooperated with you in every way possible!" Nayova -protested. "I have told you everything we know!"</p> - -<p>"That's right," Templin said bluntly. "And now we're going to ask you -the same questions."</p> - -<p>Nayova looked blank for a moment and then reddened as he understood.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Templin turned to the dials on the little square box.</p> - -<p>"We would like to know," Eckert said politely, "where you were two -weeks ago at this time of night."</p> - -<p>Nayova looked surprised. "You know that I was at the <i>halera</i>, the -coming-of-age ceremony. You were there with me, as my guests. You -should assuredly know I was there."</p> - -<p>Eckert looked over at Templin, who nodded shortly. It had been a -standard question, to test the apparatus.</p> - -<p>"Did Pendleton have any enemies here on Tunpesh?"</p> - -<p>Nayova emphatically shook his head. "To the best of my knowledge, -<i>menshar</i> Pendleton had no enemies here. He would have none."</p> - -<p>Templin's face showed its disappointment.</p> - -<p>"Who were his friends?"</p> - -<p>"He had no friends."</p> - -<p>Templin glowered angrily, but he said nothing.</p> - -<p>Eckert frowned. The same answer—Pendleton had had no enemies and yet -he had had no friends.</p> - -<p>"Would you say he was well liked here?"</p> - -<p>"I would say no."</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>A shrug. "It is hard to explain and you would not be able to -understand."</p> - -<p>"Did somebody here kill Pendleton?"</p> - -<p>Eckert could hear Templin suck in his breath.</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Ask him that again," Templin cut in.</p> - -<p>"Did somebody kill Pendleton?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Did Pendleton kill himself?"</p> - -<p>A trace of disgust showed on Nayova's face.</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"I do not know."</p> - -<p>Templin gestured to Eckert to take the box. "Let me ask him." He came -around and faced the native. "Why did your people kill Pendleton?"</p> - -<p>"We did not kill him. We had no reason to wish him harm."</p> - -<p>"Do you expect us to believe that Pendleton killed himself? We knew him -better than that."</p> - -<p>"You may believe whatever you wish. But men change and perhaps he did. -We did not kill him. Such an act would have been repugnant to us."</p> - -<p>"I think that's enough," Eckert said calmly.</p> - -<p>Templin bit his lip as Eckert touched another dial on the machine. -Nayova suddenly jerked, looked blank, and slumped in the chair.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="600" height="452" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Eckert took off the electrodes. "Help me take him back, will you, Ray?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They carried Nayova to his house, stayed with him until he showed signs -of recovering, and then left.</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you use a drug?" Templin demanded.</p> - -<p>"Possible allergy or serum reaction. We don't know enough about these -people to take chances—they're humanoid, not human."</p> - -<p>"They can fool machines, though, can't they?"</p> - -<p>Eckert didn't reply.</p> - -<p>"All right, I know they can't," Templin said grudgingly. "He was -telling the truth all the time, wasn't he?"</p> - -<p>Eckert nodded. "I never did think he was lying. They don't seem to be -the type; their culture doesn't allow for it."</p> - -<p>They were silent for a while, walking quietly in the lanes between the -shuttered, seemingly untenanted houses.</p> - -<p>"I'm glad," Templin said quietly. "It's off my mind. It's hard to -believe that anybody here would ... deliberately kill somebody else."</p> - -<p>Templin's reactions would be worth something now for Eckert to study. -They wouldn't be inhibited by his conviction that the natives had -murdered his best friend. Just what reactions and emotions he would -display, Eckert wasn't sure, nor how Templin's psychology, so similar -to Pendleton's, would help solve the problem.</p> - -<p>They had eliminated one possibility, but that still left them with the -one they had started with.</p> - -<p><i>Why had Pendleton taken the short way out?</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A breeze scampered through the open door and played tag with the papers -on the desk. Eckert swore without annoyance and calmly started chasing -those that had been blown on the floor.</p> - -<p>"What did Pendleton have to say in his reports?" Templin sat in the -doorway, his eyes barely open. He had begun taking siestas in the early -afternoon, after their usual light lunch. It was pleasant to sit on the -worn wood and feel the warmth of sun and smell the crisp freshness of -the outdoors, or maybe watch the kids playing in the lane, catching the -butterflies that floated past in the afternoon air.</p> - -<p>"About what you'd expect. Mostly reports on the industry, climate, -system of government, and general anthropological information that -he thought might prove interesting. As far as I can see, he didn't -lack enthusiasm for making the reports. If anything, he grew more -enthusiastic as time went on. He practically wrote us treatises on -every phase of life on Tunpesh."</p> - -<p>Templin's eyes closed all the way.</p> - -<p>"Any indication in his reports that he didn't like it here?"</p> - -<p>"Just the other way around. Everything points to the fact that he liked -the climate, the people, the way they lived."</p> - -<p>"I don't blame him," Templin murmured. "This is a lovely place to be. -The climate is wonderful, the people are happy, hard-working. The -society itself seems to be—perfect. Sometimes you can't help but -compare it too damn favorably to Earth."</p> - -<p>Eckert shoved the papers to one side and came over to where Templin -sat. He felt rather lazy himself. The warmth and sunshine corroded -ambition, as it did in most climates like this.</p> - -<p>"You know, there isn't any crime here," Templin continued. He laughed -to himself. "Except the minor crime wave we caused when we landed here -five months ago. No criminals, no villains foreclosing mortgages, no -gamblers bleeding the gullible white, and nobody trying to sell gold -bricks. I can't get over it."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A butterfly flapped into the sunlight that glistened on his tunic, like -a drop of water on a piece of black velvet. It hung there for a moment -and then was off, its wings flashing.</p> - -<p>Eckert watched it go in a sort of torpor. It was pleasant to relax and -slip the leash off your thoughts quietly and see where they took you. -Maybe it was a sort of letdown. They had expected six months of danger -in a potentially criminal culture, and instead it had been paradise.</p> - -<p>As Templin said, you couldn't help but compare it to Earth. No greed, -no belligerency, no contempt for the rights of others. No cynicism, no -sarcasm, and no trampling crowds in the stores. The little important -things....</p> - -<p>"Where did you go last night, Ray?"</p> - -<p>Templin stirred. "A community meeting. Almost like a Quaker meeting. -You get up and say what you think. The one last night was about some -local government issues. They talked it over, decided what to do, and -how much each person should contribute. The original democracy, Ted."</p> - -<p>Eckert was wide awake. "I wonder why I wasn't invited." He felt -slightly put out that Templin should have been asked to something like -that and he hadn't been.</p> - -<p>"I wasn't invited," Templin said. "I invited myself."</p> - -<p>"Have you noticed," Eckert mused, "we haven't been invited to too many -functions lately?"</p> - -<p>"They know we're busy," Templin said lazily. "They're too polite to ask -us to go some place if they thought we were busy doing something else."</p> - -<p>"You like it here, don't you, Ray?"</p> - -<p>Templin brushed idly at a marauding mosquito. "It took me pretty long -to warm up to it, but I guess I do."</p> - -<p>They only had a month left, Eckert knew—a month to do practically -nothing but lie in the sun and watch the people. Oh, they could go -through the motions of investigating and look over Pendleton's old -records and reports, but there was nothing in them of any value.</p> - -<p>He yawned and sat down and settled his back against the door frame. It -began to look as if they'd never find out why Pendleton had done what -he had. And it didn't seem to matter, somehow.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Eckert opened the door slowly. Templin was asleep on the bed, the -sunlight lying in bands across his tanned, bare back. He had on a strip -of white cloth, knotted at the waist in imitation of what the natives -wore.</p> - -<p>It was mussed now, and the knot had started to come loose.</p> - -<p>He looked a lot healthier than he had when they had first landed. More -peaceful, more content. He appeared to have gained ten pounds and shed, -five years in the last six months.</p> - -<p>And now the vacation was over. It was time to go back.</p> - -<p>"Ray," Eckert called out to him softly.</p> - -<p>Templin didn't stir, but continued his soft and very regular breathing.</p> - -<p>Eckert found a book and dropped it on the floor with a thud. Templin -woke up, but didn't move.</p> - -<p>"What do you want, Ted?"</p> - -<p>"How did you know it was me?"</p> - -<p>Templin chuckled, as if it were hugely funny. "Riddles yet. Who else -would it be? No Tunpeshan would be rude enough to wake somebody up in -the middle of a nap, so it had to be you."</p> - -<p>"You know what you would have done if somebody had awakened you like -that five months ago?"</p> - -<p>Templin tried to nod, but was slightly handicapped by the bed -underneath him. "I would have pulled my trusty atomgun and plugged him."</p> - -<p>Eckert went over to where they kept their luggage and started pulling -the boxes out from the wall. "Well, I've got good news for you. A liner -just landed to pick us up. They were going through this sector and they -got an order from the Service to stop by for us. Some cargo-wallopers -will be here in a few minutes to help us with our gear."</p> - -<p>"Ted."</p> - -<p>Eckert paused.</p> - -<p>"Yes?"</p> - -<p>"I'm not going back."</p> - -<p>"Why not?" Eckert's face had a look of almost clinical curiosity on it.</p> - -<p>"Why should I? I like it here. I want to live here the rest of my life."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The pieces began to fall in place.</p> - -<p>"I'm not so sure you'd like it, Ray. Not after a while. All your -friends are back on Earth. Everybody you know is back there. It's just -the novelty of something new and something different here. I've felt -that way a lot of times in different cultures and different societies. -You'd change your mind after a while."</p> - -<p>"Those aren't reasons, Ted. Why should I go back to a world where most -of the people are unhappy at some time and a few people all the time? -As far as I'm concerned, Tunpesh is my home now, and I don't intend to -leave it."</p> - -<p>Eckert was fascinated. It was like a case history unfolding right -before his eyes.</p> - -<p>"Are you sure you would enjoy it here for the rest of your life? Have -you made any friends to take the place of those back home?"</p> - -<p>"It takes time to become acquainted, even more time to make friends," -Templin said defensively.</p> - -<p>"You can't desert the Service," Eckert pointed out. "You still have -your duty."</p> - -<p>Templin laughed in his pillow. "It won't work, Ted. Duty's just a catch -word, a jingo phrase. They can get along without me and you know it."</p> - -<p>"What about Pendleton, Ray? He died here, you know, in mysterious -circumstances."</p> - -<p>"Would going back help him any? He wasn't murdered; we know that. And -why do people commit suicide? For what one of several thousand possible -reasons did Pendleton? We don't know. We'll never know. And if we did -know, what good would it do?"</p> - -<p>He had changed a lot in six months, Eckert saw.</p> - -<p>Too much.</p> - -<p>"What if I told you I knew why Pendleton killed himself?" Eckert asked. -"And that you would do the same if you stayed here?"</p> - -<p>"Don't use it, Ted. It's poor psychology. It won't work."</p> - -<p>The pieces made a perfect picture. But Templin was going back whether -he wanted to or not. The only difficulty was that, deep underneath, -Eckert sympathized with him. Perhaps if he had been younger, less -experienced....</p> - -<p>"Then you won't go back with us?"</p> - -<p>Templin closed his eyes and rolled over on his back. "No."</p> - -<p>There was dead silence. Templin could smell the piny scent of the woods -and feel the warmth of soft sunlight that lanced through the blinds. -Some place far away, there was the faint chatter of kids at play, but -outside of that it was quiet.</p> - -<p>Too quiet.</p> - -<p>Templin opened his eyes in sudden alarm. "Ted! Don't!" He caught the -gas full in the face and tumbled back on the bed, unconscious.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Eckert opened the hatch to the observation cabin as quietly as he -could. Templin was seated on one of the pneumatic couches, staring -soberly at a small yellow star in the black sky. He didn't look up.</p> - -<p>"It's me, Ray," Eckert said.</p> - -<p>Templin didn't move.</p> - -<p>"I suppose I owe you an apology," Eckert began, "but I had to gas you -to get you to leave. Otherwise you wouldn't have left. And the same -thing would have happened to you that happened to Don Pendleton."</p> - -<p>"You're sure of that?" Templin asked bitterly.</p> - -<p>"Reasonably. You're a lot like Pendleton, you know. In fact, that's -why you were selected to go—not so much because you knew him as the -fact that psychologically you were a lot like him. We thought that by -studying your response to situations there, we would have a picture of -what Pendleton's must have been."</p> - -<p>Templin didn't want to talk about it, Eckert realized, but it had to be -explained to him.</p> - -<p>"Do you want to know why Pendleton killed himself?"</p> - -<p>Templin shrugged listlessly.</p> - -<p>"I suppose we should have seen it right away," Eckert continued. -"Any race that is so happy with their way of life that they show no -curiosity about strangers, the way they live, or what possessions they -have, must have something to be happy about. Tunpesh is something that -might happen only once in a thousand civilizations, maybe less, Ray.</p> - -<p>"The environment is perfection and so are the people, or at least as -near to perfection as it's possible to get. An intelligent people who -have as much technology as they desire, living simply with themselves -and each other. A fluke of nature, perhaps. No criminals, no insane, -no neurotics. A perfect cultural pattern. Tunpesh is a paradise. You -didn't want to leave, neither did I, and neither did Pendleton."</p> - -<p>Templin turned on him. "So it was paradise. Would it have been criminal -if I had stayed there? Who would it have hurt?"</p> - -<p>"It would have hurt you," Eckert said gravely. "Because the Tunpeshans -would never have accepted you. We're too different, Ray. We're too -aggressive, too pushy, too persistent. We're not—perfect. You see, no -matter how long we stayed there, we would never have fit in. We lived -in a harsh society and we bear the scars of it. Our own environment -has conditioned us, and we can't change. Oh, we could try, but it -would crop up in little ways. Because of that, the natives could never -genuinely like us. We'd never belong. Their own cultural pattern -wouldn't allow them to accept us.</p> - -<p>"Their cultural pattern is like the Fire and the Sword that were placed -outside the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve were driven out, to -keep it sacrosanct. If you're an outsider, you stay outside. You can -never come in."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He paused a moment, waiting for Templin to say something. Templin -didn't.</p> - -<p>"The natives have a word for it, <i>Kava</i>. It means, I suppose, -<i>different</i>—not necessarily inferior, just different. We should have -seen it as time went on. We weren't invited places; they seemed to -avoid us. A natural reaction for them, I guess I have to admit."</p> - -<p>Eckert cleared his throat huskily. "You see, what happened to -Pendleton," he continued awkwardly, "is that he fell in love with -paradise, but paradise would have nothing to do with him. By the time -three years were up, he knew that he was an outcast in Eden. And he -couldn't leave, to come back and try to forget. He was stranded in -paradise and had to look forward to spending four more years there as a -pariah. He couldn't do it. And neither could you."</p> - -<p>He was quiet for a moment, thinking of the cool, scented air and the -warm sunshine and the happy kids playing on the grassy lanes.</p> - -<p>"I suppose it didn't affect you at all, did it?" Templin asked -venomously.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A shadow crossed Eckert's face. "You should know better than that, Ray. -Do you think I'll ever forget it? Do you think I'll ever be satisfied -with my own culture again?"</p> - -<p>"What are you going to do about it?"</p> - -<p>"It's dangerous to human beings, Ray. Looking at it brutally, -their culture has killed two of our people as surely as if Tunpesh -were populated by murderous savages. We'll probably send a larger -commission, throw it open to commerce, try to change it."</p> - -<p>Templin gripped the sides of the couch, his face strained and tense -with anxiety. "What happens to it depends on the report you make, -doesn't it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, it does."</p> - -<p>"Then make up something in your report. Say the climate is bad for -Earthmen. Say anything, but don't let them change Tunpesh!"</p> - -<p>Eckert looked at him for a long moment, remembering.</p> - -<p>"Okay, Ray," he said slowly. "We'll leave paradise alone. Strictly -alone. It'll be put on the quarantine list."</p> - -<p>He turned and left.</p> - -<p>Behind him, Templin swiveled around in his chair and gazed bleakly at -the tiny mote of yellow fading in the blackness of space.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Fire and the Sword, by Frank M. 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