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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..0dd800a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63900 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63900) diff --git a/old/63900-0.txt b/old/63900-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 37d21a2..0000000 --- a/old/63900-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2011 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Action on Azura, by Robertson Osborne - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: Action on Azura - -Author: Robertson Osborne - -Release Date: December 05, 2020 [EBook #63900] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ACTION ON AZURA *** - - - - - ACTION ON AZURA - - By ROBERTSON OSBORNE - - The Others--the Nameless Ones--had tried to - conquer this fair and gentle world, searing the - very sky with vicious flame, drenching the natives - with death. They failed. Then came the Terrans, - with a new idea ... a different weapon.... - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Fall 1949. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -On the thirty-third day out of Earth Central, the _Special Agent_ -heterodyned itself out of w-space and re-entered the normal continuum. -The little 1400-ton vessel fell free toward the fifth planet of Procyon -for half an hour before planetary drive was applied to slow it into an -orbit. - -Allan Stuart, linguist, in this maiden mission of CONTACT INCORPORATED, -felt seasick again during the period of free fall. Of the six men -aboard, he was the only one who hadn't spent at least one hitch in the -Solar System Patrol. He was doggedly trying to steady his nerves by -floating a row of dictionaries in midair when the intercom startled -him. It was the voice of James Gordon, ship's captain and head of the -new firm. - -"All hands! We start spiraling in shortly and we should land on Azura -in about five hours. Nestor, relieve White in the drive room. The rest -of you come on up to Control for a final briefing." - -The bony little linguist sighed, put away his books, and unstrapped -himself. Nausea made him hiccup. Detouring sadly around the intricate, -day-old wreckage of what had been a beautiful cephaloid unit, he swung -stiffly out of the lab. In the corridor he had to squeeze past a badly -torn-up wall. Dan Rogers, one of the two planetary scouts, shut off a -welding torch and coasted along with him. - -"Little old piece of nickel-iron sure raised heck, didn't it, Mr. -Stuart?" drawled the scout. "Come out into normal space for two minutes -to get a bearing, and--WHAM!" He propelled himself along with the -effortless efficiency of a man accustomed to doing without gravity. - -Stuart, correcting course with some difficulty, took a moment to -answer. "Hm? Oh, the meteor! Yes, indeed it did. My leg is still stiff, -and of course half my equipment is just junk now. But I guess we were -rather fortunate at that, since none of us was killed. All the way to -Procyon ... three point four parsecs. Dear me!" He clucked, shaking his -head, and wondered again how the other five men in the crew could take -these things so casually. - -He drifted into the control room with Rogers and hovered near the desk. -Brettner, the other scout, came in playing some outlandish sort of -guitar; White, engineer and assistant astrogator, joined him in a final -caterwauling chorus of "The Demon of Demos." - -The ship's captain swung his chair to face them, his angular face -folding into a responsive grin. Then he waved a tele-tape at the four -men and looked more serious. - -"Here's Patrol's latest summary of the situation," he announced. "Still -no response from Procyon V, otherwise known as Azura. No activity in -the ruined cities. No further clashes with traders, because the traders -have given up. However, the natives are still taking pot-shots from -the woods at any scouting parties that dare to sit down on the planet. -Every attempt at contact is fiercely rejected. - -"The Patrol lads, naturally, are forbidden to shoot back, at least -until they find out what this is all about ... which, of course, is -where our own little expedition of specialists comes in. Incidentally, -it seems fairly certain the natives know nothing of radio, so we'll be -safe in using microwave to feel our way down in the dark." - -He accepted a cigarette from Rogers and nodded toward a month-old -report titled: Unofficial Data as of 31 October 2083; Procyon V (Azura). - -"I know we have precious little to go in there with, but that's the -situation. A million credits from Earth Central, if we establish -friendly contact." He smoked a while, grey eyes on the ceiling. Then, -as nobody spoke, he added: "The Patrol has had two more skirmishes, -not far from here, with what we've called the Invader culture. None of -their ships has been captured, but it's fairly certain they're the same -vicious crowd we've fought near Rigel, Alpha Centauri, and so on. They -seem to be heading this way again slowly. Here...." - - * * * * * - -He handed out half a dozen photographs of strange-looking spacecraft. -"They're undoubtedly the gang that blew hell out of Azura a few years -ago, before we got here, and gave the natives such a violent dislike of -strangers. The Invader's weapons are somewhat inferior to ours, but he -apparently has the considerable advantage of having superior position -in regard to bases ... particularly around here. The patrol simply -can't stand up to a determined attack in this region unless a base is -made available, preferably on Azura." - -Brettner said, softly, "That's what we're really after, isn't it? -Nobody's handing us a million credits just for cultural purposes." - -The leader of the expedition nodded. "Yep. Once we talk to these -Azurans, I think we can convince them we all have a common enemy. An -enemy who seems to enjoy smashing things just for fun. I have a hunch -the Azurans expect the Invaders back, too ... that might account for -their apparent determination to remain hidden." He reached for the log. -"Incidentally, what's the latest on the damage situation?" - -Stuart shook his head unhappily and brushed hair out of his eyes. -"One cephaloid is completely ruined. It was the one I had trained to -translate into Universal Speech from whatever other language would -be fed into it later. I was going to teach it what Azuran I could -pick up and use it as a direct interpreter. We have to use Universal -Speech, you see, because cephaloids simply can't handle homonyms such -as 'see' and 'sea,' or 'threw' and 'through.' However," his worried -look lessened, "the multiple analyzer is all right. And the stand-by, -originally conditioned only for generalized language response, has been -retrained in Universal Speech and will learn Azuran from the analyzer." - -He managed a feeble smile. "After all, the natives are manlike, and -we know they had a city culture much like ours, so there is a good -possibility of our finding mutually intelligible symbols. And we know -what their language sounds like, thanks to the trader who got away with -a recording." - -White spoke up. "I hope you weren't counting too much on the portable -teleview, Mr. Stuart. It's a total loss. So is the long-range -microphone. It's going to be tough to study their language at a -distance." He looked at Gordon. "The ship is okay, chief, except for -the debris we're still cutting away. All the animals are dead; I guess -you knew that. And all we've salvaged from the jeep is the power unit -and one repulsor. We'll have to walk where we can't use the scout ship." - -Brettner, when the captain looked at him, said quietly: "We're awful -low on food. Just about enough to get us back, with three or four days -to spare. Can't we eat any of this Azuran stuff?" - -Gordon shook his head. "The water and air are all right, but there's no -food for us down there. Good thing, in a way." - -He laughed at the surprised expressions. "All Terrestrial life is based -on complexes of iron, magnesium, or copper, but Azuran life seems to be -built on cobalt complexes. Consequently both sides are immune to the -diseases of the other. You remember the terrible plagues that hit the -Terrestrial port areas in the old days, and the grim effects of our -landings on Alpha Centauri III and Proxima II. But the biostat labs -report that Terrestrial and Azuran tissue cultures have only a toxic -effect on each other ... no parasitic viability whatever." - -He looked up at the chronometer. "About time to begin our spiral, if -we're to land before daybreak in that area we picked out. Let's get -some sleep. White, you'll relieve me for a couple of hours, soon as -we've established our trajectory." - - * * * * * - -Stuart, on the way out, picked up the sheaf of papers summarizing what -was known about Azura. He strapped into his bunk absent-mindedly and -lay there trying to visualize his first non-solar planet. Many kinds of -intelligent animals, the reports agreed. Evidently a mutation leading -to intelligence had occurred quite early in the diversification of the -animal phyla. - -One of the traders, said the report, claimed he had even learned to -converse in a limited way with what he called monkey-rats. These had -about the intelligence of a five-year-old human, and displayed the -group cooperation common to many Azuran forms. - -Too bad the trader hadn't been able to stay there longer. He had -finally found some of the natives, just at the time they had found him. -He was preparing to leave his ship and accept their thanks for the fine -gifts he had set out, when gifts, trees, and nearby boulders began to -blow up all around. He had taken off without further discussion. - -Four other traders and three Patrol ships had failed. A small -freighter, landing to make emergency repairs, had disappeared. The only -weapon the natives had, apparently, was a disrupter of some sort, with -a range of only two or three kilometers. But the wreckage of the cities -showed plainly that the invaders had used weapons of the same type as -Earth's, probably with a range of hundreds of kilometers. That meant-- - -He awoke, struggling, as if from a nightmare. The klaxon was sounding -off, jarring his teeth. Gordon's slightly nasal voice came over the -loudspeaker: "Landing stations, everybody. We're sitting down in -fifteen minutes." - -The linguist hastily unfastened his safety belts, rolled out, and -scrambled into primary space gear. "Secondary equipment?" he asked -Rogers, who was getting dressed beside him. - -"Naw, no armor. Leave your oxygen off, too. This is a Class E planet, -just like home." - -Stuart scrambled down to the control room and strapped himself in -beside the stern-view screen. He could hear White and Brettner in the -drive room, sleepily arguing about who had mislaid the coffee jug. -Such nonchalance! he thought. Trembling with excitement, he nearly -dropped his camera. "I wonder how soon I can get some pictures," he -muttered. "If I could only photograph our landing ... that would really -liven up the next meeting of the Philological Society!" He had already -taken over a hundred pictures of the expedition, and his hobby was the -subject of much ribbing from the rest of the six-man corporation. - -Gordon looked over from the control board and interrupted his thoughts. -"Stuart! See anything out there?" - -A dial over the linguist's head indicated only a hundred meters to go. -His screen showed a dark landscape, illuminated by two of the four -moons. "Tree directly below," he announced. "Better move to the red -side about twenty meters." - -The vessel shifted slightly and eased down smoothly under Gordon's -practised handling. Relays clacked; the drive hummed softly. - -Suddenly a rough branch scraped along the side, making metallic echoes -in the double walls. Seconds later the ship settled with a gritty -crunching. A few kicks of the drive leveled it off. - - - II - -There was profound silence for a moment after the drive died away. -Someone yelled "Wahoo!" Then Rogers came clattering down the ladder. He -beckoned to Stuart, who was already climbing out of the seat eagerly. - -"Time for the landing party," said the scout. He eyed the camera. -"Remember now, play your cards close to your chest. Don't go skittering -off to take pictures. First we patrol once around the ship, then we get -the camouflage nets pegged down, right away. Then we sit tight 'till -we've had a good look around in daylight." - -As they approached the arms locker, they found Nestor drawing out three -blast-rifles. He held out two of them. "Your weapons, gentlemen," said -the chubby engineer, bowing. "I'm guarding the airlock while you're out -there. And next time we cut cards for this little privilege, I'm going -to shuffle the deck myself. Six years in the Patrol before this trip, -and I've been first-to-land only once in my life!" - -The linguist smiled, feeling his taut nerves relax a bit. He pushed the -Outside Test button beside the lock at the end of the corridor. A green -light flashed. "Air's already been okayed," Nestor told him. - -Stuart pushed another button. The inner door withdrew from its permoid -gasket and swung aside. The three men clanked into the echoing airlock -chamber, where a touch on a third stud slid shut the inner door and -opened the outer. - -The night lay mysterious before them, full of exotic odors, unfamiliar -sounds, and double shadows. The slender linguist clambered like an -eager monkey down the fin rungs and stood inhaling deeply. - -He was adjusting his camera when Rogers whispered in his ear, "Come on, -let's make a tour around the clearing." Into his microphone, the scout -reported: "Beginning our circuit, chief. Circling counterclockwise." - -Rifles unslung, the two began walking cautiously. They had gone about -halfway, and Stuart was studying the two moons, when his feet were -abruptly yanked out from under him and he fell to the ground. The patch -of pinkish grass under him seemed to ripple, rolling him over and over -helplessly until he was brought up against a rounded hummock. Before he -could struggle to his feet, he came floundering back again to be dumped -at the edge of the patch. Sitting up dazedly, he found Rogers looking -for something to shoot at. - -"What the devil happened?" whispered the scout. Gordon's voice came -over the earphones: "What's going on down there? All I can hear up here -in the turret is grunts and whispers, but what I see sure looks screwy!" - -Stuart got up lamely, rubbing his sore leg. "I was sniffed at and -rejected, in a manner of speaking," he answered. "Watch." He drew his -hand gun, which happened to be the most convenient thing, and tossed -it on the animated grass before the flabbergasted scout could stop -him. Immediately it was whisked away to the central hump, brushed -with feelers, and sent tumbling back to his feet. "A most intriguing -experience," murmured the linguist, studying the pink grass with his -head cocked to one side. "I shall have to try it again when there's -more time." He picked up the gun and limped away on patrol. - -Rogers, with an expression of surprised scorn and amusement on his -handsome face, explained briefly to Gordon what had happened. As he -caught up with Stuart, he glanced toward the nose of the _Special -Agent_. "See anything yet, chief?" - -In the nose turret, two gun barrels continued their sweep. "Nope," -came back Gordon's voice. "There's a broad prairie just beyond the -trees on the 'East' side of this clearing, if you remember. Plain as -day in this double moonlight. Almost looks like my home state, except -for a few hills of that phosphorescent coral rock. Maybe--HEY! Some -kind of critters running toward the hills! About five kilometers away. -Flashes...." He broke off, as if absorbed in watching. - - * * * * * - -The two men on the ground slowly continued their patrol, listening -intently. In about fifteen seconds, above the faint rustling of the -leaves in the pre-dawn breeze, they heard far-off snarling roars, -mingled with crackling explosions. Almost total silence followed, as -if the whole forest were listening. "All quiet," Gordon reported after -a while. "Must have been what the traders called hell-cats, attacking -some native settlement. Looks like we made a fair guess about where to -find some natives." - -"We also know where they keep some of their popguns," added Rogers -sarcastically. - -Gordon's voice chuckled. "Patrol says the only known weapon has an -apparent range of two or three kilometers at most, and probably is not -portable." - -The scout looked skeptical. "Patrol says," he repeated sourly. -"Apparently, probably, maybe. I notice our old buddies haven't cared to -get within a hundred kilometers of said popgun." - -When the tour around the ship had been completed, Rogers looked up. -"Okay, chief. Ready for the nets." - -Far up in the nose appeared a black hole. White climbed out and spread -a conical camouflage net over the nose. Then he ducked back into the -ship. "Here comes the first strip," said Gordon. "I hope this gimmick -works!" A slot opened behind the skirt of the conical net, and a sheet -of neolon camouflage unrolled downward. Rogers seized the bundle of -stakes at its lower end and had the strip pegged down in a few seconds, -with willing but ineffectual help from the inexperienced Stuart. - -"All right so far," the scout reported. Another strip came down. Stuart -grabbed the stakes, then put them down to rearrange the rifle slung -across his back. Suddenly there was a blur of movement and the stakes -disappeared around a fin. - -Rogers, carrying the rubber mallet, walked up and nudged him. "Come -on! Dawn's about to break, laddie. What are you staring at?" His own -eyes widened as the bundle of stakes came back and dropped near his -feet. He whipped out a flashlight and revealed a pair of "monkey-rats" -scurrying away. He laughed and shook his head. "Things around here -have a cockeyed way of putting back what they don't want. I suppose -these fellers were after metal, like Venus blacksmith lizards." - -The two men resumed working, and at length the entire ship was -tented. Not long after they had finished, the light was strong enough -to show the beady-eyed little monkey-rats sitting nearby, watching -curiously. The fearless creatures, as large as cocker spaniels, were an -indeterminate red-gray in color, four-legged, and had two six-fingered -tentacles where Stuart expected a muzzle. Bright black eyes looked -out from under bony ridges. The monkey-rats carried short spears, and -seemed to have pouches slung on their backs. - -"Too bad we can't feed 'em," murmured the scout. "I bet we can make -friends with them. We better explore a little more, though, first." -Stuart strolled with him to where a narrow neck of turf led from the -clearing out to the prairie. A brook followed this little alley into -the woods. - -Rogers pointed to the near bank, where a miniature scaffolding of -bright orange and blue matchsticks stood a few centimeters high. -"Construction plant," said the linguist, remembering a trader's -description. Nearby were three mossbacks, looking like turtles with -tufts of green on their backs. "Possibly symbiotic," Stuart thought to -himself. The creatures dabbled their forelegs in the water and blinked -sleepily. - -The monkey-rats, following the men, apparently discovered the mossbacks -just then; there was a sudden squirrel-like chittering sound as one -of them pointed with a tentacle. Immediately two small spears flashed -through the early morning light and chunked into one of the mossbacks. -The creature squawked once and fell over; its companions looked at -it stupidly for a moment, then dove clumsily into the brook. The -monkey-rats dashed over to their prey, seized it with their tentacles, -and began to hustle it toward the nearby trees. - - * * * * * - -Without warning, a sky-colored creature like a hawk swooped over them -and dropped a rock. One of the monkey-rats was hit in the leg and fell -sprawling. The other whistled with rage and hurled an ineffectual -spear. The hawk came back a moment later and began to bomb them with -more rocks. The injured one was being half-carried by its companion, -and both were screaming angrily. - -Rogers scowled at the battle. "Looks like he doesn't want to leave his -friend," he growled. Suddenly he whipped out a hunting-knife, aimed for -an imperceptible split second, and let fly. The hawk was slashed open -down the belly from head to tail. It flopped heavily onto the patch -of pink grass, snapping with vicious grey teeth in dying hatred. The -uninjured monkey-rat ran to retrieve the knife. - -The two men went to look at the wounded one and found it dragging a -bleeding hind leg. It seemed especially shocking to Stuart, somehow, -that the blood was red, although of a more brilliant shade than that -of Terrestrial mammals. The creature turned to face the men, waving a -spear defensively and shrilling for help. Its companion came charging -up with the knife and two spears. The two forms of life eyed each other -for a moment. - -"Here's your opportunity to make friends with them," urged Gordon over -the radio. "They seem accustomed to manlike beings. Maybe they can be -of some use to us. Worth trying, anyway." - -The scout squatted and made soothing sounds. Stuart backed away a few -steps, so as to represent less of a threat, and began taking pictures -as unobtrusively as possible. - -Rogers studied the situation in a moment, then extended his empty -hands, palms up, in response to a whispered suggestion from the -semanticist. Both monkey-rats cocked their heads and watched him -sharply, murmuring to each other. - -Moving slowly as Stuart directed, the scout tore a strip of bandage -from his first-aid packet and allowed it to be examined. He reached for -one of the wooden spears, needle-tipped with something like obsidian, -but it was withdrawn hastily. He broke off a small branch from a nearby -bush and tried to splint the broken leg. The creature squealed and -snapped at him, but neither monkey-rat threatened him with a weapon. -They seemed more curious than afraid. - -Nonplussed for a moment, the Earthman whistled softly, thinking. "Give -them your other knife," suggested Stuart. The scout drew it out and -dropped it hastily before a spear could be launched at him. - -Two knives! The creatures examined them with obvious pleasure, testing -the blades and inspecting them closely. Again Rogers reached out; this -time his touch was tolerated. "Warm-blooded," he said quietly into his -microphone. "Feels like two bones in the upper leg." He succeeded in -straightening the limb and tying it up. Then he pantomimed carrying -the victim and pointed into the woods. The other monkey-rat pushed the -injured one toward him and made tentacle motions which evidently meant -"yes." He picked up the one with the broken leg, carried it a short -distance into the woods, and set it down. The other followed, bristling -with knives and spears. Stuart came behind at a discreet distance, -observing carefully and making notes. Occasionally he snapped a picture. - -The scout poured some water into the palm of his hand and offered it. -The injured animal shot out a tubular orange tongue and sucked up the -water. The two men were trying to establish further communication when -suddenly their earphones crackled. - -"You men outside! Stand by the neck of the clearing! There's been -some shooting over near those coral rocks, and here comes a native -hell-for-leather with three hell-cats after him. Heading for the -clearing, I think. Try to catch him ... he seems to be unarmed. We'll -get out and hold off the hell-cats from up here!" - - - III - -Rogers was belly-down in the grass at one side of the entrance before -Gordon finished talking. Stuart dashed after him, noticing absently -as he passed the pink grass that it was churning and enveloping the -carcass of the dead hawk. He reached the edge of the clearing and took -up a position across the brook from Rogers. He could see nothing but -dust through the grass and heavy scrub. The canteen gouged into his -flank, and his holster seemed caught in a root. He struggled to get -the blast-rifle unslung from his back, wishing for the twentieth time -that he had had at least a little experience at this sort of thing. -Just one hitch in the Patrol, for instance.... - -The radio broke in on his whispered swearing. "You might have to do -some shooting down there. These machine-guns may not stop all the -hell-cats dead in their tracks, but I don't want to use anything -bigger ... no use letting the neighborhood know what we've got." - -A few seconds later the native came pounding desperately through the -alley into the clearing. "Hold him!" yelled the scout. Stuart sprang to -his feet with a leveled rifle and confronted the astounded humanoid, -who collided with a tree and stopped. Nestor came dodging out through -the nets to cover the prisoner with another gun. The brilliant red -manlike creature, obviously understanding the weapons, still tried to -edge away from the squalling roars of the hell-cats not far behind on -the prairie. - -The twin sixty-millimeter guns in the nose burst out with a clatter. -The noise of the exploding projectiles was deafening. Clumps of dirt -and scrub flew high into the air. Then Nestor's blast-rifle roared -once, sharply. - -[Illustration: _Nestor's blast-rifle roared once, sharply._] - -Abruptly there was silence. The Azuran had obviously discovered the -ship behind the camouflage; he stared at it, blinked, and stared again, -as though in disbelief. Stuart began taking pictures of him. "No more -cats," came Gordon's voice. "They were bunched up and Nestor got 'em -all. Ah, I notice our new friend has seen through the camouflage net." - -The native's reaction was sudden, unexpected. He shuddered and slumped -to the ground, a picture of dejection. His tentacles were limp. Nothing -would induce him to communicate. At length Stuart offered water; the -native suddenly arose, as if in a hopeless rage, knocked the canteen -aside, and kicked the linguist's injured leg. Then the red being sank -to the ground again. - -"Damn!" growled Stuart through clenched teeth. He rubbed his leg. "I -suppose he thinks we're the Invaders, coming back to ravage his people -again. Either he never saw the Invaders himself, or we happen to -resemble them. Or maybe the terror of the invasion was so great that -a serious semantic confusion exists, labelling all strangers as Bad. -Well, at any rate, I'll have to go through some semantic analysis to -establish any rapport at all." Meditating on the problem, he sent -Nestor back to the ship for drawing materials, and bent over to -retrieve the canteen. The native immediately knocked him flat and fled -into the woods. - -Rogers started after the Azuran, unslinging his gun, but Gordon spoke -up from the airlock, where he had been about to climb down to the -ground. "Dan! Get out of those woods, you half-wit! Let him go; you -can't possibly catch him. Anyway, we may be able to see where he goes, -if he breaks out into open country again. White, will you keep an eye -on the edge of the woods from up there? Be ready to man the 'scope. -I'll be right up." - -Nestor sat down beside the linguist a few minutes later and held out a -cup of fragrant coffee. "Here, Mr. Stuart. I figured you guys could use -breakfast better than drawing materials right now. Feel okay?" - -Stuart sipped and nodded gratefully. "Mmm. Yes, fine, thanks." - -The plump little flight engineer handed him a sandwich. "You're due for -relief about now anyway. The boss and I will be out here, and White and -Brettner inside. You and Rogers can sleep a while." - -The linguist leaned back against a tree and lit a cigarette. "Has the -native showed up again?" he asked his microphone. - -White answered. "Yeah. He high-tailed it across the prairie and -disappeared among the coral rocks. Chief says for you to come in, -Stuart; he wants to know what you found out." - - * * * * * - -Stuart picked up his rifle, canteen, camera, and cup. He wondered -vaguely, as he trudged wearily over to the ship, how he had gotten -so tired. Then he realized that, like the others, he had gotten only -five hours' sleep in the past two nights. Procyon was yellow-white and -hot on his back, even through the netting, as he clambered up the fin -rungs. He felt sleepy. - -In the captain's crowded little cabin he dropped into a chair and -yawned. Gordon stretched, scratching lazily, and grinned at him. -"Bored, on your first day ashore?" - -The linguist smiled ruefully. "Tired, yes, but hardly bored. I don't -mind admitting the first few hours have been rather disappointing. We -had a native right here, I stood face to face with him, and we even -saved his life ... well, no use yowling about it. I presume he's gone -off to warn the others now. Our element of surprise, as you fellows -say, is lost." He brushed the hair out of his eyes. "What shall we do -about it, Gordon?" - -The leader drummed on the desk a while. "I dunno. This sort of -situation was never covered in Patrol courses. Maybe the General Staff -studies this stuff, but I was just a line officer, like the other guys. -If you remember, we figured we'd sort of make up our operations plan as -we went along. You probably know as much about it as we do, from all -your reading. Nothing predictable about any of this; we just have to -react to whatever develops. What would you suggest?" - -"Um. Well, I've a half-formed scheme for--er, seizing the bull by -the horns. The natives are certain to react immediately, either by -attacking us or by disappearing again. I feel that we should assume the -initiative as soon as possible, without waiting for them to maneuver -one of their weapons within range of us." - -"How do we assume the initiative?" - -"Yes, exactly--how?" The semanticist shook his head. "I'll have to -sleep on it at least a little while, Gordon. Right now I feel unable to -think. But somehow we have to convey to the Azurans the knowledge that -we are friendly. We'll have to find some way of representing the idea -to them." - -"Drop leaflets," suggested Gordon, wryly. "Or put up one of those -billboards they used to have all over a hundred years ago. Everybody in -the universe must have become accustomed to some kind of advertising by -now!" He laughed heartily. "Okay, Stuart. Go fall into your bunk. Let's -hope you wake up with a good idea!" - -The thoughtful little language expert got up to leave. "Billboard. -Billboard ... there may be something in that, even if you were joking." - -His musings were broken off by the alarm bell and the intercom's -squawk. "All hands! Battle stations! Chief, three natives just popped -up from a hole in the ground about two hundred meters away. Strong -radar indication." - -As Stuart ran down to his post at the airlock, he heard Gordon's calm -voice from the intercom. "All right, Brettner. Keep them covered, but -don't fire." - -At the lock, the linguist remembered to punch the personnel buttons -as the men climbed in, out of breath and swearing. He pushed the stud -beside his own name last and shut the lock as the "All Aboard" shone -green. - -Gordon spoke again, apparently to someone in the control room with him. -"They've evidently lugged a disrupter or something along a tunnel. Seem -to have a couple of big beasts of burden carrying a gadget ... looks -like one of those old pack howitzers. Let's wait 'till they get it -nearly assembled, so we can get an idea of--hup! Let's GO!" - - * * * * * - -Stuart had forgotten to buckle his safety straps. He just had time to -grab a stanchion when the violent acceleration tripled his weight and -nearly threw him to the floor. No more than a heartbeat later, there -was a muffled boom from outside the ship, and a section of blazing tree -went rocketing past the glassite window. - -After a few seconds' acceleration he felt the ship take on a horizontal -component. The pressure eased off. He got up from his hands and knees -and adjusted the periscope controls until he got a view of the ground. -There was a group of burning trees several kilometers below, sliding -rapidly to the east. Several times the scenery shifted rapidly as the -ship zigzagged. - -As he swung the 'scope, Stuart was thunderstruck to discover a hole -blasted in the edge of a fin, not four meters away from where he stood. -Shreds of charred camouflage netting fluttered in tangled strings. - -On the intercom, White's voice broke the tense silence. "Gimme that -again, slowly, somebody. What happened, anyway?" - -Gordon answered. "That must have been a tunnel they came out of, right -at the edge of the woods. Maybe they use it to get home if hell-cats -happen to catch them out on the prairie. That fellow we caught today -was probably heading for it, hoping to lose the cats in the woods -first." - -After a moment, he added, "Anyway, they showed up with a heavy weapon -and nearly got us. Patrol guessed wrong about its portability, and I -guessed wrong about its operation." - -Stuart commented, "Good thing someone happened to be on duty in the -turret, and we were able to take off on such short notice." - -"_Happened!_" barked the captain. "Mr. Stuart, that's the first rule of -_any_ ship landing on territory listed as 'unsafe', and it 'happens' to -be Rules Seven through Sixteen of the Patrol Regulations!" - -Brettner eased the linguist's embarrassment by changing the subject -a little. "Did you all see the colossal helpers they had carrying -that weapon? Must be what the traders called heffalumps ... I thought -the pictures were fakes. Those critters practically did the shooting -themselves, and they were talking to the natives! This is some -planet--everybody talks to everybody except us!" - -Gordon spoke again. "White, I want you to rig up a mosaic alarm with -controls in the turret, Number One Lock, and control room ... before -tonight, if possible. Jury-rig it, just so it goes off when anything -larger than a mossback moves near the ship. Get as much range as you -can." - -"That means dismantling the space-probe and comparator, boss. Not -enough spare checkerboards to scan three hundred and sixty degrees with -a decent vertical coverage. And for stereo-perception, so the thing can -discriminate between a nearby leaf and a far-away heffalump--" - -"All right, do the best you can. Can you hook it up with an infra-red -snooper for night work? I don't believe the natives can see -infra-red ... I hope. Procyon's a little farther toward the blue than -Sol is." - -"I'll see what I can do. Can't get very good resolution with the -electro-optical stuff we have for infra-red. We had to weed out four -tons, you know, and the Hollmann scanners are three and a half parsecs -back, in our shop." - -Stuart noticed that the ship's course had steadied. A look through -the 'scope showed the recently-abandoned clearing now swinging under -the stern again, far below. He was about to take a picture of it when -Gordon called him. - -"Stuart, will you go to the drive room and give Nestor a hand? He's -scanning the area with microwave, and I want you to use the stern-view -telescope. Those characters may have decided to go back to their base -without using the tunnel; maybe we can keep out of sight and get a good -fix on where they hole up." - - * * * * * - -The linguist retracted the periscope and saw to it that the guard -plates slid over the outer lens. Then he dodged through the radiation -trap into the darkened drive room. He was wondering how to strap -himself into the seat without taking off all his photographic gear, -when Nestor, peering into the radar screen, snapped his fingers. - -"Got a blip, Gordon," said the engineer with suppressed excitement. -"One metallic object about the size of a foot-locker, maybe a little -bigger. Boy, do those rocks show up! Must be nearly all metal." - -In a moment the leader answered. "I believe I see something. Awkward -angle, though, on this turret telescope. How about you, Stuart?" - -"No, frankly, I--" - -Gordon cut in. "What magnification are you using?" - -"Let me see ... all I can get--sixty-four diameters." - -"Too much; cut it down to twelve. Center your 'scope. Now look at the -cross-hair grids. Find the lower part of F-7; you should see something -around there." - -"More likely F-6 from here," put in Nestor. "That's where my indication -is." - -"Oh, yes! I see them. Three natives and two ... my goodness, those -heffalumps _are_ big! Almost as big as elephants!" - -Gordon answered, "Yes, and apparently considerably more useful. Well, -keep a sharp watch on the group. Let me know where they go, and be sure -you mark the spot on a large-scale sketch or photo. I've got to send -off a report to Patrol; we're keeping them posted on every development." - -"Like a bomb-defusing squad," said Nestor hollowly. "The next crew will -take up where we left off, see?" - -The ship, swinging slowly ahead of the little raiding party, came to a -stop about six kilometers above and slightly beyond the coral rocks. - -White spoke over the intercom. "I don't think they'll see us here. -We're in the sun. But keep yourselves strapped in, gang; we're going -to move in a hurry if they point that thing at us. You guys below let -me know if they do anything suspicious. I can't see too much on the -control room screens." - -In the drive room, the power hummed softly. Relays clicked occasionally -as the minutes passed. The creatures on the ground entered a faint -trail winding among the hills of bright coral rock. Now and then one -of the heffalumps stopped and adjusted the load on his back, using the -middle two of his six limbs. Nestor nudged the language expert's arm. - -"Looks like they're getting close to home. Better get set to take some -pictures." - -Stuart nodded, having already picked up a plate magazine, and loaded -the camera box on the side of the telescope. He adjusted the controls -from time to time with nervous delicacy, occasionally tapping the -shutter button. Suddenly he switched to higher magnification, -exclaiming, "There they go! Into that cave!" He took three pictures in -rapid succession at different magnifications. He also banged his nose -hard on the eyepiece, and wondered some hours later how it came to be -so tender. - - * * * * * - -There was a clatter of feet on the steel ladder. Gordon came running -over to him, an unfinished report in one hand and a half-eaten -hamburger in the other. "Lessee," he demanded. - -The linguist showed him. Only the cave mouth could be seen now, black -in the hot sunlight. It was halfway up a hill of dense coral, and was -protected from the front by another hill. - -The chief took a bite of hamburger and grinned at Stuart. "This is a -bit of luck," he said happily through the mouthful. "We wouldn't have -found that hideout in ten years if they hadn't taken a potshot at us!" - -Nestor exhaled cigarette smoke, looking cynical. "Swell. What do we do -now? Wave a hankie at them?" - -Gordon's expression became less cheerful. "We don't know yet. Things -have moved a little fast. But whatever we do, we'll have to get it -done fast. You guys might as well know now what came in a little while -ago on the radio." He drew a deep breath. "An Invader base has been -discovered--within striking distance of this area. It's a jolt, of -course, but at least we've finally discovered a base of theirs. Earth -Central says either we close this deal in four days or the planet will -have to be taken over the hard way." - -Stuart shook his head sadly, thinking of the already-ruined cities -below. "Our little firm had better live up to its name," he said. - -Gordon nodded. "A task force is already on the way." - -Brettner had come cat-footed down the ladder. "There's one way to -hustle things up," he growled, patting his hip holster. "I wish you'd -let me blister their stern-plates a little. Little old Frontier Lawyer -here would teach 'em some manners right now!" - -Stuart repressed a shudder. - -The captain strode over and confronted the scout with a frown. "That's -what we're here to avoid, Mr. Brettner, and you know it. Our weapons -are purely for defense, and there'd be hell raised if we harmed any -natives. If we got out of here alive, we'd lose our million credits -and all our expenses, as well as being tried for unauthorized warlike -acts." He sounded hoarse with fatigue and irritation. "Get over any -belligerent ideas you may have. That goes for all of you--at least on -this trip." - -He looked sternly at the group a moment, then nodded toward the ladder. -"Let's go have a conference. Nestor, will you stay here and keep a -sharp eye on that hideout?" - -The chubby engineer leaned back in the seat, swung the eyepiece over -into a comfortable position, and sighed. "Yeah, all right. Somebody -better bring me some food before long, though. I'm dying." - - - IV - -Up in the "conference room", the men gathered about Gordon at the -controls. He checked the autopilot and sat drumming his fingers on -the desk. Finally he looked squarely at the language expert. "Mr. -Stuart ... it seems fairly obvious now that the outcome of this entire -expedition depends almost solely on you. You're the one who knows how -to convey ideas, probably as well as any human being alive, according -to the information we got before we asked you to join us. All the rest -of us can do is run this ship and make like space-fighters." - -He raised a hand at Stuart's beginning protest, and went on. "Let me -finish my little speech. You're trained for this sort of thing, even if -you do lack non-Terrestrial experience. You figured out the elements of -the Alpha Centauri II and IV languages from nothing but sound movies, a -few years back. Now, what I'm getting at is this: you tell us what has -to be done, and we'll try to figure out a way to do it. We're starting -from scratch, of course; that meteor, by a million-to-one chance, -ruined all our previous plans." - -Stuart pulled at his ear a moment. "Well, all those plans were designed -to give me at least the minimum amount of observation I'd need to -prepare a friendly message. Now, while my stock of Azuran symbols is -still zero, we've gained some information. It's too bad we lost the -horses and bloodhounds, for the combination can't be beaten when it's a -matter of finding someone in hiding. However, we do know where at least -three natives are. And personally, I don't regret it a bit that I'll -not make use of those hasty riding lessons." - -He paused, and White spoke up. "Even if we do know where some of them -are, I don't see how we can use Plan One. How can we set up hidden -microphones and telicons, when the ruddy natives live in a cave?" - -Brettner, looking disgusted, added, "Even when we catch one of the -critters by dumb luck, he won't talk. Trained not to. And that tears up -the second plan." - -The captain nodded. "And our third scheme ... to watch and wait, using -long-range equipment, and play for the breaks. That sure seemed like a -flexible plan. But of course it was blown all over the Milky Way along -with our food. Anyway, the news from Patrol makes speed essential." - -There was glum silence for a while. Then Rogers offered, "There must be -some way we can use our knowledge of where at least three of them are -hiding--even if the place is defended with a natural barricade and a -souped-up pack howitzer." - -After a thoughtful moment, the little language expert cleared his -throat hesitantly. "Er--I should like to suggest something...." They -all looked at him, making him feel rather self-conscious, but he went -on. "You said something about an old-fashioned billboard, Gordon, that -got me thinking. I have a good many pictures of the expedition and our -activities--" he reddened, remembering the frequent ribbings about his -photographic activity "--and I can make a few sketches for the rest -of it. You see, I was thinking we could sneak down there at night and -leave a series of pictures where the natives would find them in the -morning." - -He was talking rapidly now, full of steam, pacing back and forth. -"The pictures would show that we are _not_ the Invaders, that we are -friendly--I took pictures of Rogers helping the monkey-rats, for -instance--and then we could have a couple of pictures of Terrestrials -and Azurans exchanging gifts." He stopped, embarrassed, wondering -whether his scheme sounded naive to these practical men. "It--it's been -tried before with considerable success ... in some cases." - -Gordon thought it over a while, rubbing the stubble on his -cheeks. "Might work," he mused aloud. "What about setting up an -automatic-sequence gimmick of some kind, controlled from here while we -watch their reaction with a telescope? We could turn the pages, -see? ... or should we just tack up a string of pictures along the -path?" - -Rogers sat forward. "Machine might be better, if we can rig it up soon -enough. Separate pictures might get blown away or something, for all we -know, or some kind of critter might destroy 'em." - - * * * * * - -Stuart stopped pacing and squinted at the ceiling. "Yes, I like the -machine. We could include a little pickup unit so I could record -and analyze their comments, knowing just what they were looking at. -That would really help a lot." He snapped his fingers, struck with -inspiration. "What about ending the little show with a real surprise? A -gift that would really demonstrate our good intentions?" - -What did he consider a suitable gift? - -"A blast-rifle!" he answered boldly. - -"What the devil!" exclaimed Gordon. The others indicated various -degrees of consternation. They stared at Stuart as if he had suggested -turning pirate. But he showed a firmness that was new to them--and to -himself. - -"Nothing else will do the trick as simply and surely," he insisted. -"In the first place, their most desperate need, as they see it right -now, is probably an efficient but simple weapon of some sort, capable -of being enlarged into a heavy defensive piece of great range. I -understand our blast-rifle is such a weapon. I believe they live in -absolute terror of another attack, and they apparently have little or -no technology left with which to prepare for such an attack. Hence -their going underground." - -He paused to let the point sink in. "And in the second place, it seems -reasonable to believe they would understand our good intentions from -such a gift. Surely they will see that no one planning an aggressive -move is going to arm his intended victims first! Their behavior -certainly indicates that they are accustomed to direct action, rather -than to Machiavellian subtleties of plot and counter-plot." - -Nestor stuck out a skeptical lower lip. "How will they know we're -making a gesture that means anything? I mean, they still might figure -the gun is just a little toy in our league, and that we're not running -any risk at all by giving it to them." - -Stuart hesitated before replying. He nodded in appreciation of -intelligent analysis. "That's a difficult point which will have to be -worked out later ... possibly on the spot. First of all, we shall have -to establish contact. It will also be necessary to show them we have -a defensive screen, too--which they would doubtless be overjoyed to -have--and that we are willing to turn it off and trust them. It will be -a delicate and intriguing problem in psycho-logic." - -Rogers shook his head and laughed a little. "It sounds as cockeyed as -'Uncle Willie' Ulo's stories about Sinus V. But, so help me, I believe -it'd work!" All at once his expression changed, and he looked hard at -the expert. "One thing, though, mister. I know I wouldn't care for the -job! Who's going to be the guinea-pig and go down for the first little -chat with them?" - -Stuart smiled thinly. "Who will bell the cat, eh? Another fair -question. Well, I shall set up the apparatus, and of course I intend to -try out its effect, too. I shall confront the natives myself after they -have received our picture message and the gun." - -The others protested, but there was a stubborn set to his jaw. "After -all," he explained later to Gordon, "while you fellows have been -acquiring glamor, so to speak, I've been leading a rather dull life. I -intend to have at least one little fling at dangerous living. Besides, -I'm the only really expendable man in the crew ... the rest of you are -necessary to the operation of the _Special Agent_. And anyway, I'm only -here because I know something about communicating ideas. This is part -of my job, if anything is." - -The rest of the day and a major part of the night, except for brief -catnaps, were spent in fabricating the device which Gordon designed -to Stuart's specifications. Even White's work on the mosaic alarm -was suspended. The linguist planned, sketched, and worked with his -photographs for ten hours before allowing himself to rest. He had done -all he could with his part of the project, and decided to lend a hand -in the shop ... but first he would massage the leg which had been so -painfully gouged when the meteor struck. He sat down to ease the ache, -and promptly fell asleep. - - * * * * * - -When they woke him three hours later, his machine was ready. In his -meticulous way, he had made careful notes of the picture sequence, and -other five members of Contact, Incorporated had arranged everything as -indicated. He examined the device sleepily, rubbing the back of his -neck and yawning. "Looks okay," he grunted. "Controls tested? Good. -Nice job, very nice." Still blinking, he helped carry the makeshift -metal-and-plastic assembly into the scout ship in Number Three Lock. - -Brettner climbed in and sat down next to him at the controls. "Sort -of a lucky thing for us this old planet has four moons," grinned the -scout. "All four were in the sky until a few minutes ago. Too much -light for us to pussyfoot around on the surface, so you and I had a -chance for a nap. Now there's only two ... just enough for us to work -by. We'll have to hustle though." - -A few minutes later, under Brettner's skillful handling, the little -ship settled to a quick, silent landing about two kilometers from the -cave. The scout got out and began unloading the apparatus. Stuart, now -fully alert, held a low-voiced radio conversation with Gordon. "Still -no sign of any activity?" - -The captain's voice was blurred with fatigue. "No, nothing, except some -infra-red indications of large animals to the south. We'll keep you -informed. For Pete's sake, be careful." - -The linguist, nervous as he was, chuckled. "Good of you to remind us." -He put on his bone-conduction earpiece, throat-mike, and all the other -gear designed for planets with breathable atmospheres. Clambering out -of the little vessel, he joined Brettner. The two men helped each -other with the slings of their backpacks, locked up the ship, and -started off. - -Stuart had to run occasionally to keep up with the other's easy, -practised stride. The extra rifle and his half of the apparatus jounced -and dug into his back. Occasionally he heard Brettner whisper into -his mike, asking for directions. The compass was useless near the -iron-bearing coral rocks. - -Like the scout, Stuart had studied the route in advance, but traversing -it in the dark was a grimly different matter. The double shadows of the -two moons were confusing and made him stumble. Once a sensitive bush of -some kind shuddered and drew back with a moan when he grasped it for -support. He shuddered and brushed sweat off his face and sleeve. What -did anyone know, after all, about the number of dangerous organisms -this planet harbored? Carnivorous plants, for instance, or even -animals, might not have sense enough to avoid iron complexes such as -human blood.... - -Something soft beneath his foot shrieked horribly in the night and slid -away. He went down on one knee, but waved when Brettner turned as if to -help him up. "I'm letting this get me," he thought angrily. He got up -and jogged along again, trying to imitate the scout's powerful stride. - -Abruptly they came upon the trail. They had just started along it when -a warning came from the _Special Agent_. "One of those animals on the -prairie must have picked up your scent. Probably a hell-cat sloping off -toward the trail now. Ye gods! ... he must be doing sixty kilometers! -Now he's slowing ... you should see him about a hundred meters ahead in -a few seconds. He's sneaking onto the trail." - -The linguist's heart thudded as he crouched in shadow with the scout. -"What do we do, Brettner?" he whispered. - -"Have to use this," the other replied, hauling out a wide-barrelled, -clumsy looking Texas Slugger. "Picked up this sweetheart on Callisto, -but I only got three shells." He aimed down the path through an offset -sight. "Don't get behind this, laddie." - - * * * * * - -In the moonlight farther up the trail, a sinuous beast like a huge -armor-plated cat glided out from the brush. It opened jaws a meter -wide, showing double rows of dull green phosphorescent teeth, and began -to lope toward the men. The scout fired when it was less than sixty -meters away, and a rocket-propelled projectile hissed out toward it. -A few meters out, the 2000-G drive of the projectile cut in, and the -missile crashed into the hell-cat with terrible impact. - -The creature was a hollow mass of pulp almost instantaneously. The -only sounds had been the brief hiss of the rocket, the even shorter -crackling of the accelerated drive, and an earth-shuddering crunch when -the device had struck a wall of rock beyond the beast. Apparently these -had not alarmed the other nocturnal creatures about, for the various -animal cries went on as before. - -"Come on," said the scout, resuming the trail. "We got to hurry." -Stuart followed, wrinkling his nose at the horrible stench of the dead -animal. Nearby, a brightly glowing hole in the rock showed where the -missile had buried itself and disintegrated. - -By the time the men reached their objective, a little trailside -clearing just out of sight from the cave, the language expert was -thoroughly winded. It was some satisfaction to him to note that the -scout was sweating heavily too. Brettner unshouldered his equipment, -took a sip of water from his canteen, and moved up the path a few -meters to keep watch on the cave. The opening glowed less brightly than -the luminescent rock around it. - -Stuart worked as rapidly as he could in the moonlight and ghostly shine -of the hill. His footing was uncertain on the irregular coral. Twice -he stopped and crouched, rifle ready, as his sensitive ears detected -a change in the pattern of night sounds. A wild assortment of odors -drifted with the faint breeze; once a friendly little creature smelling -like fragrant Scotch offered him a pebble and giggled. In his anxious -haste, the linguist dropped two bolts into the twisted crevices of the -rock, and he began to feel he was having a nightmare. - -When the assembly was nearly completed, Nestor warned over the radio, -"Better step on it, guys. We can see daylight coming from up here. -You have about half an hour to get away." By the time the device was -operating satisfactorily, there was enough light to see clearly. The -two men on the ground picked up the tools and canteens hastily and -hurried back along the trail. - -They had gone about halfway when a stone the size of a baseball landed -with a vicious clank on the scout's headgear. He swore softly and -sagged against a bush, fighting dizzily to stay on his feet. Stuart -snatched up a smaller rock and hurled it at the attacking stone-hawk, -which was banking into another dive in the dim morning light. The -stone smashed one wing. The creature spun and flopped through the air, -screaming and gobbling, until it crashed into a tree and fell dead. - -Brettner shook his head and grinned ruefully. "Good thing I got a -wooden head.... Yeah, I'm okay." He examined the dent in his helmet, -and spit contemptuously at the dead hawk. "That's some arm you've got, -mister," he added respectfully. - -Stuart examined his arm, pleased. "Used to pitch on the varsity," he -explained. "Did you hear the mouthings of that vicious bird? He was -swearing at us, I'm sure!" He resumed the march, wondering absently -whether all these Azuran creatures spoke basically the same language. -From what little he had been able to observe, it seemed likely. - - * * * * * - -It was almost full daylight when they reached their scout ship. "Come -on up," Nestor told them. "No sign of activity around the cave yet, but -you better keep between it and the sun just in case somebody peeks." -Brettner took off immediately. - -Ten minutes later Stuart was seated at his apparatus, stuffing -breakfast food into his mouth and feeling very tired. "Been making this -stuff for a hundred and fifty years," he grumbled to himself, chewing -doggedly, "and it's still lousy." Suddenly he dropped his spoon and -adjusted the view screen controls. Gordon walked in, buttoning up his -dungarees and yawning. "Brother," said the chief, "when we get back -we're going to sleep for two weeks!" He looked at the busy linguist and -was immediately wide awake. "What's up?" - -Stuart pointed to the screen. "Native just peeked out." He reached over -toward one of the cephaloids, mindless brains with tremendous memory -and associative power, and began flipping switches. Activating solution -flowed through the micro-cellular colloid; little lights on a panel -winked on as the surface potentials reached operating level. - -The linguist glanced briefly at the screen. "I guess there's time to -show you one of its little tricks, just to warm it up," he said. He -sang, in Universal Speech, a couple of ribald verses of "The Venus of -Venus," then touched a switch. Immediately the song came back at him -through a little speaker, but in English--and with the unmistakable -drawl of Rogers. "I conditioned it a few minutes ago with his -voice," explained Stuart. He was delighted with Gordon's reaction of -incredulous astonishment. "It's really a wonderful mechanism, Gordon. -It--oops! There's a native!" - -He jabbed hastily at the "Primary Condition" stud, erasing the song -and the accent, and switched on the remote control for the picture -sequence. He handed Gordon a headset. "Will you monitor the pickup, -please? The rest of this stuff will keep me busy." He fell silent, -watching the screen. - -Gordon reached over and switched on the movie camera set up beside him -to record the scene. - - - V - -Three scarlet natives had come out of the cave. They stood in a patch -of brilliant sunlight, swinging their middle limbs about and playing -with a sassy little monkey-rat as men would with a fox terrier. At -length they picked up what seemed to be a crossbow and several spears, -slung bundles across their sloping shoulders, and started down the -trail. They walked slowly, spears at the ready, and were obviously -alert. Frequently they glanced up, or paused as if listening. - -Rounding a turn, the lead native stopped abruptly, leaped back and -dropped flat. The other two dropped almost simultaneously. The leader -motioned cautiously for his companions to crawl forward; he pointed -with a tentacular upper limb toward the picture sequence machine -gleaming in the morning light. On it was showing a picture of a native, -enlarged from Stuart's picture of his temporary "prisoner". - -The semanticist had evidently made a good guess in alien psychology, -for no hostile move was made toward the machine. The natives lay there -studying it, making occasional guarded gestures to each other. They -stiffened as the next picture flipped into view. It was a Terrestrial -family with two children. It was the picture Stuart kept beside his -bunk, and was the best thing he could think of to put across the -concept of a peaceful people. - -Still no hostile move. No sounds, either, except the background -chirping and jabbering of other animals. - -Anxiously, Stuart fussed with his controls. He flipped to the next -picture and a dozen after that without getting an audible response. -The natives were shown views of Terrestrial life, New York and the -space-port, the _Special Agent_, and two views of the receding Earth. - -Then the linguist tried one of his sketches. It showed a globular -ship, such as the Invaders were believed to have used, attacking -the Terrestrial ship. In the following sketches, the Earth ship was -damaged, but managed to destroy the other. - -One of the natives was evidently jolted into comment at this point. -"Aru!" came distinctly over the loudspeaker. Stuart immediately -murmured "Picture Fifteen" in Universal Speech into his microphone. He -beamed at Gordon, relaxed a little, and hit the sequence button again. - -The next set of pictures showed the approach to Azura, the landing, and -Rogers' kindly treatment of the monkey-rats. Again a comment came from -the middle native, evidently younger and less well-trained. This time -he uttered several syllables, which the cephaloid duly absorbed. The -rear native thwacked him across the back angrily. Stuart bounced in his -seat with silent glee. He made microscopic adjustments to the analyzer -and continued the show. - -Behind him, the door opened quietly. Rogers came in with some breakfast -for Gordon. The scout raised his eyebrows inquiringly; the chief winked -and nodded at the screen, holding up a hand in the "okay" gesture. -Stuart looked around at them, his finger hesitating over the sequence -button. He shut off his mike for a moment. "This is one of the parts -I'm dubious about. We swing into our sales talk here. Man sees native, -puts down gun, and approaches peacefully. Then they exchange gifts." - -He pushed the stud thoughtfully. "If the response to this is favorable, -do you think we ought to go ahead with the rest?" - -The chief frowned. "Sure. Why not?" - -"Well ... I suppose it would be foolish to stop now. I don't have -enough material yet to prepare a verbal message, and they seem to be -understanding this one anyway. On the other hand ... they might not -like this. It shows us helping them to rebuild a city, and giving them -weapons." He lit a cigarette and hit the button again. "They might -wonder what we want in return." - -Gordon put down his coffee and scratched his chin. "Well, I don't think -we ought to revise our plans now, Stuart. I think they'd be glad to -offer us a base, in return for protection. We might as well go ahead." - - * * * * * - -The linguist nodded. The minutes passed as he continued the series of -pictures. After a while he opened his mouth to say something, but was -interrupted by a gabble of sounds from the pickup unit. The natives -were pointing upward and discussing something. Pilot lights on the -cephaloid hookup showed that the material was being received, passed -back and forth for analysis, and stored away. Stuart threw in a key -word now and then to identify the picture being shown. - -"It's clear that they understand," he whispered. "Now for the clincher. -We help them fight off the Invaders. I hope they don't get the idea -that our presence would make another Invader attack more likely." - -He continued to push the stud every twenty or thirty seconds, lips -moving as he counted. When the counter showed the end of the sequence -approaching, he nodded in satisfaction. The natives were still talking -to each other. "Good thing we've got these cephaloids," Stuart -whispered. "An electronic analyzer could never sort out the three -voices. Nor could any linguist alive, for that matter." - -Once again he paused, finger hovering. "This is where we show them -pictures of a blast-rifle, how to use it, and so on--and then the -magic box opens and we give them one." His whisper was faint, and he -swallowed. "Should I go ahead?" He seemed to be asking himself. - -Gordon studied him a few seconds. "Play it your own way, Stuart. The -risk is yours, so the decision ought to be." - -The linguist put out his cigarette with trembling fingers. "Yes.... I -realize that I talked you into letting me go ahead with my own plan. -But ... you see ... well, I've never done anything especially brave or -dangerous, as all you fellows have. The plan _might_ be made to work -out without my actually going down there in person. I've been wondering -what you would say if I ... backed out." - -The chief got up and clapped him on the back, awkwardly. "Why, not a -thing, Stuart. Wouldn't say a word. A man's personal project is his -own, in this kind of business. Long as it doesn't affect the welfare of -anyone else, he can volunteer for, or refuse, any job." - -Stuart smiled slowly and sat up straight. "Then I'll go ahead. I just -wanted to be sure I could have backed out if I'd wanted to. If I do -something worthwhile, I want it to be without compulsion." He punched -the sequence button vigorously, while the chief stared at him with -amused respect. He grinned back at Gordon. "Sit down, Captain, and keep -an eye on the natives." - -Gordon sat, applying his attention to the scene on the ground. "Think -they'll get this part?" - -"They certainly ought to. I even made a sketch of a native destroying -a hell-cat with my new gun." After a few minutes of attentive study by -the three natives, the series was finished. The language expert reached -over and depressed a different stud without hesitation. "There it is. A -nice little blast-rifle, practically new!" - -The screen showed the front of a box falling open under the sequence -machine. The three Azurans raised their heads and stared. Then they -looked up at the sky, and back at the box. Their conversation was -excited, not at all hushed. - -Finally the leader sent the third native around in a flanking move, -equipped with the crossbow. When the new position had been taken up, -the three studied the situation and seemed to discuss its various -aspects. Suddenly, while the flanker held a bead on the machine, the -one who had been in the lead stood up and advanced warily toward the -proffered gun. He studied it at close range, after looking over the -scene carefully. - -Abruptly he laid down his spear and seized the blast-rifle. He remained -crouching, obviously waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, -he straightened up and began to examine the weapon. He turned to the -last picture, still showing on the machine, and carefully conformed his -tentacles around the gunstock as indicated. Then he looked about, as if -seeking a target. - -A large, brilliant blue tree about twenty meters away seemed to be his -choice. He spent a moment getting the sights lined up and then pulled -the trigger. - - * * * * * - -The entire lower half of the tree disappeared in a tremendous explosion -of steam and splinters. The upper part of it came smashing down, as did -great sections of others directly behind the target. - -The stunned native staggered to his feet, still clutching the gun, and -cooed at it lovingly. His two companions came running up, whistling -and gabbling with excitement. They were allowed to take the gun up on -the hill and try it out--at more distant targets. Several trees and a -good-sized rock disappeared with a noisy violence that was obviously -satisfactory. - -The leader remained with the picture machine and began to examine it. -He jumped, startled, when Stuart flipped one more sketch into view. -It showed the little scout ship about to land. After the native had -studied it a while, Stuart gave him the last one. This was a sketch of -the linguist himself, stepping out of the scout ship and greeting a -waiting Azuran. - -The reaction to this was immediate and positive. Shrill commands sent -the smaller native into ambush in the shrubbery; the other came running -down the hill, handed over the gun, and fled to the cave. The leader, -still watching the sky, squatted down to wait, rifle beside him. After -a moment he took something out of his knapsack and apparently began to -munch on it. Twice he snatched up the gun and sighted through it, as -though practising. - -Stuart frowned at the screen. "They seem to understand I'm about to -visit them, but they're not convinced they can trust visitors. No -reason why they should be, I suppose." He disconnected the pickup unit -from the cephaloid circuit. - -Gordon cocked his head to one side reflectively. "Well, I don't think -the situation is too bad. You've seen how cautious they are ... they -must have been very badly scared when their cities were destroyed. -Perfectly natural. It's also evident they're not fundamentally warlike; -their behavior shows an absence of military background. Even a couple -of traders noticed that, by the way, over on the other side of the -planet last year." - -The linguist shook his head reprovingly. "Let's avoid semantic -confusions when we can, Gordon. Their behavior does not fit in with -_your_ notion of military background. We have no right to say what it -connotes _in their culture_." - -The captain acknowledged the reasonableness of this statement with -a smile and left him to the solitude he needed. He began the task -of receiving the material the cephaids had assimilated, feeding in -associations of "probable general context" with the natives' comments -regarding each picture. He laughed to himself as he realized that a -certain amount of projection of his own notions was inevitable. - -Such was the tremendous power of the cephaloids, and the delicate, -almost intuitive skill of his handling, that the major part of the -analysis was complete in little more than an hour. He switched the -controls to "Translate, Univ. Sp. to Other." Indicator needles shifted -and steadied as the surface potentials readjusted in the semi-living -colloids. - -Then, before proceeding further, he asked the captain to join him -again. When Gordon was seated, the expert smiled wryly at him. "This -is usually considered very poor procedure, but there's only one word -I can be fairly sure of as a check on this thing. It seems reasonable -that, when the middle native exclaimed 'Aru!', he meant 'Good'!! -That was when we destroyed the attacking ship, if you remember ... a -little fiction which I shall have to explain to them later." Into the -microphone he said, in Universal Speech, "Good. That is good." - -"Aru. Aru naa lo," replied the loudspeaker. - -Stuart, though he relaxed a little then, lost no time. It took him only -a few minutes to memorize several phrases which the jelly-and-silver -translator gave him. By the time Brettner had the little scout ship -warmed up for him, Stuart was prepared to tell the natives, "Peace! I -come in peace. Your people and my people have the same enemy. Therefore -let us be friends and work together. We shall give you large and strong -weapons." - -He turned to leave the lab, but stopped to squint once more at the -screen. Only the native with the gun was visible, still grimly waiting. -The linguist finished buckling on his gear with nervous fingers. "They -look awfully well-disciplined to me," he murmured to himself. "Wish -I felt a little more nonchalant about this!" He clumped down the -passageway to Number Three Lock, where he met Brettner climbing out of -the scout ship. - -Brettner slapped him on the back, saying, "She's all wound up. Good -luck, chum. Keep away from the girlies, hear?" From the control -room, Rogers shouted gaily, "Send us a postcard, laddie. One of them -Venus-type!" The two scouts guffawed heartily. Gordon looked out and -waved at him. - -The linguist climbed into the control seat, laughing in spite of -himself. He waved at Brettner, shut the inner door, and opened the -outer. A monitor light showed green. "Ready," he told the intercom. He -was surprised at how steady his voice and hands were. - -"Cast off!" came Gordon's voice. - - - VI - -He touched the "release" button and felt himself flung away from the -_Special Agent_. He boosted his little vessel around a semicircle -several kilometers in diameter, as he had been instructed, so the -position of the big ship would not be given away when he approached the -ground. He overmodulated the drive then, to make plenty of noise, and -headed directly for the waiting native. Over a suitable grassy spot, he -waited until he was sure the Azuran had seen him; then he eased down -slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves. - -He landed with the nose about ten degrees too low, settled with a -rolling bump, and opened the port as soon as he could manage. He -mumbled to himself a bit, practising his little speech. Then he stepped -out. - -The blast-rifle looked like a ninety-millimeter projector. It scowled -viciously at his abdomen from only twenty paces away. He swallowed -several times and managed a trembly little smile. - -The native continued to inspect him sourly through the peepsight. A -tentacle seemed to twitch impatiently at the trigger. - -"After all," the linguist thought rapidly, "a facial expression such -as a smile is probably meaningless to him. I shall have to make a more -significant sign, as in that sketch." He unbuckled his holster belt and -carefully laid it to one side, hand-guns and all. Still no response. - -He walked forward halfway to the native, holding up his open hands. He -recited his speech, then, and stood waiting. - -With his first words, the other's attitude changed. The gun was lowered -slowly while the native stared at him with big, black, disk-like eyes. -He stared back, examining the bright red native with interest. Long -feet, with two toes like pincers; heavily muscled legs; middle limbs -like arms, with short, powerful hands of a sort; two six-fingered -tentacles growing out from the sides of the head-- - -One of the middle limbs reached out and tugged at his arm -experimentally. The native said something evidently meaning "Come -along". Stuart walked along with him, reporting "Okay, so far," into -his radio. The two beings walked up to the entrance to the cave, from -where the scout ship could just be seen. Suddenly the smaller native -sprang out of the brush and backed the linguist against a tree, holding -the crossbow almost at his throat. The first native whirled, aimed the -blast-rifle at the scout ship, and fired. There was a flash at the -ship's bow, and a deep gash was blasted into the metal. - -"Aru!" said the natives. - -Stuart's earphone crackled, but the signal was weak. "What's going on?" -came Gordon's voice, faintly. "Get away from them and we'll blow them -to smithereens!" - -He tried to think clearly. "I don't know how to get away," he realized -miserably. "Never had any of that combat training." He found the native -with the blast-rifle chattering at him; the other had withdrawn the -crossbow from his throat. "I'm all right," he reported weakly. He -listened to the native a moment, then added, "This is rather puzzling, -though. They actually seem friendly. I believe one of them is telling -me that we're friends now." - -"That lousy iron hill you're on is killing your signal, Stuart. I can -hardly hear you. You're in plain sight, though, through the telescope. -Shall we come after you?" - -The natives were pulling at the linguist's arm, urging him toward the -cave. "No, keep out of sight a while," he shouted, shaking his head. "I -believe they want me to come with them." - - * * * * * - -The reply from the _Special Agent_ was unintelligible. Stuart allowed -the Azurans to guide him into the cave; he was not surprised to find -it the end of a long tunnel through the coral. Two other natives came -running past and took up positions as guards just inside the entrance. - -The phosphorescent material of the hill itself supplied a feeble light. -There seemed to be an alarm system of some sort, for handles were set -into small square boxes on the walls every fifty meters or so. - -During the hour-long walk, Stuart learned bits of the natives' -language. If one could apply the hitherto universally valid criteria of -the Linguistic Academy, he decided, this language represented a long -history of high culture and philosophical achievement. He found the -idea encouraging. - -He was already constructing simple sentences when the tunnel turned -sharply and entered a small cave. It was really an underground room, he -noticed, with several corridors leading away. One of his guides pulled -a lever; a moment later a dozen other natives entered the room. With -them was a monkey-rat, sporting Rogers' two hunting knifes; it pointed -to the linguist and chattered shrilly. The linguist recognized one of -the Azurans as the one he had caught. The first to enter, however, -seemed considerably older than the rest. Stuart guessed he was a high -official. - -The elderly one approached the Earthman and held out his tentacles -to the sides. It seemed to mean something. There was a short, tense -silence. - -"Of course!" exclaimed Stuart to himself. "The gesture of peaceful -intent: showing the absence of weapons!" He held up his hands, likewise -empty, and repeated his speech. - -There were murmurs of "Aru!" around him. Unobtrusive weapons were -unobtrusively lowered. Sketching materials were brought to the -official: sheets of something like parchment, and a reed which exuded -an inky substance through a fine hole. Two blocks of what seemed to -be extraordinarily soft wood were carried in; the official sat down, -somewhat in human fashion, and motioned the language expert to do -likewise. - -The "conversation" lasted almost two hours. Stuart, by sketching and -using a few words, explained his mission. The natives seemed to -understand; judging by their awareness of the outer universe, they -had considerable scientific knowledge. He guessed, though, that their -technology was more biological than mechanical. They knew where the -Invaders were from, what they had looked like, and how some of their -mechanisms had operated. But Azuran culture, never warlike, had been -unable to strike back, and had been so badly smashed that there had -been no opportunity to use the captured knowledge. - -"They nearly destroyed my people," explained the official with words -and pictures. "We were many millions. Now only thousands. We saved -what we could and hid underground, scattered. For five years we -have struggled to stay alive. Now we are regaining our strength and -can think of building again. But always we must be ready for the -Invaders. They killed for nothing or for amusement. Took nothing except -specimens; apparently they wanted nothing here but sport. They simply -attacked without warning one day, all over the planet, and hunted us -for fifty-four days. Then they disappeared. We caught a few live ones -outside their ships by trickery, and we captured two small ships the -same way. But in our difficulty we have had little time to investigate -the ships." - -"Where are the captured creatures?" asked Stuart. - -"Oh, they did not live long." The other's manner did not indicate -regret. "They needed high temperature and a special atmosphere to -stay alive, and of course we had inadequate means to care for them. -We made very thorough biological studies of them, however." He shook -his tentacles, as if in disgust. "They were remarkably unpleasant. -Colorless, and gritty to the touch. Completely hateful. They used to -throw dissected specimens of our people out of their ships; sometimes -live people were dropped." - - * * * * * - -He nodded toward the blast-rifle. "You are good to offer weapons. From -certain records we found, we believe the enemy will return soon. I -understand your need for a base here. I can speak for my people ... -what is left of them. We accept your offer. Come down again tomorrow to -the clearing in your big ship. Our highest leader will be present, and -a treaty will be made." - -Abruptly, thus, the interview was over. The old native was obviously -tired. The linguist got to his feet, intending to express his pleasure -at the outcome. He had his mouth open, and it stayed that way when -the blast-rifle was suddenly thrust into his hands. The official, who -had handed it to him, put a tentacle on his shoulder in what Stuart -recognized as a gesture of friendship. - -The linguist grinned, put his hand on the other's shoulder, and handed -back the weapon. - -There was a great din of whistling and cries of "Aru! Aru naa lo!" -It became a sort of cheer, with a crowd of natives following Stuart -and his three guides back down the tunnel. The old official stood and -watched them go. - -Back in the daylight, the linguist was startled to discover that -Procyon was low in the sky and that night was near. He hurried down the -path toward his scout ship to get away from the iron hill. Hastily he -switched on his radio. Before he could catch his breath enough to talk, -he heard White's voice. - -"Hey, I see him! There he is, chief; there's the little guy!" Sounds of -the drive being activated came through the earphone. - -Gordon's voice cut in. "You okay, Stuart?" - -"Yes, yes, I'm all right. Come on down--peaceably." - -"What's the deal?" - -"They're convinced. They'll have their president, or whatever, here in -the morning to sign a treaty with us." - -"WHAT?!" - -A moment later the big ship landed with a silent rush, flattening out a -large expanse of scrub. The ground crunched under it. A dozen wide-eyed -natives watched from a respectful distance. - -The lower port flew open; Gordon and Rogers came scrambling down the -ladder. The two men came running over, hand-guns swinging heavily at -their sides. The turret guns were trained on the hill before the cave. - -"Is this on the level?" demanded Gordon. - -"Yes. I'll explain later, after I've had some sleep." - -The captain's eye fell on the scout ship. "Looks like your ship will -navigate all right," he said, still out of breath. "Probably have to -replace the autopilot and tracker, though. But why in blazes did they -take a shot at it? And why wasn't your defensive field on?" - -The linguist kicked a pebble. "I forgot to ask them why they did that. -I guess they figured my gesture of offering a weapon didn't mean much -unless I was vulnerable to the weapon myself. Or maybe they felt that, -if I came in good faith, I'd come without protection. Anyway, they -didn't want to shoot me just to find out, so they tested it on the -ship and decided I was--er, on the level. If it _had_ been on, they'd -probably have shot me immediately with the crossbow. Or maybe they'd -have figured out what the glow was and shot me without testing it. Then -they'd have gone back in the tunnel and sealed it up for good." - -He suddenly laughed aloud, face alight with pleasure and surprised -realization. "For the first time on this trip, I'm glad I've never had -any military experience! If I'd been well-trained, that field would -have been turned on!" - -Gordon's strained face relaxed. He looked at Stuart in awe, and put an -arm around his shoulders. After a moment he said, musingly, "What do we -do next? We've got to get back, but we also ought to see this through -when the brass gets here." - -Stuart's reply was prompt. "You go back. Leave me food for a couple of -days and tell Patrol to bring me what I need for a long stay. I'll see -this thing through." - -"Can I take a picture of you tomorrow with the Azuran big chief? It'd -look swell in the papers back home." Gordon's tone was bantering. - -The linguist looked him in the eye. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: Action on Azura - -Author: Robertson Osborne - -Release Date: December 05, 2020 [EBook #63900] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ACTION ON AZURA *** -</pre> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>ACTION ON AZURA</h1> - -<h2>By ROBERTSON OSBORNE</h2> - -<p>The Others—the Nameless Ones—had tried to<br /> -conquer this fair and gentle world, searing the<br /> -very sky with vicious flame, drenching the natives<br /> -with death. They failed. Then came the Terrans,<br /> -with a new idea ... a different weapon....</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Fall 1949.<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>On the thirty-third day out of Earth Central, the <i>Special Agent</i> -heterodyned itself out of w-space and re-entered the normal continuum. -The little 1400-ton vessel fell free toward the fifth planet of Procyon -for half an hour before planetary drive was applied to slow it into an -orbit.</p> - -<p>Allan Stuart, linguist, in this maiden mission of CONTACT INCORPORATED, -felt seasick again during the period of free fall. Of the six men -aboard, he was the only one who hadn't spent at least one hitch in the -Solar System Patrol. He was doggedly trying to steady his nerves by -floating a row of dictionaries in midair when the intercom startled -him. It was the voice of James Gordon, ship's captain and head of the -new firm.</p> - -<p>"All hands! We start spiraling in shortly and we should land on Azura -in about five hours. Nestor, relieve White in the drive room. The rest -of you come on up to Control for a final briefing."</p> - -<p>The bony little linguist sighed, put away his books, and unstrapped -himself. Nausea made him hiccup. Detouring sadly around the intricate, -day-old wreckage of what had been a beautiful cephaloid unit, he swung -stiffly out of the lab. In the corridor he had to squeeze past a badly -torn-up wall. Dan Rogers, one of the two planetary scouts, shut off a -welding torch and coasted along with him.</p> - -<p>"Little old piece of nickel-iron sure raised heck, didn't it, Mr. -Stuart?" drawled the scout. "Come out into normal space for two minutes -to get a bearing, and—WHAM!" He propelled himself along with the -effortless efficiency of a man accustomed to doing without gravity.</p> - -<p>Stuart, correcting course with some difficulty, took a moment to -answer. "Hm? Oh, the meteor! Yes, indeed it did. My leg is still stiff, -and of course half my equipment is just junk now. But I guess we were -rather fortunate at that, since none of us was killed. All the way to -Procyon ... three point four parsecs. Dear me!" He clucked, shaking his -head, and wondered again how the other five men in the crew could take -these things so casually.</p> - -<p>He drifted into the control room with Rogers and hovered near the desk. -Brettner, the other scout, came in playing some outlandish sort of -guitar; White, engineer and assistant astrogator, joined him in a final -caterwauling chorus of "The Demon of Demos."</p> - -<p>The ship's captain swung his chair to face them, his angular face -folding into a responsive grin. Then he waved a tele-tape at the four -men and looked more serious.</p> - -<p>"Here's Patrol's latest summary of the situation," he announced. "Still -no response from Procyon V, otherwise known as Azura. No activity in -the ruined cities. No further clashes with traders, because the traders -have given up. However, the natives are still taking pot-shots from -the woods at any scouting parties that dare to sit down on the planet. -Every attempt at contact is fiercely rejected.</p> - -<p>"The Patrol lads, naturally, are forbidden to shoot back, at least -until they find out what this is all about ... which, of course, is -where our own little expedition of specialists comes in. Incidentally, -it seems fairly certain the natives know nothing of radio, so we'll be -safe in using microwave to feel our way down in the dark."</p> - -<p>He accepted a cigarette from Rogers and nodded toward a month-old -report titled: Unofficial Data as of 31 October 2083; Procyon V (Azura).</p> - -<p>"I know we have precious little to go in there with, but that's the -situation. A million credits from Earth Central, if we establish -friendly contact." He smoked a while, grey eyes on the ceiling. Then, -as nobody spoke, he added: "The Patrol has had two more skirmishes, -not far from here, with what we've called the Invader culture. None of -their ships has been captured, but it's fairly certain they're the same -vicious crowd we've fought near Rigel, Alpha Centauri, and so on. They -seem to be heading this way again slowly. Here...."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He handed out half a dozen photographs of strange-looking spacecraft. -"They're undoubtedly the gang that blew hell out of Azura a few years -ago, before we got here, and gave the natives such a violent dislike of -strangers. The Invader's weapons are somewhat inferior to ours, but he -apparently has the considerable advantage of having superior position -in regard to bases ... particularly around here. The patrol simply -can't stand up to a determined attack in this region unless a base is -made available, preferably on Azura."</p> - -<p>Brettner said, softly, "That's what we're really after, isn't it? -Nobody's handing us a million credits just for cultural purposes."</p> - -<p>The leader of the expedition nodded. "Yep. Once we talk to these -Azurans, I think we can convince them we all have a common enemy. An -enemy who seems to enjoy smashing things just for fun. I have a hunch -the Azurans expect the Invaders back, too ... that might account for -their apparent determination to remain hidden." He reached for the log. -"Incidentally, what's the latest on the damage situation?"</p> - -<p>Stuart shook his head unhappily and brushed hair out of his eyes. -"One cephaloid is completely ruined. It was the one I had trained to -translate into Universal Speech from whatever other language would -be fed into it later. I was going to teach it what Azuran I could -pick up and use it as a direct interpreter. We have to use Universal -Speech, you see, because cephaloids simply can't handle homonyms such -as 'see' and 'sea,' or 'threw' and 'through.' However," his worried -look lessened, "the multiple analyzer is all right. And the stand-by, -originally conditioned only for generalized language response, has been -retrained in Universal Speech and will learn Azuran from the analyzer."</p> - -<p>He managed a feeble smile. "After all, the natives are manlike, and -we know they had a city culture much like ours, so there is a good -possibility of our finding mutually intelligible symbols. And we know -what their language sounds like, thanks to the trader who got away with -a recording."</p> - -<p>White spoke up. "I hope you weren't counting too much on the portable -teleview, Mr. Stuart. It's a total loss. So is the long-range -microphone. It's going to be tough to study their language at a -distance." He looked at Gordon. "The ship is okay, chief, except for -the debris we're still cutting away. All the animals are dead; I guess -you knew that. And all we've salvaged from the jeep is the power unit -and one repulsor. We'll have to walk where we can't use the scout ship."</p> - -<p>Brettner, when the captain looked at him, said quietly: "We're awful -low on food. Just about enough to get us back, with three or four days -to spare. Can't we eat any of this Azuran stuff?"</p> - -<p>Gordon shook his head. "The water and air are all right, but there's no -food for us down there. Good thing, in a way."</p> - -<p>He laughed at the surprised expressions. "All Terrestrial life is based -on complexes of iron, magnesium, or copper, but Azuran life seems to be -built on cobalt complexes. Consequently both sides are immune to the -diseases of the other. You remember the terrible plagues that hit the -Terrestrial port areas in the old days, and the grim effects of our -landings on Alpha Centauri III and Proxima II. But the biostat labs -report that Terrestrial and Azuran tissue cultures have only a toxic -effect on each other ... no parasitic viability whatever."</p> - -<p>He looked up at the chronometer. "About time to begin our spiral, if -we're to land before daybreak in that area we picked out. Let's get -some sleep. White, you'll relieve me for a couple of hours, soon as -we've established our trajectory."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Stuart, on the way out, picked up the sheaf of papers summarizing what -was known about Azura. He strapped into his bunk absent-mindedly and -lay there trying to visualize his first non-solar planet. Many kinds of -intelligent animals, the reports agreed. Evidently a mutation leading -to intelligence had occurred quite early in the diversification of the -animal phyla.</p> - -<p>One of the traders, said the report, claimed he had even learned to -converse in a limited way with what he called monkey-rats. These had -about the intelligence of a five-year-old human, and displayed the -group cooperation common to many Azuran forms.</p> - -<p>Too bad the trader hadn't been able to stay there longer. He had -finally found some of the natives, just at the time they had found him. -He was preparing to leave his ship and accept their thanks for the fine -gifts he had set out, when gifts, trees, and nearby boulders began to -blow up all around. He had taken off without further discussion.</p> - -<p>Four other traders and three Patrol ships had failed. A small -freighter, landing to make emergency repairs, had disappeared. The only -weapon the natives had, apparently, was a disrupter of some sort, with -a range of only two or three kilometers. But the wreckage of the cities -showed plainly that the invaders had used weapons of the same type as -Earth's, probably with a range of hundreds of kilometers. That meant—</p> - -<p>He awoke, struggling, as if from a nightmare. The klaxon was sounding -off, jarring his teeth. Gordon's slightly nasal voice came over the -loudspeaker: "Landing stations, everybody. We're sitting down in -fifteen minutes."</p> - -<p>The linguist hastily unfastened his safety belts, rolled out, and -scrambled into primary space gear. "Secondary equipment?" he asked -Rogers, who was getting dressed beside him.</p> - -<p>"Naw, no armor. Leave your oxygen off, too. This is a Class E planet, -just like home."</p> - -<p>Stuart scrambled down to the control room and strapped himself in -beside the stern-view screen. He could hear White and Brettner in the -drive room, sleepily arguing about who had mislaid the coffee jug. -Such nonchalance! he thought. Trembling with excitement, he nearly -dropped his camera. "I wonder how soon I can get some pictures," he -muttered. "If I could only photograph our landing ... that would really -liven up the next meeting of the Philological Society!" He had already -taken over a hundred pictures of the expedition, and his hobby was the -subject of much ribbing from the rest of the six-man corporation.</p> - -<p>Gordon looked over from the control board and interrupted his thoughts. -"Stuart! See anything out there?"</p> - -<p>A dial over the linguist's head indicated only a hundred meters to go. -His screen showed a dark landscape, illuminated by two of the four -moons. "Tree directly below," he announced. "Better move to the red -side about twenty meters."</p> - -<p>The vessel shifted slightly and eased down smoothly under Gordon's -practised handling. Relays clacked; the drive hummed softly.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a rough branch scraped along the side, making metallic echoes -in the double walls. Seconds later the ship settled with a gritty -crunching. A few kicks of the drive leveled it off.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">II</p> - -<p>There was profound silence for a moment after the drive died away. -Someone yelled "Wahoo!" Then Rogers came clattering down the ladder. He -beckoned to Stuart, who was already climbing out of the seat eagerly.</p> - -<p>"Time for the landing party," said the scout. He eyed the camera. -"Remember now, play your cards close to your chest. Don't go skittering -off to take pictures. First we patrol once around the ship, then we get -the camouflage nets pegged down, right away. Then we sit tight 'till -we've had a good look around in daylight."</p> - -<p>As they approached the arms locker, they found Nestor drawing out three -blast-rifles. He held out two of them. "Your weapons, gentlemen," said -the chubby engineer, bowing. "I'm guarding the airlock while you're out -there. And next time we cut cards for this little privilege, I'm going -to shuffle the deck myself. Six years in the Patrol before this trip, -and I've been first-to-land only once in my life!"</p> - -<p>The linguist smiled, feeling his taut nerves relax a bit. He pushed the -Outside Test button beside the lock at the end of the corridor. A green -light flashed. "Air's already been okayed," Nestor told him.</p> - -<p>Stuart pushed another button. The inner door withdrew from its permoid -gasket and swung aside. The three men clanked into the echoing airlock -chamber, where a touch on a third stud slid shut the inner door and -opened the outer.</p> - -<p>The night lay mysterious before them, full of exotic odors, unfamiliar -sounds, and double shadows. The slender linguist clambered like an -eager monkey down the fin rungs and stood inhaling deeply.</p> - -<p>He was adjusting his camera when Rogers whispered in his ear, "Come on, -let's make a tour around the clearing." Into his microphone, the scout -reported: "Beginning our circuit, chief. Circling counterclockwise."</p> - -<p>Rifles unslung, the two began walking cautiously. They had gone about -halfway, and Stuart was studying the two moons, when his feet were -abruptly yanked out from under him and he fell to the ground. The patch -of pinkish grass under him seemed to ripple, rolling him over and over -helplessly until he was brought up against a rounded hummock. Before he -could struggle to his feet, he came floundering back again to be dumped -at the edge of the patch. Sitting up dazedly, he found Rogers looking -for something to shoot at.</p> - -<p>"What the devil happened?" whispered the scout. Gordon's voice came -over the earphones: "What's going on down there? All I can hear up here -in the turret is grunts and whispers, but what I see sure looks screwy!"</p> - -<p>Stuart got up lamely, rubbing his sore leg. "I was sniffed at and -rejected, in a manner of speaking," he answered. "Watch." He drew his -hand gun, which happened to be the most convenient thing, and tossed -it on the animated grass before the flabbergasted scout could stop -him. Immediately it was whisked away to the central hump, brushed -with feelers, and sent tumbling back to his feet. "A most intriguing -experience," murmured the linguist, studying the pink grass with his -head cocked to one side. "I shall have to try it again when there's -more time." He picked up the gun and limped away on patrol.</p> - -<p>Rogers, with an expression of surprised scorn and amusement on his -handsome face, explained briefly to Gordon what had happened. As he -caught up with Stuart, he glanced toward the nose of the <i>Special -Agent</i>. "See anything yet, chief?"</p> - -<p>In the nose turret, two gun barrels continued their sweep. "Nope," -came back Gordon's voice. "There's a broad prairie just beyond the -trees on the 'East' side of this clearing, if you remember. Plain as -day in this double moonlight. Almost looks like my home state, except -for a few hills of that phosphorescent coral rock. Maybe—HEY! Some -kind of critters running toward the hills! About five kilometers away. -Flashes...." He broke off, as if absorbed in watching.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The two men on the ground slowly continued their patrol, listening -intently. In about fifteen seconds, above the faint rustling of the -leaves in the pre-dawn breeze, they heard far-off snarling roars, -mingled with crackling explosions. Almost total silence followed, as -if the whole forest were listening. "All quiet," Gordon reported after -a while. "Must have been what the traders called hell-cats, attacking -some native settlement. Looks like we made a fair guess about where to -find some natives."</p> - -<p>"We also know where they keep some of their popguns," added Rogers -sarcastically.</p> - -<p>Gordon's voice chuckled. "Patrol says the only known weapon has an -apparent range of two or three kilometers at most, and probably is not -portable."</p> - -<p>The scout looked skeptical. "Patrol says," he repeated sourly. -"Apparently, probably, maybe. I notice our old buddies haven't cared to -get within a hundred kilometers of said popgun."</p> - -<p>When the tour around the ship had been completed, Rogers looked up. -"Okay, chief. Ready for the nets."</p> - -<p>Far up in the nose appeared a black hole. White climbed out and spread -a conical camouflage net over the nose. Then he ducked back into the -ship. "Here comes the first strip," said Gordon. "I hope this gimmick -works!" A slot opened behind the skirt of the conical net, and a sheet -of neolon camouflage unrolled downward. Rogers seized the bundle of -stakes at its lower end and had the strip pegged down in a few seconds, -with willing but ineffectual help from the inexperienced Stuart.</p> - -<p>"All right so far," the scout reported. Another strip came down. Stuart -grabbed the stakes, then put them down to rearrange the rifle slung -across his back. Suddenly there was a blur of movement and the stakes -disappeared around a fin.</p> - -<p>Rogers, carrying the rubber mallet, walked up and nudged him. "Come -on! Dawn's about to break, laddie. What are you staring at?" His own -eyes widened as the bundle of stakes came back and dropped near his -feet. He whipped out a flashlight and revealed a pair of "monkey-rats" -scurrying away. He laughed and shook his head. "Things around here -have a cockeyed way of putting back what they don't want. I suppose -these fellers were after metal, like Venus blacksmith lizards."</p> - -<p>The two men resumed working, and at length the entire ship was -tented. Not long after they had finished, the light was strong enough -to show the beady-eyed little monkey-rats sitting nearby, watching -curiously. The fearless creatures, as large as cocker spaniels, were an -indeterminate red-gray in color, four-legged, and had two six-fingered -tentacles where Stuart expected a muzzle. Bright black eyes looked -out from under bony ridges. The monkey-rats carried short spears, and -seemed to have pouches slung on their backs.</p> - -<p>"Too bad we can't feed 'em," murmured the scout. "I bet we can make -friends with them. We better explore a little more, though, first." -Stuart strolled with him to where a narrow neck of turf led from the -clearing out to the prairie. A brook followed this little alley into -the woods.</p> - -<p>Rogers pointed to the near bank, where a miniature scaffolding of -bright orange and blue matchsticks stood a few centimeters high. -"Construction plant," said the linguist, remembering a trader's -description. Nearby were three mossbacks, looking like turtles with -tufts of green on their backs. "Possibly symbiotic," Stuart thought to -himself. The creatures dabbled their forelegs in the water and blinked -sleepily.</p> - -<p>The monkey-rats, following the men, apparently discovered the mossbacks -just then; there was a sudden squirrel-like chittering sound as one -of them pointed with a tentacle. Immediately two small spears flashed -through the early morning light and chunked into one of the mossbacks. -The creature squawked once and fell over; its companions looked at -it stupidly for a moment, then dove clumsily into the brook. The -monkey-rats dashed over to their prey, seized it with their tentacles, -and began to hustle it toward the nearby trees.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Without warning, a sky-colored creature like a hawk swooped over them -and dropped a rock. One of the monkey-rats was hit in the leg and fell -sprawling. The other whistled with rage and hurled an ineffectual -spear. The hawk came back a moment later and began to bomb them with -more rocks. The injured one was being half-carried by its companion, -and both were screaming angrily.</p> - -<p>Rogers scowled at the battle. "Looks like he doesn't want to leave his -friend," he growled. Suddenly he whipped out a hunting-knife, aimed for -an imperceptible split second, and let fly. The hawk was slashed open -down the belly from head to tail. It flopped heavily onto the patch -of pink grass, snapping with vicious grey teeth in dying hatred. The -uninjured monkey-rat ran to retrieve the knife.</p> - -<p>The two men went to look at the wounded one and found it dragging a -bleeding hind leg. It seemed especially shocking to Stuart, somehow, -that the blood was red, although of a more brilliant shade than that -of Terrestrial mammals. The creature turned to face the men, waving a -spear defensively and shrilling for help. Its companion came charging -up with the knife and two spears. The two forms of life eyed each other -for a moment.</p> - -<p>"Here's your opportunity to make friends with them," urged Gordon over -the radio. "They seem accustomed to manlike beings. Maybe they can be -of some use to us. Worth trying, anyway."</p> - -<p>The scout squatted and made soothing sounds. Stuart backed away a few -steps, so as to represent less of a threat, and began taking pictures -as unobtrusively as possible.</p> - -<p>Rogers studied the situation in a moment, then extended his empty -hands, palms up, in response to a whispered suggestion from the -semanticist. Both monkey-rats cocked their heads and watched him -sharply, murmuring to each other.</p> - -<p>Moving slowly as Stuart directed, the scout tore a strip of bandage -from his first-aid packet and allowed it to be examined. He reached for -one of the wooden spears, needle-tipped with something like obsidian, -but it was withdrawn hastily. He broke off a small branch from a nearby -bush and tried to splint the broken leg. The creature squealed and -snapped at him, but neither monkey-rat threatened him with a weapon. -They seemed more curious than afraid.</p> - -<p>Nonplussed for a moment, the Earthman whistled softly, thinking. "Give -them your other knife," suggested Stuart. The scout drew it out and -dropped it hastily before a spear could be launched at him.</p> - -<p>Two knives! The creatures examined them with obvious pleasure, testing -the blades and inspecting them closely. Again Rogers reached out; this -time his touch was tolerated. "Warm-blooded," he said quietly into his -microphone. "Feels like two bones in the upper leg." He succeeded in -straightening the limb and tying it up. Then he pantomimed carrying -the victim and pointed into the woods. The other monkey-rat pushed the -injured one toward him and made tentacle motions which evidently meant -"yes." He picked up the one with the broken leg, carried it a short -distance into the woods, and set it down. The other followed, bristling -with knives and spears. Stuart came behind at a discreet distance, -observing carefully and making notes. Occasionally he snapped a picture.</p> - -<p>The scout poured some water into the palm of his hand and offered it. -The injured animal shot out a tubular orange tongue and sucked up the -water. The two men were trying to establish further communication when -suddenly their earphones crackled.</p> - -<p>"You men outside! Stand by the neck of the clearing! There's been -some shooting over near those coral rocks, and here comes a native -hell-for-leather with three hell-cats after him. Heading for the -clearing, I think. Try to catch him ... he seems to be unarmed. We'll -get out and hold off the hell-cats from up here!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">III</p> - -<p>Rogers was belly-down in the grass at one side of the entrance before -Gordon finished talking. Stuart dashed after him, noticing absently -as he passed the pink grass that it was churning and enveloping the -carcass of the dead hawk. He reached the edge of the clearing and took -up a position across the brook from Rogers. He could see nothing but -dust through the grass and heavy scrub. The canteen gouged into his -flank, and his holster seemed caught in a root. He struggled to get -the blast-rifle unslung from his back, wishing for the twentieth time -that he had had at least a little experience at this sort of thing. -Just one hitch in the Patrol, for instance....</p> - -<p>The radio broke in on his whispered swearing. "You might have to do -some shooting down there. These machine-guns may not stop all the -hell-cats dead in their tracks, but I don't want to use anything -bigger ... no use letting the neighborhood know what we've got."</p> - -<p>A few seconds later the native came pounding desperately through the -alley into the clearing. "Hold him!" yelled the scout. Stuart sprang to -his feet with a leveled rifle and confronted the astounded humanoid, -who collided with a tree and stopped. Nestor came dodging out through -the nets to cover the prisoner with another gun. The brilliant red -manlike creature, obviously understanding the weapons, still tried to -edge away from the squalling roars of the hell-cats not far behind on -the prairie.</p> - -<p>The twin sixty-millimeter guns in the nose burst out with a clatter. -The noise of the exploding projectiles was deafening. Clumps of dirt -and scrub flew high into the air. Then Nestor's blast-rifle roared -once, sharply.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" alt=""/> - <div class="caption"> - <p><i>Nestor's blast-rifle roared once, sharply.</i></p> - </div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Abruptly there was silence. The Azuran had obviously discovered the -ship behind the camouflage; he stared at it, blinked, and stared again, -as though in disbelief. Stuart began taking pictures of him. "No more -cats," came Gordon's voice. "They were bunched up and Nestor got 'em -all. Ah, I notice our new friend has seen through the camouflage net."</p> - -<p>The native's reaction was sudden, unexpected. He shuddered and slumped -to the ground, a picture of dejection. His tentacles were limp. Nothing -would induce him to communicate. At length Stuart offered water; the -native suddenly arose, as if in a hopeless rage, knocked the canteen -aside, and kicked the linguist's injured leg. Then the red being sank -to the ground again.</p> - -<p>"Damn!" growled Stuart through clenched teeth. He rubbed his leg. "I -suppose he thinks we're the Invaders, coming back to ravage his people -again. Either he never saw the Invaders himself, or we happen to -resemble them. Or maybe the terror of the invasion was so great that -a serious semantic confusion exists, labelling all strangers as Bad. -Well, at any rate, I'll have to go through some semantic analysis to -establish any rapport at all." Meditating on the problem, he sent -Nestor back to the ship for drawing materials, and bent over to -retrieve the canteen. The native immediately knocked him flat and fled -into the woods.</p> - -<p>Rogers started after the Azuran, unslinging his gun, but Gordon spoke -up from the airlock, where he had been about to climb down to the -ground. "Dan! Get out of those woods, you half-wit! Let him go; you -can't possibly catch him. Anyway, we may be able to see where he goes, -if he breaks out into open country again. White, will you keep an eye -on the edge of the woods from up there? Be ready to man the 'scope. -I'll be right up."</p> - -<p>Nestor sat down beside the linguist a few minutes later and held out a -cup of fragrant coffee. "Here, Mr. Stuart. I figured you guys could use -breakfast better than drawing materials right now. Feel okay?"</p> - -<p>Stuart sipped and nodded gratefully. "Mmm. Yes, fine, thanks."</p> - -<p>The plump little flight engineer handed him a sandwich. "You're due for -relief about now anyway. The boss and I will be out here, and White and -Brettner inside. You and Rogers can sleep a while."</p> - -<p>The linguist leaned back against a tree and lit a cigarette. "Has the -native showed up again?" he asked his microphone.</p> - -<p>White answered. "Yeah. He high-tailed it across the prairie and -disappeared among the coral rocks. Chief says for you to come in, -Stuart; he wants to know what you found out."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Stuart picked up his rifle, canteen, camera, and cup. He wondered -vaguely, as he trudged wearily over to the ship, how he had gotten -so tired. Then he realized that, like the others, he had gotten only -five hours' sleep in the past two nights. Procyon was yellow-white and -hot on his back, even through the netting, as he clambered up the fin -rungs. He felt sleepy.</p> - -<p>In the captain's crowded little cabin he dropped into a chair and -yawned. Gordon stretched, scratching lazily, and grinned at him. -"Bored, on your first day ashore?"</p> - -<p>The linguist smiled ruefully. "Tired, yes, but hardly bored. I don't -mind admitting the first few hours have been rather disappointing. We -had a native right here, I stood face to face with him, and we even -saved his life ... well, no use yowling about it. I presume he's gone -off to warn the others now. Our element of surprise, as you fellows -say, is lost." He brushed the hair out of his eyes. "What shall we do -about it, Gordon?"</p> - -<p>The leader drummed on the desk a while. "I dunno. This sort of -situation was never covered in Patrol courses. Maybe the General Staff -studies this stuff, but I was just a line officer, like the other guys. -If you remember, we figured we'd sort of make up our operations plan as -we went along. You probably know as much about it as we do, from all -your reading. Nothing predictable about any of this; we just have to -react to whatever develops. What would you suggest?"</p> - -<p>"Um. Well, I've a half-formed scheme for—er, seizing the bull by -the horns. The natives are certain to react immediately, either by -attacking us or by disappearing again. I feel that we should assume the -initiative as soon as possible, without waiting for them to maneuver -one of their weapons within range of us."</p> - -<p>"How do we assume the initiative?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, exactly—how?" The semanticist shook his head. "I'll have to -sleep on it at least a little while, Gordon. Right now I feel unable to -think. But somehow we have to convey to the Azurans the knowledge that -we are friendly. We'll have to find some way of representing the idea -to them."</p> - -<p>"Drop leaflets," suggested Gordon, wryly. "Or put up one of those -billboards they used to have all over a hundred years ago. Everybody in -the universe must have become accustomed to some kind of advertising by -now!" He laughed heartily. "Okay, Stuart. Go fall into your bunk. Let's -hope you wake up with a good idea!"</p> - -<p>The thoughtful little language expert got up to leave. "Billboard. -Billboard ... there may be something in that, even if you were joking."</p> - -<p>His musings were broken off by the alarm bell and the intercom's -squawk. "All hands! Battle stations! Chief, three natives just popped -up from a hole in the ground about two hundred meters away. Strong -radar indication."</p> - -<p>As Stuart ran down to his post at the airlock, he heard Gordon's calm -voice from the intercom. "All right, Brettner. Keep them covered, but -don't fire."</p> - -<p>At the lock, the linguist remembered to punch the personnel buttons -as the men climbed in, out of breath and swearing. He pushed the stud -beside his own name last and shut the lock as the "All Aboard" shone -green.</p> - -<p>Gordon spoke again, apparently to someone in the control room with him. -"They've evidently lugged a disrupter or something along a tunnel. Seem -to have a couple of big beasts of burden carrying a gadget ... looks -like one of those old pack howitzers. Let's wait 'till they get it -nearly assembled, so we can get an idea of—hup! Let's GO!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Stuart had forgotten to buckle his safety straps. He just had time to -grab a stanchion when the violent acceleration tripled his weight and -nearly threw him to the floor. No more than a heartbeat later, there -was a muffled boom from outside the ship, and a section of blazing tree -went rocketing past the glassite window.</p> - -<p>After a few seconds' acceleration he felt the ship take on a horizontal -component. The pressure eased off. He got up from his hands and knees -and adjusted the periscope controls until he got a view of the ground. -There was a group of burning trees several kilometers below, sliding -rapidly to the east. Several times the scenery shifted rapidly as the -ship zigzagged.</p> - -<p>As he swung the 'scope, Stuart was thunderstruck to discover a hole -blasted in the edge of a fin, not four meters away from where he stood. -Shreds of charred camouflage netting fluttered in tangled strings.</p> - -<p>On the intercom, White's voice broke the tense silence. "Gimme that -again, slowly, somebody. What happened, anyway?"</p> - -<p>Gordon answered. "That must have been a tunnel they came out of, right -at the edge of the woods. Maybe they use it to get home if hell-cats -happen to catch them out on the prairie. That fellow we caught today -was probably heading for it, hoping to lose the cats in the woods -first."</p> - -<p>After a moment, he added, "Anyway, they showed up with a heavy weapon -and nearly got us. Patrol guessed wrong about its portability, and I -guessed wrong about its operation."</p> - -<p>Stuart commented, "Good thing someone happened to be on duty in the -turret, and we were able to take off on such short notice."</p> - -<p>"<i>Happened!</i>" barked the captain. "Mr. Stuart, that's the first rule of -<i>any</i> ship landing on territory listed as 'unsafe', and it 'happens' to -be Rules Seven through Sixteen of the Patrol Regulations!"</p> - -<p>Brettner eased the linguist's embarrassment by changing the subject -a little. "Did you all see the colossal helpers they had carrying -that weapon? Must be what the traders called heffalumps ... I thought -the pictures were fakes. Those critters practically did the shooting -themselves, and they were talking to the natives! This is some -planet—everybody talks to everybody except us!"</p> - -<p>Gordon spoke again. "White, I want you to rig up a mosaic alarm with -controls in the turret, Number One Lock, and control room ... before -tonight, if possible. Jury-rig it, just so it goes off when anything -larger than a mossback moves near the ship. Get as much range as you -can."</p> - -<p>"That means dismantling the space-probe and comparator, boss. Not -enough spare checkerboards to scan three hundred and sixty degrees with -a decent vertical coverage. And for stereo-perception, so the thing can -discriminate between a nearby leaf and a far-away heffalump—"</p> - -<p>"All right, do the best you can. Can you hook it up with an infra-red -snooper for night work? I don't believe the natives can see -infra-red ... I hope. Procyon's a little farther toward the blue than -Sol is."</p> - -<p>"I'll see what I can do. Can't get very good resolution with the -electro-optical stuff we have for infra-red. We had to weed out four -tons, you know, and the Hollmann scanners are three and a half parsecs -back, in our shop."</p> - -<p>Stuart noticed that the ship's course had steadied. A look through -the 'scope showed the recently-abandoned clearing now swinging under -the stern again, far below. He was about to take a picture of it when -Gordon called him.</p> - -<p>"Stuart, will you go to the drive room and give Nestor a hand? He's -scanning the area with microwave, and I want you to use the stern-view -telescope. Those characters may have decided to go back to their base -without using the tunnel; maybe we can keep out of sight and get a good -fix on where they hole up."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The linguist retracted the periscope and saw to it that the guard -plates slid over the outer lens. Then he dodged through the radiation -trap into the darkened drive room. He was wondering how to strap -himself into the seat without taking off all his photographic gear, -when Nestor, peering into the radar screen, snapped his fingers.</p> - -<p>"Got a blip, Gordon," said the engineer with suppressed excitement. -"One metallic object about the size of a foot-locker, maybe a little -bigger. Boy, do those rocks show up! Must be nearly all metal."</p> - -<p>In a moment the leader answered. "I believe I see something. Awkward -angle, though, on this turret telescope. How about you, Stuart?"</p> - -<p>"No, frankly, I—"</p> - -<p>Gordon cut in. "What magnification are you using?"</p> - -<p>"Let me see ... all I can get—sixty-four diameters."</p> - -<p>"Too much; cut it down to twelve. Center your 'scope. Now look at the -cross-hair grids. Find the lower part of F-7; you should see something -around there."</p> - -<p>"More likely F-6 from here," put in Nestor. "That's where my indication -is."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes! I see them. Three natives and two ... my goodness, those -heffalumps <i>are</i> big! Almost as big as elephants!"</p> - -<p>Gordon answered, "Yes, and apparently considerably more useful. Well, -keep a sharp watch on the group. Let me know where they go, and be sure -you mark the spot on a large-scale sketch or photo. I've got to send -off a report to Patrol; we're keeping them posted on every development."</p> - -<p>"Like a bomb-defusing squad," said Nestor hollowly. "The next crew will -take up where we left off, see?"</p> - -<p>The ship, swinging slowly ahead of the little raiding party, came to a -stop about six kilometers above and slightly beyond the coral rocks.</p> - -<p>White spoke over the intercom. "I don't think they'll see us here. -We're in the sun. But keep yourselves strapped in, gang; we're going -to move in a hurry if they point that thing at us. You guys below let -me know if they do anything suspicious. I can't see too much on the -control room screens."</p> - -<p>In the drive room, the power hummed softly. Relays clicked occasionally -as the minutes passed. The creatures on the ground entered a faint -trail winding among the hills of bright coral rock. Now and then one -of the heffalumps stopped and adjusted the load on his back, using the -middle two of his six limbs. Nestor nudged the language expert's arm.</p> - -<p>"Looks like they're getting close to home. Better get set to take some -pictures."</p> - -<p>Stuart nodded, having already picked up a plate magazine, and loaded -the camera box on the side of the telescope. He adjusted the controls -from time to time with nervous delicacy, occasionally tapping the -shutter button. Suddenly he switched to higher magnification, -exclaiming, "There they go! Into that cave!" He took three pictures in -rapid succession at different magnifications. He also banged his nose -hard on the eyepiece, and wondered some hours later how it came to be -so tender.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was a clatter of feet on the steel ladder. Gordon came running -over to him, an unfinished report in one hand and a half-eaten -hamburger in the other. "Lessee," he demanded.</p> - -<p>The linguist showed him. Only the cave mouth could be seen now, black -in the hot sunlight. It was halfway up a hill of dense coral, and was -protected from the front by another hill.</p> - -<p>The chief took a bite of hamburger and grinned at Stuart. "This is a -bit of luck," he said happily through the mouthful. "We wouldn't have -found that hideout in ten years if they hadn't taken a potshot at us!"</p> - -<p>Nestor exhaled cigarette smoke, looking cynical. "Swell. What do we do -now? Wave a hankie at them?"</p> - -<p>Gordon's expression became less cheerful. "We don't know yet. Things -have moved a little fast. But whatever we do, we'll have to get it -done fast. You guys might as well know now what came in a little while -ago on the radio." He drew a deep breath. "An Invader base has been -discovered—within striking distance of this area. It's a jolt, of -course, but at least we've finally discovered a base of theirs. Earth -Central says either we close this deal in four days or the planet will -have to be taken over the hard way."</p> - -<p>Stuart shook his head sadly, thinking of the already-ruined cities -below. "Our little firm had better live up to its name," he said.</p> - -<p>Gordon nodded. "A task force is already on the way."</p> - -<p>Brettner had come cat-footed down the ladder. "There's one way to -hustle things up," he growled, patting his hip holster. "I wish you'd -let me blister their stern-plates a little. Little old Frontier Lawyer -here would teach 'em some manners right now!"</p> - -<p>Stuart repressed a shudder.</p> - -<p>The captain strode over and confronted the scout with a frown. "That's -what we're here to avoid, Mr. Brettner, and you know it. Our weapons -are purely for defense, and there'd be hell raised if we harmed any -natives. If we got out of here alive, we'd lose our million credits -and all our expenses, as well as being tried for unauthorized warlike -acts." He sounded hoarse with fatigue and irritation. "Get over any -belligerent ideas you may have. That goes for all of you—at least on -this trip."</p> - -<p>He looked sternly at the group a moment, then nodded toward the ladder. -"Let's go have a conference. Nestor, will you stay here and keep a -sharp eye on that hideout?"</p> - -<p>The chubby engineer leaned back in the seat, swung the eyepiece over -into a comfortable position, and sighed. "Yeah, all right. Somebody -better bring me some food before long, though. I'm dying."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">IV</p> - -<p>Up in the "conference room", the men gathered about Gordon at the -controls. He checked the autopilot and sat drumming his fingers on -the desk. Finally he looked squarely at the language expert. "Mr. -Stuart ... it seems fairly obvious now that the outcome of this entire -expedition depends almost solely on you. You're the one who knows how -to convey ideas, probably as well as any human being alive, according -to the information we got before we asked you to join us. All the rest -of us can do is run this ship and make like space-fighters."</p> - -<p>He raised a hand at Stuart's beginning protest, and went on. "Let me -finish my little speech. You're trained for this sort of thing, even if -you do lack non-Terrestrial experience. You figured out the elements of -the Alpha Centauri II and IV languages from nothing but sound movies, a -few years back. Now, what I'm getting at is this: you tell us what has -to be done, and we'll try to figure out a way to do it. We're starting -from scratch, of course; that meteor, by a million-to-one chance, -ruined all our previous plans."</p> - -<p>Stuart pulled at his ear a moment. "Well, all those plans were designed -to give me at least the minimum amount of observation I'd need to -prepare a friendly message. Now, while my stock of Azuran symbols is -still zero, we've gained some information. It's too bad we lost the -horses and bloodhounds, for the combination can't be beaten when it's a -matter of finding someone in hiding. However, we do know where at least -three natives are. And personally, I don't regret it a bit that I'll -not make use of those hasty riding lessons."</p> - -<p>He paused, and White spoke up. "Even if we do know where some of them -are, I don't see how we can use Plan One. How can we set up hidden -microphones and telicons, when the ruddy natives live in a cave?"</p> - -<p>Brettner, looking disgusted, added, "Even when we catch one of the -critters by dumb luck, he won't talk. Trained not to. And that tears up -the second plan."</p> - -<p>The captain nodded. "And our third scheme ... to watch and wait, using -long-range equipment, and play for the breaks. That sure seemed like a -flexible plan. But of course it was blown all over the Milky Way along -with our food. Anyway, the news from Patrol makes speed essential."</p> - -<p>There was glum silence for a while. Then Rogers offered, "There must be -some way we can use our knowledge of where at least three of them are -hiding—even if the place is defended with a natural barricade and a -souped-up pack howitzer."</p> - -<p>After a thoughtful moment, the little language expert cleared his -throat hesitantly. "Er—I should like to suggest something...." They -all looked at him, making him feel rather self-conscious, but he went -on. "You said something about an old-fashioned billboard, Gordon, that -got me thinking. I have a good many pictures of the expedition and our -activities—" he reddened, remembering the frequent ribbings about his -photographic activity "—and I can make a few sketches for the rest -of it. You see, I was thinking we could sneak down there at night and -leave a series of pictures where the natives would find them in the -morning."</p> - -<p>He was talking rapidly now, full of steam, pacing back and forth. -"The pictures would show that we are <i>not</i> the Invaders, that we are -friendly—I took pictures of Rogers helping the monkey-rats, for -instance—and then we could have a couple of pictures of Terrestrials -and Azurans exchanging gifts." He stopped, embarrassed, wondering -whether his scheme sounded naive to these practical men. "It—it's been -tried before with considerable success ... in some cases."</p> - -<p>Gordon thought it over a while, rubbing the stubble on his -cheeks. "Might work," he mused aloud. "What about setting up an -automatic-sequence gimmick of some kind, controlled from here while we -watch their reaction with a telescope? We could turn the pages, -see? ... or should we just tack up a string of pictures along the -path?"</p> - -<p>Rogers sat forward. "Machine might be better, if we can rig it up soon -enough. Separate pictures might get blown away or something, for all we -know, or some kind of critter might destroy 'em."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Stuart stopped pacing and squinted at the ceiling. "Yes, I like the -machine. We could include a little pickup unit so I could record -and analyze their comments, knowing just what they were looking at. -That would really help a lot." He snapped his fingers, struck with -inspiration. "What about ending the little show with a real surprise? A -gift that would really demonstrate our good intentions?"</p> - -<p>What did he consider a suitable gift?</p> - -<p>"A blast-rifle!" he answered boldly.</p> - -<p>"What the devil!" exclaimed Gordon. The others indicated various -degrees of consternation. They stared at Stuart as if he had suggested -turning pirate. But he showed a firmness that was new to them—and to -himself.</p> - -<p>"Nothing else will do the trick as simply and surely," he insisted. -"In the first place, their most desperate need, as they see it right -now, is probably an efficient but simple weapon of some sort, capable -of being enlarged into a heavy defensive piece of great range. I -understand our blast-rifle is such a weapon. I believe they live in -absolute terror of another attack, and they apparently have little or -no technology left with which to prepare for such an attack. Hence -their going underground."</p> - -<p>He paused to let the point sink in. "And in the second place, it seems -reasonable to believe they would understand our good intentions from -such a gift. Surely they will see that no one planning an aggressive -move is going to arm his intended victims first! Their behavior -certainly indicates that they are accustomed to direct action, rather -than to Machiavellian subtleties of plot and counter-plot."</p> - -<p>Nestor stuck out a skeptical lower lip. "How will they know we're -making a gesture that means anything? I mean, they still might figure -the gun is just a little toy in our league, and that we're not running -any risk at all by giving it to them."</p> - -<p>Stuart hesitated before replying. He nodded in appreciation of -intelligent analysis. "That's a difficult point which will have to be -worked out later ... possibly on the spot. First of all, we shall have -to establish contact. It will also be necessary to show them we have -a defensive screen, too—which they would doubtless be overjoyed to -have—and that we are willing to turn it off and trust them. It will be -a delicate and intriguing problem in psycho-logic."</p> - -<p>Rogers shook his head and laughed a little. "It sounds as cockeyed as -'Uncle Willie' Ulo's stories about Sinus V. But, so help me, I believe -it'd work!" All at once his expression changed, and he looked hard at -the expert. "One thing, though, mister. I know I wouldn't care for the -job! Who's going to be the guinea-pig and go down for the first little -chat with them?"</p> - -<p>Stuart smiled thinly. "Who will bell the cat, eh? Another fair -question. Well, I shall set up the apparatus, and of course I intend to -try out its effect, too. I shall confront the natives myself after they -have received our picture message and the gun."</p> - -<p>The others protested, but there was a stubborn set to his jaw. "After -all," he explained later to Gordon, "while you fellows have been -acquiring glamor, so to speak, I've been leading a rather dull life. I -intend to have at least one little fling at dangerous living. Besides, -I'm the only really expendable man in the crew ... the rest of you are -necessary to the operation of the <i>Special Agent</i>. And anyway, I'm only -here because I know something about communicating ideas. This is part -of my job, if anything is."</p> - -<p>The rest of the day and a major part of the night, except for brief -catnaps, were spent in fabricating the device which Gordon designed -to Stuart's specifications. Even White's work on the mosaic alarm -was suspended. The linguist planned, sketched, and worked with his -photographs for ten hours before allowing himself to rest. He had done -all he could with his part of the project, and decided to lend a hand -in the shop ... but first he would massage the leg which had been so -painfully gouged when the meteor struck. He sat down to ease the ache, -and promptly fell asleep.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When they woke him three hours later, his machine was ready. In his -meticulous way, he had made careful notes of the picture sequence, and -other five members of Contact, Incorporated had arranged everything as -indicated. He examined the device sleepily, rubbing the back of his -neck and yawning. "Looks okay," he grunted. "Controls tested? Good. -Nice job, very nice." Still blinking, he helped carry the makeshift -metal-and-plastic assembly into the scout ship in Number Three Lock.</p> - -<p>Brettner climbed in and sat down next to him at the controls. "Sort -of a lucky thing for us this old planet has four moons," grinned the -scout. "All four were in the sky until a few minutes ago. Too much -light for us to pussyfoot around on the surface, so you and I had a -chance for a nap. Now there's only two ... just enough for us to work -by. We'll have to hustle though."</p> - -<p>A few minutes later, under Brettner's skillful handling, the little -ship settled to a quick, silent landing about two kilometers from the -cave. The scout got out and began unloading the apparatus. Stuart, now -fully alert, held a low-voiced radio conversation with Gordon. "Still -no sign of any activity?"</p> - -<p>The captain's voice was blurred with fatigue. "No, nothing, except some -infra-red indications of large animals to the south. We'll keep you -informed. For Pete's sake, be careful."</p> - -<p>The linguist, nervous as he was, chuckled. "Good of you to remind us." -He put on his bone-conduction earpiece, throat-mike, and all the other -gear designed for planets with breathable atmospheres. Clambering out -of the little vessel, he joined Brettner. The two men helped each -other with the slings of their backpacks, locked up the ship, and -started off.</p> - -<p>Stuart had to run occasionally to keep up with the other's easy, -practised stride. The extra rifle and his half of the apparatus jounced -and dug into his back. Occasionally he heard Brettner whisper into -his mike, asking for directions. The compass was useless near the -iron-bearing coral rocks.</p> - -<p>Like the scout, Stuart had studied the route in advance, but traversing -it in the dark was a grimly different matter. The double shadows of the -two moons were confusing and made him stumble. Once a sensitive bush of -some kind shuddered and drew back with a moan when he grasped it for -support. He shuddered and brushed sweat off his face and sleeve. What -did anyone know, after all, about the number of dangerous organisms -this planet harbored? Carnivorous plants, for instance, or even -animals, might not have sense enough to avoid iron complexes such as -human blood....</p> - -<p>Something soft beneath his foot shrieked horribly in the night and slid -away. He went down on one knee, but waved when Brettner turned as if to -help him up. "I'm letting this get me," he thought angrily. He got up -and jogged along again, trying to imitate the scout's powerful stride.</p> - -<p>Abruptly they came upon the trail. They had just started along it when -a warning came from the <i>Special Agent</i>. "One of those animals on the -prairie must have picked up your scent. Probably a hell-cat sloping off -toward the trail now. Ye gods! ... he must be doing sixty kilometers! -Now he's slowing ... you should see him about a hundred meters ahead in -a few seconds. He's sneaking onto the trail."</p> - -<p>The linguist's heart thudded as he crouched in shadow with the scout. -"What do we do, Brettner?" he whispered.</p> - -<p>"Have to use this," the other replied, hauling out a wide-barrelled, -clumsy looking Texas Slugger. "Picked up this sweetheart on Callisto, -but I only got three shells." He aimed down the path through an offset -sight. "Don't get behind this, laddie."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the moonlight farther up the trail, a sinuous beast like a huge -armor-plated cat glided out from the brush. It opened jaws a meter -wide, showing double rows of dull green phosphorescent teeth, and began -to lope toward the men. The scout fired when it was less than sixty -meters away, and a rocket-propelled projectile hissed out toward it. -A few meters out, the 2000-G drive of the projectile cut in, and the -missile crashed into the hell-cat with terrible impact.</p> - -<p>The creature was a hollow mass of pulp almost instantaneously. The -only sounds had been the brief hiss of the rocket, the even shorter -crackling of the accelerated drive, and an earth-shuddering crunch when -the device had struck a wall of rock beyond the beast. Apparently these -had not alarmed the other nocturnal creatures about, for the various -animal cries went on as before.</p> - -<p>"Come on," said the scout, resuming the trail. "We got to hurry." -Stuart followed, wrinkling his nose at the horrible stench of the dead -animal. Nearby, a brightly glowing hole in the rock showed where the -missile had buried itself and disintegrated.</p> - -<p>By the time the men reached their objective, a little trailside -clearing just out of sight from the cave, the language expert was -thoroughly winded. It was some satisfaction to him to note that the -scout was sweating heavily too. Brettner unshouldered his equipment, -took a sip of water from his canteen, and moved up the path a few -meters to keep watch on the cave. The opening glowed less brightly than -the luminescent rock around it.</p> - -<p>Stuart worked as rapidly as he could in the moonlight and ghostly shine -of the hill. His footing was uncertain on the irregular coral. Twice -he stopped and crouched, rifle ready, as his sensitive ears detected -a change in the pattern of night sounds. A wild assortment of odors -drifted with the faint breeze; once a friendly little creature smelling -like fragrant Scotch offered him a pebble and giggled. In his anxious -haste, the linguist dropped two bolts into the twisted crevices of the -rock, and he began to feel he was having a nightmare.</p> - -<p>When the assembly was nearly completed, Nestor warned over the radio, -"Better step on it, guys. We can see daylight coming from up here. -You have about half an hour to get away." By the time the device was -operating satisfactorily, there was enough light to see clearly. The -two men on the ground picked up the tools and canteens hastily and -hurried back along the trail.</p> - -<p>They had gone about halfway when a stone the size of a baseball landed -with a vicious clank on the scout's headgear. He swore softly and -sagged against a bush, fighting dizzily to stay on his feet. Stuart -snatched up a smaller rock and hurled it at the attacking stone-hawk, -which was banking into another dive in the dim morning light. The -stone smashed one wing. The creature spun and flopped through the air, -screaming and gobbling, until it crashed into a tree and fell dead.</p> - -<p>Brettner shook his head and grinned ruefully. "Good thing I got a -wooden head.... Yeah, I'm okay." He examined the dent in his helmet, -and spit contemptuously at the dead hawk. "That's some arm you've got, -mister," he added respectfully.</p> - -<p>Stuart examined his arm, pleased. "Used to pitch on the varsity," he -explained. "Did you hear the mouthings of that vicious bird? He was -swearing at us, I'm sure!" He resumed the march, wondering absently -whether all these Azuran creatures spoke basically the same language. -From what little he had been able to observe, it seemed likely.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was almost full daylight when they reached their scout ship. "Come -on up," Nestor told them. "No sign of activity around the cave yet, but -you better keep between it and the sun just in case somebody peeks." -Brettner took off immediately.</p> - -<p>Ten minutes later Stuart was seated at his apparatus, stuffing -breakfast food into his mouth and feeling very tired. "Been making this -stuff for a hundred and fifty years," he grumbled to himself, chewing -doggedly, "and it's still lousy." Suddenly he dropped his spoon and -adjusted the view screen controls. Gordon walked in, buttoning up his -dungarees and yawning. "Brother," said the chief, "when we get back -we're going to sleep for two weeks!" He looked at the busy linguist and -was immediately wide awake. "What's up?"</p> - -<p>Stuart pointed to the screen. "Native just peeked out." He reached over -toward one of the cephaloids, mindless brains with tremendous memory -and associative power, and began flipping switches. Activating solution -flowed through the micro-cellular colloid; little lights on a panel -winked on as the surface potentials reached operating level.</p> - -<p>The linguist glanced briefly at the screen. "I guess there's time to -show you one of its little tricks, just to warm it up," he said. He -sang, in Universal Speech, a couple of ribald verses of "The Venus of -Venus," then touched a switch. Immediately the song came back at him -through a little speaker, but in English—and with the unmistakable -drawl of Rogers. "I conditioned it a few minutes ago with his -voice," explained Stuart. He was delighted with Gordon's reaction of -incredulous astonishment. "It's really a wonderful mechanism, Gordon. -It—oops! There's a native!"</p> - -<p>He jabbed hastily at the "Primary Condition" stud, erasing the song -and the accent, and switched on the remote control for the picture -sequence. He handed Gordon a headset. "Will you monitor the pickup, -please? The rest of this stuff will keep me busy." He fell silent, -watching the screen.</p> - -<p>Gordon reached over and switched on the movie camera set up beside him -to record the scene.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">V</p> - -<p>Three scarlet natives had come out of the cave. They stood in a patch -of brilliant sunlight, swinging their middle limbs about and playing -with a sassy little monkey-rat as men would with a fox terrier. At -length they picked up what seemed to be a crossbow and several spears, -slung bundles across their sloping shoulders, and started down the -trail. They walked slowly, spears at the ready, and were obviously -alert. Frequently they glanced up, or paused as if listening.</p> - -<p>Rounding a turn, the lead native stopped abruptly, leaped back and -dropped flat. The other two dropped almost simultaneously. The leader -motioned cautiously for his companions to crawl forward; he pointed -with a tentacular upper limb toward the picture sequence machine -gleaming in the morning light. On it was showing a picture of a native, -enlarged from Stuart's picture of his temporary "prisoner".</p> - -<p>The semanticist had evidently made a good guess in alien psychology, -for no hostile move was made toward the machine. The natives lay there -studying it, making occasional guarded gestures to each other. They -stiffened as the next picture flipped into view. It was a Terrestrial -family with two children. It was the picture Stuart kept beside his -bunk, and was the best thing he could think of to put across the -concept of a peaceful people.</p> - -<p>Still no hostile move. No sounds, either, except the background -chirping and jabbering of other animals.</p> - -<p>Anxiously, Stuart fussed with his controls. He flipped to the next -picture and a dozen after that without getting an audible response. -The natives were shown views of Terrestrial life, New York and the -space-port, the <i>Special Agent</i>, and two views of the receding Earth.</p> - -<p>Then the linguist tried one of his sketches. It showed a globular -ship, such as the Invaders were believed to have used, attacking -the Terrestrial ship. In the following sketches, the Earth ship was -damaged, but managed to destroy the other.</p> - -<p>One of the natives was evidently jolted into comment at this point. -"Aru!" came distinctly over the loudspeaker. Stuart immediately -murmured "Picture Fifteen" in Universal Speech into his microphone. He -beamed at Gordon, relaxed a little, and hit the sequence button again.</p> - -<p>The next set of pictures showed the approach to Azura, the landing, and -Rogers' kindly treatment of the monkey-rats. Again a comment came from -the middle native, evidently younger and less well-trained. This time -he uttered several syllables, which the cephaloid duly absorbed. The -rear native thwacked him across the back angrily. Stuart bounced in his -seat with silent glee. He made microscopic adjustments to the analyzer -and continued the show.</p> - -<p>Behind him, the door opened quietly. Rogers came in with some breakfast -for Gordon. The scout raised his eyebrows inquiringly; the chief winked -and nodded at the screen, holding up a hand in the "okay" gesture. -Stuart looked around at them, his finger hesitating over the sequence -button. He shut off his mike for a moment. "This is one of the parts -I'm dubious about. We swing into our sales talk here. Man sees native, -puts down gun, and approaches peacefully. Then they exchange gifts."</p> - -<p>He pushed the stud thoughtfully. "If the response to this is favorable, -do you think we ought to go ahead with the rest?"</p> - -<p>The chief frowned. "Sure. Why not?"</p> - -<p>"Well ... I suppose it would be foolish to stop now. I don't have -enough material yet to prepare a verbal message, and they seem to be -understanding this one anyway. On the other hand ... they might not -like this. It shows us helping them to rebuild a city, and giving them -weapons." He lit a cigarette and hit the button again. "They might -wonder what we want in return."</p> - -<p>Gordon put down his coffee and scratched his chin. "Well, I don't think -we ought to revise our plans now, Stuart. I think they'd be glad to -offer us a base, in return for protection. We might as well go ahead."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The linguist nodded. The minutes passed as he continued the series of -pictures. After a while he opened his mouth to say something, but was -interrupted by a gabble of sounds from the pickup unit. The natives -were pointing upward and discussing something. Pilot lights on the -cephaloid hookup showed that the material was being received, passed -back and forth for analysis, and stored away. Stuart threw in a key -word now and then to identify the picture being shown.</p> - -<p>"It's clear that they understand," he whispered. "Now for the clincher. -We help them fight off the Invaders. I hope they don't get the idea -that our presence would make another Invader attack more likely."</p> - -<p>He continued to push the stud every twenty or thirty seconds, lips -moving as he counted. When the counter showed the end of the sequence -approaching, he nodded in satisfaction. The natives were still talking -to each other. "Good thing we've got these cephaloids," Stuart -whispered. "An electronic analyzer could never sort out the three -voices. Nor could any linguist alive, for that matter."</p> - -<p>Once again he paused, finger hovering. "This is where we show them -pictures of a blast-rifle, how to use it, and so on—and then the -magic box opens and we give them one." His whisper was faint, and he -swallowed. "Should I go ahead?" He seemed to be asking himself.</p> - -<p>Gordon studied him a few seconds. "Play it your own way, Stuart. The -risk is yours, so the decision ought to be."</p> - -<p>The linguist put out his cigarette with trembling fingers. "Yes.... I -realize that I talked you into letting me go ahead with my own plan. -But ... you see ... well, I've never done anything especially brave or -dangerous, as all you fellows have. The plan <i>might</i> be made to work -out without my actually going down there in person. I've been wondering -what you would say if I ... backed out."</p> - -<p>The chief got up and clapped him on the back, awkwardly. "Why, not a -thing, Stuart. Wouldn't say a word. A man's personal project is his -own, in this kind of business. Long as it doesn't affect the welfare of -anyone else, he can volunteer for, or refuse, any job."</p> - -<p>Stuart smiled slowly and sat up straight. "Then I'll go ahead. I just -wanted to be sure I could have backed out if I'd wanted to. If I do -something worthwhile, I want it to be without compulsion." He punched -the sequence button vigorously, while the chief stared at him with -amused respect. He grinned back at Gordon. "Sit down, Captain, and keep -an eye on the natives."</p> - -<p>Gordon sat, applying his attention to the scene on the ground. "Think -they'll get this part?"</p> - -<p>"They certainly ought to. I even made a sketch of a native destroying -a hell-cat with my new gun." After a few minutes of attentive study by -the three natives, the series was finished. The language expert reached -over and depressed a different stud without hesitation. "There it is. A -nice little blast-rifle, practically new!"</p> - -<p>The screen showed the front of a box falling open under the sequence -machine. The three Azurans raised their heads and stared. Then they -looked up at the sky, and back at the box. Their conversation was -excited, not at all hushed.</p> - -<p>Finally the leader sent the third native around in a flanking move, -equipped with the crossbow. When the new position had been taken up, -the three studied the situation and seemed to discuss its various -aspects. Suddenly, while the flanker held a bead on the machine, the -one who had been in the lead stood up and advanced warily toward the -proffered gun. He studied it at close range, after looking over the -scene carefully.</p> - -<p>Abruptly he laid down his spear and seized the blast-rifle. He remained -crouching, obviously waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, -he straightened up and began to examine the weapon. He turned to the -last picture, still showing on the machine, and carefully conformed his -tentacles around the gunstock as indicated. Then he looked about, as if -seeking a target.</p> - -<p>A large, brilliant blue tree about twenty meters away seemed to be his -choice. He spent a moment getting the sights lined up and then pulled -the trigger.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The entire lower half of the tree disappeared in a tremendous explosion -of steam and splinters. The upper part of it came smashing down, as did -great sections of others directly behind the target.</p> - -<p>The stunned native staggered to his feet, still clutching the gun, and -cooed at it lovingly. His two companions came running up, whistling -and gabbling with excitement. They were allowed to take the gun up on -the hill and try it out—at more distant targets. Several trees and a -good-sized rock disappeared with a noisy violence that was obviously -satisfactory.</p> - -<p>The leader remained with the picture machine and began to examine it. -He jumped, startled, when Stuart flipped one more sketch into view. -It showed the little scout ship about to land. After the native had -studied it a while, Stuart gave him the last one. This was a sketch of -the linguist himself, stepping out of the scout ship and greeting a -waiting Azuran.</p> - -<p>The reaction to this was immediate and positive. Shrill commands sent -the smaller native into ambush in the shrubbery; the other came running -down the hill, handed over the gun, and fled to the cave. The leader, -still watching the sky, squatted down to wait, rifle beside him. After -a moment he took something out of his knapsack and apparently began to -munch on it. Twice he snatched up the gun and sighted through it, as -though practising.</p> - -<p>Stuart frowned at the screen. "They seem to understand I'm about to -visit them, but they're not convinced they can trust visitors. No -reason why they should be, I suppose." He disconnected the pickup unit -from the cephaloid circuit.</p> - -<p>Gordon cocked his head to one side reflectively. "Well, I don't think -the situation is too bad. You've seen how cautious they are ... they -must have been very badly scared when their cities were destroyed. -Perfectly natural. It's also evident they're not fundamentally warlike; -their behavior shows an absence of military background. Even a couple -of traders noticed that, by the way, over on the other side of the -planet last year."</p> - -<p>The linguist shook his head reprovingly. "Let's avoid semantic -confusions when we can, Gordon. Their behavior does not fit in with -<i>your</i> notion of military background. We have no right to say what it -connotes <i>in their culture</i>."</p> - -<p>The captain acknowledged the reasonableness of this statement with -a smile and left him to the solitude he needed. He began the task -of receiving the material the cephaids had assimilated, feeding in -associations of "probable general context" with the natives' comments -regarding each picture. He laughed to himself as he realized that a -certain amount of projection of his own notions was inevitable.</p> - -<p>Such was the tremendous power of the cephaloids, and the delicate, -almost intuitive skill of his handling, that the major part of the -analysis was complete in little more than an hour. He switched the -controls to "Translate, Univ. Sp. to Other." Indicator needles shifted -and steadied as the surface potentials readjusted in the semi-living -colloids.</p> - -<p>Then, before proceeding further, he asked the captain to join him -again. When Gordon was seated, the expert smiled wryly at him. "This -is usually considered very poor procedure, but there's only one word -I can be fairly sure of as a check on this thing. It seems reasonable -that, when the middle native exclaimed 'Aru!', he meant 'Good'!! -That was when we destroyed the attacking ship, if you remember ... a -little fiction which I shall have to explain to them later." Into the -microphone he said, in Universal Speech, "Good. That is good."</p> - -<p>"Aru. Aru naa lo," replied the loudspeaker.</p> - -<p>Stuart, though he relaxed a little then, lost no time. It took him only -a few minutes to memorize several phrases which the jelly-and-silver -translator gave him. By the time Brettner had the little scout ship -warmed up for him, Stuart was prepared to tell the natives, "Peace! I -come in peace. Your people and my people have the same enemy. Therefore -let us be friends and work together. We shall give you large and strong -weapons."</p> - -<p>He turned to leave the lab, but stopped to squint once more at the -screen. Only the native with the gun was visible, still grimly waiting. -The linguist finished buckling on his gear with nervous fingers. "They -look awfully well-disciplined to me," he murmured to himself. "Wish -I felt a little more nonchalant about this!" He clumped down the -passageway to Number Three Lock, where he met Brettner climbing out of -the scout ship.</p> - -<p>Brettner slapped him on the back, saying, "She's all wound up. Good -luck, chum. Keep away from the girlies, hear?" From the control -room, Rogers shouted gaily, "Send us a postcard, laddie. One of them -Venus-type!" The two scouts guffawed heartily. Gordon looked out and -waved at him.</p> - -<p>The linguist climbed into the control seat, laughing in spite of -himself. He waved at Brettner, shut the inner door, and opened the -outer. A monitor light showed green. "Ready," he told the intercom. He -was surprised at how steady his voice and hands were.</p> - -<p>"Cast off!" came Gordon's voice.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph1">VI</p> - -<p>He touched the "release" button and felt himself flung away from the -<i>Special Agent</i>. He boosted his little vessel around a semicircle -several kilometers in diameter, as he had been instructed, so the -position of the big ship would not be given away when he approached the -ground. He overmodulated the drive then, to make plenty of noise, and -headed directly for the waiting native. Over a suitable grassy spot, he -waited until he was sure the Azuran had seen him; then he eased down -slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves.</p> - -<p>He landed with the nose about ten degrees too low, settled with a -rolling bump, and opened the port as soon as he could manage. He -mumbled to himself a bit, practising his little speech. Then he stepped -out.</p> - -<p>The blast-rifle looked like a ninety-millimeter projector. It scowled -viciously at his abdomen from only twenty paces away. He swallowed -several times and managed a trembly little smile.</p> - -<p>The native continued to inspect him sourly through the peepsight. A -tentacle seemed to twitch impatiently at the trigger.</p> - -<p>"After all," the linguist thought rapidly, "a facial expression such -as a smile is probably meaningless to him. I shall have to make a more -significant sign, as in that sketch." He unbuckled his holster belt and -carefully laid it to one side, hand-guns and all. Still no response.</p> - -<p>He walked forward halfway to the native, holding up his open hands. He -recited his speech, then, and stood waiting.</p> - -<p>With his first words, the other's attitude changed. The gun was lowered -slowly while the native stared at him with big, black, disk-like eyes. -He stared back, examining the bright red native with interest. Long -feet, with two toes like pincers; heavily muscled legs; middle limbs -like arms, with short, powerful hands of a sort; two six-fingered -tentacles growing out from the sides of the head—</p> - -<p>One of the middle limbs reached out and tugged at his arm -experimentally. The native said something evidently meaning "Come -along". Stuart walked along with him, reporting "Okay, so far," into -his radio. The two beings walked up to the entrance to the cave, from -where the scout ship could just be seen. Suddenly the smaller native -sprang out of the brush and backed the linguist against a tree, holding -the crossbow almost at his throat. The first native whirled, aimed the -blast-rifle at the scout ship, and fired. There was a flash at the -ship's bow, and a deep gash was blasted into the metal.</p> - -<p>"Aru!" said the natives.</p> - -<p>Stuart's earphone crackled, but the signal was weak. "What's going on?" -came Gordon's voice, faintly. "Get away from them and we'll blow them -to smithereens!"</p> - -<p>He tried to think clearly. "I don't know how to get away," he realized -miserably. "Never had any of that combat training." He found the native -with the blast-rifle chattering at him; the other had withdrawn the -crossbow from his throat. "I'm all right," he reported weakly. He -listened to the native a moment, then added, "This is rather puzzling, -though. They actually seem friendly. I believe one of them is telling -me that we're friends now."</p> - -<p>"That lousy iron hill you're on is killing your signal, Stuart. I can -hardly hear you. You're in plain sight, though, through the telescope. -Shall we come after you?"</p> - -<p>The natives were pulling at the linguist's arm, urging him toward the -cave. "No, keep out of sight a while," he shouted, shaking his head. "I -believe they want me to come with them."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The reply from the <i>Special Agent</i> was unintelligible. Stuart allowed -the Azurans to guide him into the cave; he was not surprised to find -it the end of a long tunnel through the coral. Two other natives came -running past and took up positions as guards just inside the entrance.</p> - -<p>The phosphorescent material of the hill itself supplied a feeble light. -There seemed to be an alarm system of some sort, for handles were set -into small square boxes on the walls every fifty meters or so.</p> - -<p>During the hour-long walk, Stuart learned bits of the natives' -language. If one could apply the hitherto universally valid criteria of -the Linguistic Academy, he decided, this language represented a long -history of high culture and philosophical achievement. He found the -idea encouraging.</p> - -<p>He was already constructing simple sentences when the tunnel turned -sharply and entered a small cave. It was really an underground room, he -noticed, with several corridors leading away. One of his guides pulled -a lever; a moment later a dozen other natives entered the room. With -them was a monkey-rat, sporting Rogers' two hunting knifes; it pointed -to the linguist and chattered shrilly. The linguist recognized one of -the Azurans as the one he had caught. The first to enter, however, -seemed considerably older than the rest. Stuart guessed he was a high -official.</p> - -<p>The elderly one approached the Earthman and held out his tentacles -to the sides. It seemed to mean something. There was a short, tense -silence.</p> - -<p>"Of course!" exclaimed Stuart to himself. "The gesture of peaceful -intent: showing the absence of weapons!" He held up his hands, likewise -empty, and repeated his speech.</p> - -<p>There were murmurs of "Aru!" around him. Unobtrusive weapons were -unobtrusively lowered. Sketching materials were brought to the -official: sheets of something like parchment, and a reed which exuded -an inky substance through a fine hole. Two blocks of what seemed to -be extraordinarily soft wood were carried in; the official sat down, -somewhat in human fashion, and motioned the language expert to do -likewise.</p> - -<p>The "conversation" lasted almost two hours. Stuart, by sketching and -using a few words, explained his mission. The natives seemed to -understand; judging by their awareness of the outer universe, they -had considerable scientific knowledge. He guessed, though, that their -technology was more biological than mechanical. They knew where the -Invaders were from, what they had looked like, and how some of their -mechanisms had operated. But Azuran culture, never warlike, had been -unable to strike back, and had been so badly smashed that there had -been no opportunity to use the captured knowledge.</p> - -<p>"They nearly destroyed my people," explained the official with words -and pictures. "We were many millions. Now only thousands. We saved -what we could and hid underground, scattered. For five years we -have struggled to stay alive. Now we are regaining our strength and -can think of building again. But always we must be ready for the -Invaders. They killed for nothing or for amusement. Took nothing except -specimens; apparently they wanted nothing here but sport. They simply -attacked without warning one day, all over the planet, and hunted us -for fifty-four days. Then they disappeared. We caught a few live ones -outside their ships by trickery, and we captured two small ships the -same way. But in our difficulty we have had little time to investigate -the ships."</p> - -<p>"Where are the captured creatures?" asked Stuart.</p> - -<p>"Oh, they did not live long." The other's manner did not indicate -regret. "They needed high temperature and a special atmosphere to -stay alive, and of course we had inadequate means to care for them. -We made very thorough biological studies of them, however." He shook -his tentacles, as if in disgust. "They were remarkably unpleasant. -Colorless, and gritty to the touch. Completely hateful. They used to -throw dissected specimens of our people out of their ships; sometimes -live people were dropped."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He nodded toward the blast-rifle. "You are good to offer weapons. From -certain records we found, we believe the enemy will return soon. I -understand your need for a base here. I can speak for my people ... -what is left of them. We accept your offer. Come down again tomorrow to -the clearing in your big ship. Our highest leader will be present, and -a treaty will be made."</p> - -<p>Abruptly, thus, the interview was over. The old native was obviously -tired. The linguist got to his feet, intending to express his pleasure -at the outcome. He had his mouth open, and it stayed that way when -the blast-rifle was suddenly thrust into his hands. The official, who -had handed it to him, put a tentacle on his shoulder in what Stuart -recognized as a gesture of friendship.</p> - -<p>The linguist grinned, put his hand on the other's shoulder, and handed -back the weapon.</p> - -<p>There was a great din of whistling and cries of "Aru! Aru naa lo!" -It became a sort of cheer, with a crowd of natives following Stuart -and his three guides back down the tunnel. The old official stood and -watched them go.</p> - -<p>Back in the daylight, the linguist was startled to discover that -Procyon was low in the sky and that night was near. He hurried down the -path toward his scout ship to get away from the iron hill. Hastily he -switched on his radio. Before he could catch his breath enough to talk, -he heard White's voice.</p> - -<p>"Hey, I see him! There he is, chief; there's the little guy!" Sounds of -the drive being activated came through the earphone.</p> - -<p>Gordon's voice cut in. "You okay, Stuart?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes, I'm all right. Come on down—peaceably."</p> - -<p>"What's the deal?"</p> - -<p>"They're convinced. They'll have their president, or whatever, here in -the morning to sign a treaty with us."</p> - -<p>"WHAT?!"</p> - -<p>A moment later the big ship landed with a silent rush, flattening out a -large expanse of scrub. The ground crunched under it. A dozen wide-eyed -natives watched from a respectful distance.</p> - -<p>The lower port flew open; Gordon and Rogers came scrambling down the -ladder. The two men came running over, hand-guns swinging heavily at -their sides. The turret guns were trained on the hill before the cave.</p> - -<p>"Is this on the level?" demanded Gordon.</p> - -<p>"Yes. I'll explain later, after I've had some sleep."</p> - -<p>The captain's eye fell on the scout ship. "Looks like your ship will -navigate all right," he said, still out of breath. "Probably have to -replace the autopilot and tracker, though. But why in blazes did they -take a shot at it? And why wasn't your defensive field on?"</p> - -<p>The linguist kicked a pebble. "I forgot to ask them why they did that. -I guess they figured my gesture of offering a weapon didn't mean much -unless I was vulnerable to the weapon myself. Or maybe they felt that, -if I came in good faith, I'd come without protection. Anyway, they -didn't want to shoot me just to find out, so they tested it on the -ship and decided I was—er, on the level. If it <i>had</i> been on, they'd -probably have shot me immediately with the crossbow. Or maybe they'd -have figured out what the glow was and shot me without testing it. Then -they'd have gone back in the tunnel and sealed it up for good."</p> - -<p>He suddenly laughed aloud, face alight with pleasure and surprised -realization. "For the first time on this trip, I'm glad I've never had -any military experience! If I'd been well-trained, that field would -have been turned on!"</p> - -<p>Gordon's strained face relaxed. He looked at Stuart in awe, and put an -arm around his shoulders. After a moment he said, musingly, "What do we -do next? We've got to get back, but we also ought to see this through -when the brass gets here."</p> - -<p>Stuart's reply was prompt. "You go back. Leave me food for a couple of -days and tell Patrol to bring me what I need for a long stay. I'll see -this thing through."</p> - -<p>"Can I take a picture of you tomorrow with the Azuran big chief? It'd -look swell in the papers back home." Gordon's tone was bantering.</p> - -<p>The linguist looked him in the eye. "I wish you would," he said, -soberly.</p> - -<pre style='margin-top:6em'> -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ACTION ON AZURA *** - -This file should be named 63900-h.htm or 63900-h.zip - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/9/0/63900/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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