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diff --git a/old/66608-0.txt b/old/66608-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c9fa07b..0000000 --- a/old/66608-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,970 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Export Commodity, by Irving Cox - -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: Export Commodity - -Author: Irving Cox - -Release Date: October 24, 2021 [eBook #66608] - -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 EXPORT COMMODITY *** - - - - - Henig was sent to obtain a soil sample of - the planet. It was a routine assignment, but not - necessarily the only method for discovering an-- - - Export Commodity - - By Irving Cox, Jr. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy - July 1955 - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Three of the hairless bipeds stood in front of the frame building -talking. Concealed by the brush beyond the road, Henig studied -them carefully. These were the dominant species on this primitive -world, unspeakably grotesque things. The pale, white skinned animals -had a culture of sorts--their language, their buildings, their -wheeled vehicles testified to that--but an animal society was very -different from the rational civilization Henig knew. - -He was naked and he carried no weapons. That was the logic of the -computers. But Henig was a Fleet Lieutenant, not one of the scientists. -He put his faith in arms rather than computer logic. Stripped of his -weapons, he lost a fundamental part of himself. The computers had -said he would be safe, but too many things could go wrong. Too many -factors might have been left out of the observer data submitted to the -machines. - -Henig inched cautiously toward the three white things standing near -the wooden structure. The telecommunicator, which the surgeons had -planted in his skull, caught the sound of alien voices and made a -conceptual translation in terms Henig understood. He could have used -the same device to communicate directly with the alien minds, but the -Scientist-General had warned him against that. - -"The hairless bipeds," he told Henig, "are only an animal species. They -have no civilization. Make no mistake about that, Lieutenant." - -"And if we decide we need their planet, sir--" - -"We'll set up reservations for them, so they can't interfere with our -operation." - -"They won't have weapons to match ours," Henig suggested hopefully. - -"If you go in uniform, Lieutenant, even these witless things would -recognize you as an alien. It would be foolish to let them know we -exist, until we have the final report on your physical survey." - -"Sir, are we actually sure--" - -"You're questioning the computer logic?" The Scientist-General was very -amused. - -"Not that, sir. It's just--you see, I'm a solider, and I don't -understand these things." - -"You'll have to take our conclusion on faith, Lieutenant. You're the -only individual of your particular species aboard, and it would be -absurd for us to wait for the center to send out a scientist with your -physical qualifications. This planet is too insignificant for us to -waste that much time on the survey. The chemistry of the atmosphere and -the pressure of gravity approximate what you're accustomed to on your -home world, Lieutenant Henig. And the co-incidence of your appearance -is the best disguise you could have." - -"Sir, isn't it true that sometimes on these primitive worlds, the -animal species war against each other? Wouldn't I be likely to get -involved?" - -"The computers say no. And we can't argue against mechanical logic, can -we, Lieutenant?" - -Naturally the scientists relied on their data, Henig thought bitterly; -but they weren't making the observation--they weren't standing naked -and unarmed on an alien world. The miniature recorders sent down by -the ship were only machines, after all, without a logical sense of -judgment. The Lieutenant had experienced alien worlds before. Facts -were all very well, but the unpredictable quality of emotion was -something else again. How could a recorder make note of that? How could -feeling be measured or tabulated by the computers? - -The Lieutenant lay in the brush listening to the talk of the three -hairless aliens. It was surprisingly trivial, the sort of thing he -might have heard on his home world: the rising price of food in the -city; the cost of fuel for their wheeled vehicles; obscure references -to politics; an amusing remark about the female of the species. The -similarity to what he knew gave Henig confidence. - - * * * * * - -He slid out of his hiding place and moved toward the three bipeds. -This was the ultimate test. If the computers had been right, the -Lieutenant would pass them unnoticed. - -He was nearly across the road when the alien things saw him. They -fell silent and backed away from him. He saw terror in their faces a -split-second before one of them--a female--began to scream. The second -male turned and fled into the trees. The other drew out a cylindrical -tube which was a weapon. Henig tried to read the emotion in their -minds, but the only comprehensible thought the telecommunicator picked -up was a paralyzing horror. - -Henig sprang at the hairless biped who had the weapon, clawing the -ugly, white face. The female screamed again and beat at him with her -forepaws. The weapon exploded as the male went down, his face a torn, -beaten pulp. Henig felt the hot pain of the metal pellet lodged in the -flesh of his shoulder. In panic he fled beyond the frame building. - -And the Scientist-General had said he would be safe--without weapons, -without the protection of his uniform! The logic of civilization didn't -apply on a primitive world of animal emotions. - -Henig expected pursuit, but he heard no footsteps behind him. He -stopped running and crept back toward the wooden building. The pain of -his shoulder wound spread numbly into the rest of his body. His nerves -seethed with nausea. Blood oozed from the torn flesh, congealing on his -naked chest. - -He saw the female bend over the animal which had tried to kill him. Her -mate, Henig guessed. Logically she should have fled, since Henig was -still nearby; even a primitive would have been aware of the danger. -But she seemed more concerned for the male. She wiped the blood from -his face tenderly and began to drag him toward a four-wheeled vehicle, -which stood idle inside the frame building. - -The Lieutenant admired her courage. To risk herself so futilely in -order to help another of her species: entirely illogical--no civilized -being would be so foolish--yet heroic and noble. Henig hated himself -for what he had to do. Yet he had no alternative. He couldn't let -either of them escape to give the alarm. - -He sprang at the female. She screamed once as he clawed her throat. The -blood pulsed through the wound, and she died quickly. Henig was glad he -could finish it so mercifully, with so little pain. He took a rock and -beat in the skull of the male. - -The Lieutenant stood beside the frame building, blood dripping from his -hands, and looked across the road toward the brush-covered hillside -where he had hidden his landing shuttle. It was safe, protected by a -refraction field which made the metal tube visually transparent. - -Henig had to make a decision, but pain pounding in his wounded shoulder -made logical thinking difficult. He could return to the ship now and -try to make the scientists understand that the computers had been -wrong; his physical appearance was not disguise enough on this unknown -world. Or he could complete his survey. With luck, that would be -finished before dawn. The test area was relatively close to the hills -where he had brought down his shuttle. - -Yet he knew he had no real choice. His experience with the three -hairless bipeds--granting that the scientists accepted all of it -at face value--was not data enough to outweigh the facts which the -mechanical observers had previously fed to the computers. This would -be considered an isolated episode, not a basis for a hypothetical -generalization. The computer logic would strip Henig of his rank and -brand him a coward. He had worked too hard for his Lieutenancy to give -it up so easily; he had to go through with his assignment. - -He hid the bodies of the two animals he had killed behind the frame -building. The third one, which had escaped, might spread the alarm, but -Henig had no way of preventing that; it was a risk he had to take. - -He examined the four-wheeled vehicle which was inside the building. It -was a relatively primitive mechanism powered by an internal combustion -engine. The fact that the native vehicle was one Henig could drive more -than counterbalanced the potential risk from the white-faced animal -which had escaped. With any luck, he could have his survey done in half -the time he had estimated. - -The fuel from the alien vehicle gave Henig part of the answer he -needed. The mechanical observers had already used it for fuel, it must -have been here in recoverable quantities. The Lieutenant needed only -to take one sample from the test area for the scientists to determine -whether or not the oil was worth the expense of exploiting the planet. - - * * * * * - -Henig fingered the dash, looking for the ignition. The lettered symbols -over the various dials meant nothing to him, since his telecommunicator -was capable only of translating spoken words. The Lieutenant turned -one dial and sound blared out at him. Music of a sort: this primitive, -animal culture had been clever enough to discover a process for radio -transmission. - -For a second time the Lieutenant found himself unconsciously admiring -the hairless bipeds. As inventions go, the internal combustion engine -and radio were relatively insignificant. Yet this animal world had -developed its technology without outside help and that suggested a -brilliant science. Henig's empire had a vastly superior technology, but -the scientists drew upon the ingenuity and inventive skill of a hundred -united worlds and they had the tool of the logic computers. - -Far more characteristic of a primitive world was the ignition lock. An -animal society, trapped by uncontrolled emotion, would have no mutual -trust. Their machines would have to be locked against theft. That was -the emotional environment Henig had expected. - -But then he thought of the female who had stuck by her mate, when it -meant her own death. One jarring note, one violation of the predictable -pattern: the more he considered it, the more it disturbed him. Was it -typical of the way they all behaved? - -The Lieutenant began to envy the illogic that made such affection -possible. He thought of the mates he had been assigned from time -to time by the psychological services. None of them, in a similar -situation, would have tried to help him. Personal heroics were not a -part of the computer civilization. He was suddenly conscious of the -loneliness and the emptiness of scientific logic. These people--these -pale, white-faced animals--had something better. - -And that thought was heresy. In haste Henig broke the ignition lock and -twisted the loose wires together so he could start the motor. The seat -was designed for the bipeds, and it was most uncomfortable for him to -drive the car. Fortunately he had only a short distance to go. The oil -field selected for the test area was in the foothills, on the outskirts -of the city. - -The traffic was heavier as he approached the field, but it was nearly -dark by that time and no one seemed to notice the Lieutenant slumped -low behind the wheel of the stolen vehicle. Had the computers been -right, he wondered? Did he resemble an animal species which lived at -peace among the aliens? In that case, what accounted for the reaction -of the three hairless things when they first saw him? - -He had left the radio going, listening to the weird discord of -the savage music. Sometimes a voice sang the melody and his -telecommunicator gave him a conceptual analysis of the words. All -the lyrics revolved around one theme: personal affection. Love was -apparently the dominant trend of this culture. According to their -music, they died for it, sighed for it, cried for it; no sacrifice was -too great if it were made in the name of love. - -Henig saw nothing trite in the wording. His logical mind limited his -understanding to a strictly literal translation. He knew that an animal -society was built upon emotion, but he had never before come across a -primitive world where the focal point was love. Hate, greed, ambition, -conflict, envy: those were typical and normal. The emphasis upon -affection put this world in a special category. - -The white-faced bipeds had discovered a bond stronger than all the -logic of the empire. Because he was logical, the Lieutenant had to -admit that to himself. If the empire came to exploit the oil resources, -it would destroy something magnificent. - -But Henig wasn't sure. He had too little specific data: the courage of -one female, the chanted songs of a radio program. And, of course, the -lonely isolation of the logical life he lived. But to throw that in as -a factor was to argue emotionally--on an animal level--himself. - -As he turned down a side road into the oil field, the program of music -ended and Henig heard a brief news summary. It was predominantly a -report of a developing war. Now that made sense. That was the sort of -emotional behavior Henig expected from an animal world. But how could -they sing love chants while they simultaneously prepared to slaughter -each other? - - * * * * * - -At the end of the broadcast the newscaster mentioned the discovery of -two brutally mutilated bodies behind a mountain garage. "An alleged -eye-witness is held by the police. He claims to have seen a strange -animal approach the victims shortly before the murder." The announcer -repeated a very accurate description of Henig--which, he said, tallied -with no species known to zoology. - -To Henig that statement was incomprehensible. The computers couldn't -be that wrong. They were objective, logical machines, processing the -information submitted by the mechanical observers. The computers -said Henig resembled a native species. That much had to be true. The -conclusion that he would be able to pass unnoticed on the alien planet -might be faulty for lack of emotional data. But the newscaster claimed -no such species existed! - -The Lieutenant hid his vehicle in a copse of trees close to the -deserted side road. He slid off the seat, glad to escape the cramped -position behind the wheel. As he walked toward the oil field, his wound -began to pain him again. With his tongue he worked the small capsule -loose from the back of his mouth--the only place where he could conceal -it, since the computers had decreed that he come naked to this world. - -He stooped beside a sump and watched the black earth filter slowly -through the membrane into the capsule. In his own mind Henig had -no doubt that the petroleum resources here were economically worth -exploitation. He thought, for a moment, of the brutal occupation by the -empire fleet--the slaughter and the destruction, before the survivors -could be herded into prison reservations. - -The killing and the burning of their primitive cities didn't disturb -him. The aliens were animals. Because of their biological evolution, -they would never achieve a higher social level. They were eternally -tied to emotion, and a logical civilization was beyond their mentality. -To wipe them out meant no more to Henig than the extermination of a -germ colony or a nest of vermin. - -Still the particular emotion dominating these bipeds was unique. It was -worth preserving--if that emotion actually existed; if he were reading -the data correctly. The Lieutenant still didn't know; he still couldn't -make up his mind. - -The test earth seeped slowly into the capsule. Henig raised his eyes -and studied the field. It was dark and the skeletal shafts of the oil -derricks were silhouetted against the glow of the city lights. The -hairless bipeds had developed the field extensively. Two or three -generations ago, Henig thought enviously, the planet must have been -enormously rich in oil if, after so much native exploitation, it was -still worth an empire invasion. - -Two galactic millennia had passed since the empire had reached that -same period in technological growth, depleting the petroleum resources -of a hundred worlds. The empire had to have oil. Not for fuel--atomic -energy had been harnessed long ago--but for lubrication. All the -scientists, all the logical computers which governed the empire, had -never come up with a satisfactory substitute. - -The sample capsule was full. Henig stood up, sealing the vial again at -the back of his mouth. And as he turned toward the road, he saw one -of the aliens watching him. Behind the biped a pipe was burning gas -exhausted from the field. The flame lit the animal face and Henig saw -the crushing weight of terror. - -The animal turned and ran, blowing on a whistle which was suspended -around its neck. Henig sprang after him and caught the white thing -with a blow that split the fragile neck bone. But one blast on the -alarm whistle had been enough. Henig saw other animals pouring out of -the low-roofed, stone building nestled among the oil derricks. Bright -lights blazed up, sweeping the field with a deadly glare. - - * * * * * - -Henig ran toward the trees where he had hidden his vehicle. He saw the -lights of other cars on the side road, and he heard the nervous scream -of sirens. He swung aside, running in the direction of the suburban -cottages in the foothills. Unless he found another vehicle unguarded, -he had to return to the shuttle on foot; and that would give the aliens -too much time to spread the alarm. - -As he crossed the main highway, he saw two bipeds walking together, -arm in arm. The female began to scream. Henig had to silence her. He -sprang for her throat; without his customary weapons, that was the only -self-defense he had. The male should have turned and fled, since he was -not armed. That was sensible and that was logical. - -But once more the Lieutenant tangled with the unique emotional -reactions of this planet. The male held his ground and tried to -protect the female. Henig's first slash missed her throat and she -fought back, too. The male's forepaw, doubled into a hammer-shape, -struck Henig's wounded shoulder, and blood oozed down his naked chest -again. - -A nausea of pain sapped Henig's strength. He staggered toward the -shadows beyond the road. If the two aliens came after him now, he was -lost; he was too weak to defend himself. He collapsed, panting and -retching. - -But he heard no footsteps. When he was able, he looked back toward the -road. He saw the male holding the female in his arms and mopping blood -from the gash Henig had torn in her cheek. - -These inexplicable aliens and their affection for each other! It defied -all logic and reason. Their behavior was absurd; yet somehow sublime, -too. From the arid emptiness of his logical mind, Henig, for a moment, -had a vision of something great: a new world which fused the intellect -of the computer civilization and the warmth of this animal emotion. -These ugly, white-faced animals had a resource far more valuable than -petroleum to export to the empire. - -Then he heard the sirens coming closer and he began to run. He saw a -brightly lighted street, where bipeds crowded the walks. He turned in -panic down a dark alley. The sirens were behind him. He saw savages -at both ends of the alley, and he pushed his way blindly into a dark -warehouse. - -He fell across a pile of sacks filled with a soft, grainy substance. -A narrow shaft of moonlight made a sharp angle on the floor. He tried -to examine his wound in the light. It was still bleeding; the skin -was puffy and inflamed. A kind of dull haze crowded the periphery of -his mind. The Lieutenant knew the symptoms; he had been wounded twice -before when the fleet occupied primitive worlds. He would be all right -when he reached the shuttle. He had an emergency kit there and he could -sterilize the wound. - -He heard footsteps and muffled voices in the alley. He shrank closer to -the sacks; unconsciously he clawed a rent in the cloth and the grain -spilled out, making a tiny pyramid in the moonlight. - -There was a scurrying of tiny feet, a shrill squeal, and a rodent came -from the darkness to nibble at the food. It was the smallest rat Henig -had even seen, no larger than his hand. Instinctively his mouth began -to water. The rat would make a tasty delicate morsel, and it was a long -time since he had eaten. But before he could pounce on it, another -animal shot out of the shadows and caught the rat in its claws. - -Then Henig knew the truth. He knew why the computers had been wrong -and he knew what data the mechanical observers had failed to transmit. -For the small animal, which was torturing the rat with its forepaws, -was a physical duplicate of himself--in miniature. No wonder the radio -newscaster had said this world had no zoological species like Henig's! -It was a question of relative size and the error might have amused -him--if he had been safely back aboard the exploration ship. - -Henig was aware of minor physical differences. The small, green-eyed -miniature of himself did not walk erect. Its bare feet had not yet -evolved the necessary alteration in joint structure. And its claws were -still only cutting tools, incapable of more delicate manipulation. -Tentatively Henig used the telecommunicator to explore the animal mind; -he found no indication of a cerebral cortex. - -But the animal apparently felt the transmission, for it arched its back -and every hair on its body stood on end. It dropped the rat and swung -toward Henig, hissing and spitting into the darkness. The Lieutenant -grinned and purred; this little creature was like a newborn child, -lying in the family nest. It was the first familiar thing he had found -on this alien world of hairless bipeds. - -But his purring frightened the animal. It dropped its rat and fled, -screaming. The sound brought the feet running back to the alley door. -Henig heard the pounding fists beating upon the wooden panels. He -clawed his way to the top of the pile of sacks, where he saw a window. -As he broke it open, the door gave and the hairless animals tumbled -into the darkness. - - * * * * * - -A weapon flashed and a metal pellet split the wood close to Henig's -head. He leaped through the window. The jar, when he landed, sent pain -spiraling through his body. He staggered along a dark street. Behind -him he heard footsteps and hysterical voices. He couldn't outrun -them; he knew that. When he saw a garden gate, he pushed it open. He -fell exhausted into a bed of blooming flowers. He didn't quite lose -consciousness. He heard the animals when they ran past the garden gate. - -In the sullen silence he began to breathe more easily. The terrified -pounding of his heart slowed. He tried to push himself to his feet, and -he found that his arm below the shoulder wound was paralyzed with pain. - -He turned on his back--and rolled against the legs of a female who -stood above him, looking straight ahead toward the street. He waited -for her to scream and call the others. Instead she said, in a whisper, - -"Poor thing! You're hurt." - -Henig's mind soared with hope. Was it possible that the love these -animals felt for each other could be extended to include himself? - -She knelt beside him, gently feeling his wound with her hairless -fingers. Her head was still erect. She did not look at him. He winced -when she touched him. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'll have to put -something on it for you." - -She went very slowly to a dilapidated garden shed. She moved by -shuffling her feet along the gravel walk, occasionally reaching out to -brush her hands against the larger shrubs growing beside the path. When -she returned she poured a liquid over Henig's wound. The new pain was -like fire, but he knew she had used a primitive remedy to burn out the -infection. There was no doubt in his mind after that. While some of her -species searched the streets for him and tried to kill him, she was -ready to give him help. - -Although the Scientist-General had warned Henig against it, he decided -to use the telecommunicator. If she would help him, he had a chance -of getting back to his shuttle. It was the only way he could escape. -He took one risk in using the device: the female might become aware -of every concept in Henig's mind. But that was a small risk. Only an -intellectual equal, with the heightened perceptions of the computer -civilization, would read the full context of his communication. - -"I need help," he conveyed to her. "I have a place of safety in the -mountains; will you take me to it?" - -With a sudden, indrawn breath--like the hissing of a small child--the -female stiffened beside him. Had he frightened her? He tried to -explore her mind, but her cerebral pattern was amazingly complex. He -couldn't evaluate the interlocked emotion--shock, sorrow, a sympathetic -loneliness, and finally understanding. How much of his thinking--how -much of himself--she had seen, he did not know. Her rational logic was -subordinate to the emotion. Her most surprising reaction was pity. - -Pity for him because of the computer civilization that had shaped his -mind! - -"Of course you must go back," she said. So she had dredged that much -out of his mind during the brief openness of the telecommunication. -"And you--you have found a resource that your unfortunate people need." - -The petroleum? Did she understand about that, too? Then why would she -help him escape, since it meant the invasion and destruction of her -world? - -She told him she would persuade her brother to drive his truck up the -mountain road. She had learned from the telecommunication where Henig -wanted to stop. "You'll be hidden in back. Open the door and slip out -when we stop. It won't be far to your shuttle." So she had understood -that, too. Henig realized he had grossly underestimated the mental -abilities of these emotional animals. - -Very gently she put a salve and a bandage on his wound. She helped him -into a small, panel truck which was sheltered in a frame building open -to the street. Before she closed the door she handed him a package of -nut meats. - -"This will help you--with your other problem. Give them to your -scientists. We call these nuts peanuts. They make an excellent oil. You -may have the soil on one of your worlds to grow them for yourselves; if -not, we might be able to produce the oil for you." - -She closed the door. Henig felt a tight constriction in his throat. -This hairless female had read every thought in his mind; there was -no question of that. And she was letting him go home unharmed; she -was helping him escape. To Henig this was the final demonstration of -the emotion of her species, the quality of love that the computer -civilization had never found. - -He would not let her world be invaded and exploited. The oil resources -were not that important. Very carefully he removed the sample capsule -from his mouth and emptied it. With his unhurt arm he clawed loose -dirt together from the floor of the truck and pushed it through the -membrane. When the scientists analyzed that sample, they would leave -her world in peace. - - * * * * * - -The motor hummed and the truck began to move. In the darkness Henig -opened the package of peanuts and crushed one between his teeth. As -a food it was very unpalatable. Perhaps the hairless bipeds enjoyed -it--from her mind the telecommunicator had picked up the fact that they -looked upon it as a food--but nothing like this was of any value to -the empire. The various species in the computer civilization were not -vegetable eaters. - -Henig was sure the nut was not a source of oil. The female, of course, -had underestimated his mentality, just as he had misjudged hers. The -purpose of her gift was forlornly obvious. She wanted to buy off the -invasion she had read in his mind, and presumably the nutmeat was their -favorite food which they produced in quantity. The Lieutenant grinned -over her emotional foolishness. - -Her world needed no subterfuge to protect it. The bipeds had something -better--they would be safe. Henig would make sure of that. - -After a time the truck came to a stop. Henig opened the rear door and -dropped to the road. He recognized the garage where he had killed the -two aliens that afternoon. He knew where he was. - -The Lieutenant leaned for a moment against the open truck door, -adjusting to the new pain in his wound. In the front of the vehicle he -saw the girl and her brother. A pale light from the dash fell on their -faces. Henig saw the girl's eyes for the first time, and he realized -suddenly that she was blind! - -No wonder she had helped him, then. She hadn't known he was an -alien. That accounted, too, for her quick understanding of his -telecommunication; sightlessness had heightened her other perceptions. - -The radio in the truck was on. The girl and her brother were listening -to a newscast reporting the diplomatic maneuvers of something referred -to as the cold war. Impatiently the blind female snapped off the -broadcast. - -Henig heard her say softly, "Have you ever wondered, Fred, what another -race might think of us?" - -"They'd call us fools, I suppose. We have the ability to build so much, -but instead we're using our science to destroy ourselves." - -"But you know, Fred, I don't think that would seem important to -an outsider. Perhaps he wouldn't even be aware of the conflict. -Simply because we're human beings, Fred, we have something far more -significant. We have it because men and women have to live together, -because--" - -"Love?" Her brother laughed. "We take that for granted." - -"It's a pity we can't see ourselves--just once--as strangers might. We -would be able to understand our own greatness, then." - -But Henig didn't know that, for he wasn't conscious of how much of a -change the impact of love had made in himself. He was thinking about -the last mate the psychological services had assigned him. He wanted -to see her again. He wanted to see her litter of young, hissing and -purring in the family nest. It was the first time in his life he had -felt the need to go back, and the feeling was a factor no computer -could measure. He would have clawed the throat of any scientist who -told him such thinking was illogical, for Henig had found what he -considered to be the higher logic of emotion. - -Silently Henig scurried through the forest toward his shuttle, -carrying with him a useless sample of dust fastened at the back of -his mouth--and an idea that would one day overthrow his computer -civilization. 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