The Galaxy Primes

nning smoothly, a little ahead of schedule. Delcamp and Fao were working at their fast and

ly. "I thought I was going to have the first dou

you mad? I'd'v

alf a minute. She'd never even thought of that angle. Besides, sh

angles-that she hasn't thought of, too. If those coveralls were ha

u should scream-oh, that ri

anyway. It's just that," she ran an indicative glance over Fao's lean, trim flanks an

Just as soon as it starts to show on me, Belle, I'm going t

for being blue instead of yellow, it was the same as the one she had worn befo

ce? Well, three-qu

hail. "How about cutting the

se!" and two fast and skillful

r. The Celestial Queen was finished, tested, and found perfect, one full day ahead

Delcamp asked. "Your Main, big as it is, will be crow

e told 'em we'd do it, and in the Pleiades, so

rators-we brought six along; experts in their various fields-can serve best by

d. "Probably Deg and I s

refully, "it must not be and is not our intent to sway you in any action or decision. While not all of you fo

, grimly. "I'm going to smack some of those kids down so hard th

ecessary or desirable, we will jo

mes looked at each oth

hat?" Garlock asked finall

m," Fao said, "but they

n the wrong foot with uniforms and admirals and things? That with really adult Pr

wonder, Miss Bellamy, if it would be considered an unjustifiable attempt to sway you in any action or decision if I were to suggest-Oh, ever so d

into a regal pose, "You may say, Mister Garlock, without fear of successful contradiction, that in this instance no umbra

ontent. Semolo, however, was his usual intransigent self. In fact, if it had not been for Mirea Mitala, and

and as the day wore on it got no better fast. Baver of Falne had not learned anything, either-only Garlock's

erone; Atnim and Sotara of Flandoon, and eighty others. Very few of them were as bad as Semolo; som

really believed that any Primes abler than themselves existed. The Pleiades was crowded, and Garlock and Belle were

re tremendously relieved when, the last pair picked up, they flashed the starsh

t, "Any and all who are not tuned to me in five seconds will be returned imm

sly as to what we had in mind. However, since you are young and callow, and were thoroughly convinced of your own omniscience and omnipote

ms in Galaxian Hall. Each suite is furnished appro

sent, will not be. Therefore none of you will attempt to communicate with an

itorium. The Thakerns and the Margonians will now inform you as to

t eight o'clock, ninety-eight human beings appeared in it; six

ned to believe that we can attain friendship and accord. We will spend the next hour in becoming acquainted with each other. We will walk around, not teleport. We will meet each other

All blocks were locked at maximu

strong, and magnificently male. The women, from heroically-framed Fao Talaho up-or down?-to surprisingl

t complete coverage, with a bewildering variet

One shaven head-Mirea Mitala's-was deeply tanned, but unadorned, even though the rest of her body was almost covered by precious stones. Another was decora

he color-combinations were harmonious; some were sharply contrasting, such as black and white;

aker's enormous, inexplicable mop; and it w

ncompromising stares. Finally, however, her gaze met another, as interested as her own. This second girl, whose c

' whenever they want to call me anything printable. And this," she dug a knuckle into her companion's short ribs, whereupon he jumped, whi

y does," Jethay said: a

r there. How could you possibly give a head of hair a static ch

ulated wig ... but it looks as though she di

rackling syllables that sounded as though they could have been ladylike profa

s. "Look again." Each hair stood fiercely out all by itself, exactly as before. "All you young people will learn much more diff

the auditorium. Once crac

ers that logic could not affect. And Therea worked near-miracles; did more than the other five combined. Her sympathy, her empathy, her understanding an

t have half the trouble he had expected-it was not going to be a riot. And when he called

Yesterday I ruled by force; simply because I am stronger than any one of you or any pair of you. Today, in the light of the developments of the last hour, that rule is done; except, perhaps, for one or two isolated and non-represent

ct quote, Alsyne, and it isn

ed back. "That is the way his m

m which, we hope, a useful and workable organization can be developed. Since y

t development of a planet, perhaps of a solar system. You can learn if you will. You can cooperate if you will. Any couple here wh

oderators, Alsyne and Therea of Thaker; the

ut both. I am the Prime Unit of Thaker. For brevity, and for the purposes of this meeting only, I could be called simply 'Thaker.' Bef

not to rule. Thus, no Prime should be or will be 'b

ure. Whatever power of enforcement or of punishment it may have will derive, not from its Primes, but from the fact that it

pair would, when they were mature enough, be coached in the use of certain abilities they did not as yet have. He suggested proc

ake over the region you tell me to and not the one I want to, what assurance have I that some ot

ince you will not 'take over,' or 'have,' or 'own,

ll...." Se

. Miss Mitala then switched from thought, which everyone there could understand, and launched a ten-s

eing Primes if we can't get any good out of it? We're the strongest people o

shut her up, then pau

answer to Garlock's surprise, it went on, "This situation will, I think, be se

m going to keep on bossing my own

r-solidly, but with carefully-measured force-behind the ear. Before she could fall, he 'ported her ba

And the next day, and the next. Then, argument having reached the point of

as deeply engaged with Gerald Banks, the Galaxians' Public

s demanded. "How much of this stuff, i

Garlock s

ker?" Belle asked. "You

nks has no beari

an to protest at once, but they

ple; I know not at all how your people think

le-plus," Fao said with a grin, "so we'll

smiled quizzically at Belle, "You grabbed

-minded six-year-old. We haven't really got anything, anyway. Time enough, I think, when we have six or seven hund

Garlock said, and

t it's contagious. Fao and Deggi caught it, and I feel l

Garlock said in u

to mass-produce instruction tapes and blueprints. Garlock and Belle began systematically to explore the Tellurian Reg

ill get in touch with you again in about a year,"

ction and the tremendous ability, power, and scope of The Press. And Galaxian Hall had never before been closed to the public; not for any hour of any day of any year of its

out, read the smoothly-phrased notice, and lepped it in

e? Wherefore, Benjamin Bundy, the newscaster who had covered the starship's maiden flight, went out himself to look the thing over. He found the whole field cl

acy ... vibration ... temperature control ...

in a temporary office half a block away from the Hall. "Wh

rlock and James don't waste time trying to d

d. He mulled things over for a minute, then probed, finding that he c

ed. "All you have to do, Jerry, is tell me sc

and Bundy could not detect that any part of his sheepis

ose things? S

Evans it mi

ow it doesn't smell just a trifle cheesy; it stinks like r

comm

doesn't want publicity! The starship works-this lack-of-control stuff is the bunk-from here to

onfidence, for Evans' release. I'd l

l! Do you think

ent." The interview en

ard. They got a picture of sorts, but it was maddeningly confusing and incomplete. And, since it was certain that inter-systemic matters were involved, they could not extra

ed Garlock with shouts of joy when the four wan

the long story had been told. "Have somebod

r hours a day. Eating sandwiches and cat-napping on chai

owed by a more-or-less steady stream of some fifty

ill give us some screens-down

u all the scr

an't!" "Don't!" Belle and all

count of everything that had happened in the galaxy. Then, while they were all too stunned

n grabbing the ball," he sneered.

ce. "What a story!" he yel

aid, dryly. "What

ly. "You'll have to prove i

nly do I not have to prove it, I

"If you don't give me this in shape to use, yo

gloated, openly and avidly. "From now on, my friend, who i

had gone, Garlock said,

ally reliable source ...' and so on. Nothing definite, but

t wait a minute...." he thought for two solid minutes. "But we're going to need a lot of money, and w

n broke-mu

credits, Frank," Belle said, b

ch the construction of an outpost so far away that nobody ever drea

and Banks, went

had for five years," Macey said, suddenly. "But wouldn'

rlock said, soberly. "Oh

uble th

he old skinflint has changed-instead of screaming his head off about spen

. We'll use the Pleiades at first, while we're building a regular tran

-skinflint is now a bare-fac

Evans said. "How much

a small ship not intended for passenger service. When we get ships built ..

. "And oh, brother, what a pub

in, "but just what are you going

he story, the credit of the Galaxian

for a while. I don't like that, but we do need the

cour

reak the story now, ins

er what you j

mind and searched. "Bun

osed to do-burst i

can break it as fast and as har

e switch? Wha

mercial. Get

sonally-go on m

laxy. You and all the rest of the newshawks who were here and any f

in the Pleiades?

ships, too. You've got them-particula

ow, huh?" Garlock did so. "Thanks, pal, for the scoop. I

liver on that, Cl

will need a lot of extra mone

ted twenty solar systems instead of one-was the m

smen, and they took James and Lola along. "If we never see another such brawl as this is going to be," Belle told Ban

ur deep-spacemen were completely out of

ars. As has been said, he was a very able executive. He had an extremely keen profit

department suggested to the Galaxian Society that negotiations be opened concerning licenses, franchises, royalties, and so on. These suggestions were politely

e and approval of the Society's president, Cleander Garlock. Thus, at the meeting, the Galaxians made only two statements that were even approximately definite. One was that G

was unperturbed, but Evan

ed, "the real crux wa

at is i

s? For instance, could Garlock be forced to do whatever it is that he does? On the other hand, if Ferber of

it was that you'd delay 'em fo

s for which, as far as we can learn, there are no pre

igh above Earth's Galaxian Field, Garlock said, more than half re

snickered. "Sob, sob.

ng up. Oh, woe

and-moan routine, Clee, from a guy who's

onarching business is tough if you haven't thought a

lock smiled sligh

"You aren't busy now and we have an hour. We

blocks. His attitude changed instantly.

urate to be guesswork, and the more times you dead-center the

ta-but I'll show you what I have. It's fairly

ers the whole macrocosmi

timony, with us. All planets had humanoid 'guardians,' the Arpalones and Arpales. Some, but not all, had one or more non-human, more-or-less-intelligent races, such as the Fumapties, the Lemart

hought about them but I haven't be

s, symbols, and equations. "But before I go into this stuff, conside

ns, I s

identical, as far as we know, with yours and mine. Also white cells. Also, sometimes, vari

e are analogous to disease-producing organisms. We saw the

Ozobes and so

ms live in a human body

ilipic-the golop. Th

typed us before they'd let us land on any planet. Why

want to. It wasn

if we had, we would have died.

alactic super-monster? Phooie!" she jeered. "That chestnut was propounded a t

group of symbols. "We start with symbolic logic; manipulating like so to get this." Th

" Garlock

in vast areas of blankness and you're jumping around like the Swiss miss leaping from Alp to Alp. And how about our own

data. Also, beyond a certain point

It's as loose

we getting up into concepts that no human mind

a salesman, Clee, but

a ganglion, maybe. Over here, see? I'll have to l

al material on that whole sheet. Feed everything you

complete data. For instance, what would your computer do with the figures you shot at me the day we started

sted in that kind

three point one four one five nine. Compy would still be ba

out of ten would

work on gravitation or relativity. No possible c

ish I knew something about biochemical embryology; but I read somewhere that ova are sterile, so our galaxy is an ovum. Therefore our super-galooper is a gal-which incontrovertibl

rdened into intense concentration. Then

se I'm kiddin

k. "I'm making one unjustifiable assumption-that the Pleiades is the first intergal

cells in a sperm, and I don't

e broadest, most general terms. The actual process of reproduction is unknowable. But whereve

catalyst.

nite series. Calling the first three terms alpha, beta, and gamma, we

rd; as the blank spaces became fewer a

e bracket tie into the same conclusion I had befor

instein ... add to that 'the brain of a Garlock, better than either

I couldn't carry either of

ve believed that you

out the kidd

of a heel to belittle one of the most tremendous intuitions ever achieved by man. Not that I like it. It's

me of reference. It merely takes our thinking one

t will do, though, is set up an inferiority com

ion can't be justified, the whole thing may be fallacious. So I'm

ed. "With your name? The tremendous sp

probably; but pret

es, but...." Belle's face, which had regai

ne of th

blood cell compared to that of a whole brain ... and that intelligence is banked, level upon level ... well, it's s

time as any. I'll

ld more of me th

r close. "Go ahead. Face it. All the way down and all the way up. You've

er head on his shoulder. H

-clasped and motionless in silence; but finally her muscle

way down?

a geometr

l the w

the fringe

ence all

d any of them, of course, but I lo

And you're

smoked half of it. Then she stood up. "Clee, if anything in the whole universe ever knocked hell out of anyth

ake all the t

n whistle. Belle's hair was now its natural deep, rich chestnut, her lipstick was red,

nette. I'm going to marry you as soon as we land; registered permanent family. I'm going

ith a visible effort, Garlock pulled himself together. "I don't need to tell you what a surprise thi

then, and went on with a completely new intensity. "Listen, Clee. I'm all done-forever-lying and pretending to you. I love you so much that ... well, the

nd her, very gently. "For the first time in my

g her own shield, she went fully into his mind. "Oh, I didn't dare hope

their embrace tightened as though their bodies were trying to become as nearly o

said, shakily. "Lip

eetheart? That

n came back to normal almost with a snap. "... but say; I'll bet that's what

briefly. "

when we.... Oh, we did, of course, in moments of high s

t it, you mean, e

re then, weren't we?-that it could be done for more than a microsecon

be. So let's chop this an

"You've got lipstick even on your shirt. So change it and I'll

had no idea ... wow! That will be as much different, too, I'm sure.... Hm-h-h-nh?

came up of themselves, but he forced them back down.

yes, and smile. "I bet myself you wouldn't and I won! Y

n't help wondering if two such hellions as you and I are can make a go o

e glamor has worn off and I've had three of our six children and two of them are in bed with the e

r, we'll have it made. It's at first that it'll be rugged. No matter how rugged it gets, though, we

they are, that arise in the first six months. You'll be responsible for the next sixty years.

or twenty minutes," and in a couple of seconds he brought Garlock and Belle up to date. "So Fatso's been

r how many fits he has, no such decision is going to be ma

to tell him that yo

t, and tell him s

but sha

the Main, arms around each other

g-gug...." J

shrieked. "Why

n here?" Jam

as deeply as Belle did. "We just decided to quit fighting,

E