This World Is Taboo

ecision to execute him were reasonable enough. Maril protested fiercely, and her testimony agreed

s Dara had. There were no fully qualified men. Calhoun had asked for them, and taken them out

capable of driving a ship to Orede, for example, to raid the enormous cattle herds there.

l bacterial cultures they'd been ordered to dump on Weald. Then he'd sent the four student pilots off separatel

that the only four partially experienced space pilots on Dara had been taken a

eald, and had they come back prepared to pass on training to other men to handle other space ship

no trained pilots at all, it would be hopeless. So Calhoun, by his own story, appe

cts as ships loaded down with grain. Calhoun had shattered Dara's feeble hope of resistance. W

others. If it had become desperately busy fighting plague, then a fleet to exterminate life on Dara would be del

ips which only needed to be emptied of grain and filled with guns and men, then Dara was doomed.

ches on their skins, marched him to the center of the largest level space on the planet which was not desperately being cultivated. Their hatred showed in their expressions. Bitterne

y center of the landing-grid floor. There were a hundred blasters which would fire upon him at the same instant. H

ing. One of the grain ships from Weald had broken out of overdrive and its pilot was triumphantly calling for landing coordinates. Th

ad trained. "Calling ground! Pilot Franz in captured ship requests coordinates for landing

Weald! Presently the giant ship on its second voyage to Dara-the first had been a generation ago, when it threatened death and destruction-appeared as a dark pinpoint i

and only then did Calhoun stroll in a leisurely fash

ng and heaving out handfuls of grain. There was a swarming, yelling, deliriously triumphant crowd, then, whe

citizens of Dara. They shouted praise and rejoicing in his ears until he was half-deafened, and they almost tore his clothing from

ent wild again. Four hours later still, the third arriv

d cabinet of Dara for the second ti

doing get the beginning of a fleet for defense. I insist, however, that it must not be used in combat. We might as well be sensible about this situation!

or?" demanded a man with a bl

un to

fleet overhead, dropping fusion

we can keep them from dropping bombs if we can

ow

tional program can be presented and accepted immediately. A plan of action which is actually intelligent,

our brains, we'd have more bombs than Weald can hope for

ff for Weald again. I'll want somebody to build an emergency device for my ship, and I'll want the four pilots I've trained and twenty more candidates. And I'd

as simply a preventive of the disaster overtaking the ship from the mine on Orede. It was essentially a tank of liquid oxygen, packed i

d to the air as it warmed again. For so long as the oxygen lasted, fresh air for any number of men could be kept purified and breathable. The

rgatroyd protested shrilly when he discovered h

d indignantly.

ll be crowded enough any

ciently supervised as the grid took the ship up. The other three of the four first-trained men explained every move to

each other's way. They trampled on each other. There was always somebody eating, and always somebody sleeping, and there was no need whatever for the background tape to keep the ship from being in

was necessary for each of the students to make his own line-ups on Weald's sun, and compute distances, and for each of them to practise m

laimed the ship from Orede an attack from Dara. Therefore, they would specialize on defensive measures before plumping for offense. They'd get

k all meaning out of any reading beyond two decimal places. But the first breakout was just far enough from the Wealdian system for Calhoun to be able to pick out its planets with the electron telescope at maximum magnification. He could aim

n hour's solar system drive of the grain fleet. There was no alarm, at first. Of course radars spotted the Med Ship as an object,

neophyte and all fastened firmly together with space ropes. They warmed the interiors of four ships and went on to others. Presently there were eight ships making

e planet. Calhoun swore. He could not call his students and tell them what was toward. The guard ship would overhear. He could not trust

ommunicator, and set it at voice-only transmission. This was famili

led Murgatroy

ame out of the spe

d Murgatroy

One was Calhoun. The second was coffee. The third was pretending to converse li

gatroyd. He wriggled with pleasure

! Listen to this! Something that ain't human's talking a

posed with anoth

echo-radar, and so could determine only that an object of some sort moved of its own accord in space. Calhoun let the Med Ship accelerate. That would be final evidence. The grain ships were between Weald a

atroyd solicitousl

ed the voice from the guard boat.

That's no human voice," it said harshly. "Approach its ship and

eaded for the Med Ship. It w

aid Murgatroyd

hanged course too. Calhoun let it draw nearer, but only

, however. It was easy to guess that someone had meant to return to the Med Ship for orders or

said Mur

human-occupied world! If you come in peace, cu

of higher authority took over. Murgatroyd was entranced that so many people wanted to talk to him

ee-chee," sai

had gone into overdrive. Another. And another. Suddenl

gatroyd with a n

grain shi

d Ship Aesclipus Twenty. I called here a couple of we

Then profanity of deep

on Dara," s

ilence

ad in orbit have been taken away by men from Dara-blueskins if you like-to feed t

n the formerly suave voice said waspishly, "Well

ra is ready to pay for every ounce of grain and for the ships it was stor

voice fair

ing that was ever on Da

and tungsten at 3370° and irridium at 2350°. You could load such things and melt them down in

iated: "I'll report this!

Wealdians to land on Dara, take whatever property they think wise-to pay for damage done by blueskins, of course-and ge

conceivable contagion, do whatever seemed necessary in the way of looting-but Calhoun did not use the wo

e four ships converging on me to b

elf and in which physical constants were wildly strange. For one thing, the speed of light in overdrive-stressed space had n

atroyd on board. There was companionable silence, with only the s

beings crowded into the two cabins of the ship, with never so much as one yard of space

ked his whiske

million bushels of grain reaching them. Maybe, just possibly, they'll listen to me and act sensibly. After all, the

rd to relaxation. As a beginning he made ready to give himself an adequate meal for the first time since first landing on Dara. Then, p

uns flared, and comets hurtled on their way, and clouds formed and dropped down rain, and all sorts o

pected, and with the suspicion would come terror, and with terror a governmental crisis. Then there'd be

y and governmental officials would come to the eminently sane conclusion that while Calhoun could not well take active measures against blueskins, as a sane and proper citizen of the galaxy he would be o

ill not a comfortable ration, but the relief was great. There was considerable gratitude felt for Calhoun, which as usual included a lively anticipation of further

A person felt slightly feverish, and ran a temperature which peaked at 30.9° centigrade, and drank more water than usual. Then his temperature went back to normal a

de, and this time they would make an infinity of slaughter among wild cattle herds, and bring back incredible quantit

ashioned into bombs-a concession by Calhoun-and plastic factories would make an astonishing number of plastic sag-suits. And la

put them together and hoped very urgently that things would work out. He could see a promising total result. In fact, in the Med Ship hurtling through

me to the Med Ship. Murgatroy

I told you that sometimes blueskin markings fade out on children,

un. "I remember t

ly took hold of people in terribly bad physical condition, but then they

un bl

es

the blueskin markings on Darians. He thinks that people almost dead of the plague could

said Calhoun,

lot about it in the ship's log. You gave yourself an injection. Remember? And Murgatroyd? You wrote down your temperature, and

ion," said Calhoun. "Do

verish and very thirsty, and then felt all right again. You tried out something that made you feverish and thirsty. I had it too, in the ship. Korvan thinks there's been an epidemic of something that is

le!" said

u start a harmless epidemic that wipe

tonishment, "How can you t

But the question is, are you going to tell? When people find they're not blueskins any

Calhoun. "Why?" Then h

und the proof. He's very proud. I'd have to tell him how the ideas got

sidered, st

ly would be disturbing, too. It shouldn't get about. So it seems much the best thing for Ko

his face

vor to me," she decided. "Yo

time, until he squirmed. Th

ace fleet was reported massed