19
"This time," the communications supervisor said with all the firmness hecould muster, "this time there must not be any interference withcommunication. There just absolutely must not be!"
"Well, it wasn't my fault," the operator retorted with an exasperationthat blanketed prudent restraint. "You heard what E McGinnis said--thatthey could identify E Gray, and the ship's crew, and many of thecolonists, but that there was no sign of the ship that took them there.If there wasn't any ship there couldn't be any communication. It's notmy fault. I can't receive something that wasn't sent."
"I know, I know," the supervisor said, and then, worried that he may begiving the appearance of backing down, commanded savagely, "just watchit, that's all!" He chewed violently at his knuckle and glared at theoperator.
"Just watch it," the operator mumbled bitterly. "Just watch it, the mansays. And what will I watch if the message stops coming?"
"Now, now, now, now," the supervisor nagged, "we'll have noinsubordination, if you please."
And upstairs this time more than Bill Hayes, sector chief, weremonitoring the message. The top administrative brass of E.H.Q. wereassembled in their big plush conference room used for arriving at majorpolicy decisions that sometimes affected the whole course of man'sprogress and direction in occupying the universe.
They sat in worried silence as E McGinnis reported the two messages hehad received from Junior E Gray.
First: Keep clear of me. I am maneuvering with difficulty.
Then: Keep off. No mechanical science allowed in this co-ordinatesystem.
They looked at one another under beetled brows. They wondered, at firstprivately and then openly if that Junior E had blown his stack. They hadlooked at many a problem finally solved by the E's, but never before hadsuch a ridiculous situation come up.
And right at the time, too, when the civil government had decided toplace a curb on E.H.Q.'s freedom of movement, its control over theexperimental phases of planet development. The injunction to halt aJunior E from taking over the Eden problem fooled none of them. Theyknew that Gunderson wasn't concerned for those colonists out there, thathe was merely using the public furor to advance his own personal power.They knew that the police worked unremittingly, unceasingly, always andever to bring every phase of human activity under their control. Theyknew it was a centuries-old tactic to wait for the right situation toarise, so that the lawmakers could be stampeded into passing some lawwhich seemed only to apply to this given condition but in actualitybroadened police powers over a wide area of man's actions.
Yes, there was far more at stake here than the fate of fifty colonists.In a sense E.H.Q. itself was the stake. The whole science of E was atstake.
And E McGinnis had played right into Gunderson's hands. It was he whohad been the E influence in deciding to allow a Junior to handle theproblem in the first place. It was he who was standing off from theplanet, not landing and taking over things as he should.
There was obviously no danger. By his own report, the people on Edenwere in good health, and from their apparent actions, not evendistressed.
This message about no mechanical science being allowed, for example. Didthe Junior mean the colonists wouldn't allow it? Must mean that. Whatelse could prevent it? But when an E, a real E, took charge in anexperimental colony, the colonists had nothing further to say about thematter. True, when the five-year experimental period was over and thethree-generation colonists took over a planet, then it came more undercivil control, and E.H.Q. largely withdrew with the provision that itcould step back in at any time the problem seemed not to have beensolved after all.
But while under the five-year test ... The E was the final word, orshould be. The colonists knew it. The E knew it, or should know it.Obviously then it was weakness on the part of the Junior if he allowedthe colonists to dictate that there could be no mechanical science.Proof of his inability to handle the job.
A perfect setup for Gunderson!
They decided they were forced to take a strong hand with McGinnis.Ordinarily the E was the final word, not only with the colonists, butwith the administration at E.H.Q. But maybe there were times when heshouldn't be. Yes, definitely they should take a hand. After all, Graywas still a Junior, hardly more than a boy. Was it right that a mere boycould stop investigation by anyone except himself? Tell Earth with allits power and might what to do?
Definitely there was a time when an exception to general E policy shouldbe made. Definitely this was that time. If nothing else, they must takea strong hand to prevent Gunderson from moving in with his policepowers. Protect the E science from Gunderson, or at least salvage whatthey might.
Their conference over, they asked for a connection with McGinnis.
"We assume you will land and take charge, E McGinnis?" the boardchairman asked.
"Certainly not," McGinnis snapped back. "An E has forbidden it."
"Well now," the chairman argued, and sweat began to come out on hisforehead. "He's only a Junior. We have decided his judgment isn't matureenough for this problem."
"I have every confidence in Junior E Gray," McGinnis said acidly. "Andevery E in the system will back me. It makes no difference what you havedecided. Either the science of E means something, or it doesn't. Eitherwe have complete freedom to handle a problem, or we don't. Let me remindyou, gentlemen, this isn't the first time that laymen have decided the Eis a fool and tried to take matters into their own hands. Do you want torepeat past disasters?"
"If we don't land a ship, E McGinnis"--the chairman was all but pleadingnow--"Gunderson's police will. We feel we must land a ship to take afirmer control over the situation. Public sentiment demands it. Policydemands it. Perhaps the whole future of E demands it."
A new voice cut into the communications hookup, a feminine voice.
"Gentlemen," she said, "this is Linda Gray. I requested that I be cut inon any communication concerning my husband, and E McGinnis made it anorder before he left. If another ship does land, I must be on it. I wantto be with my husband."
"I will not be landing on Eden, Linda," E McGinnis said firmly. "An Ehas forbidden it. That is enough for any other E in the universe. Noother E will land. Your husband is all right. He is in good health, andapparently mentally sound. At least sound enough to warn us againstlanding. He must have a reason. We don't know, yet, what it is.
"Now he has stopped communicating, we don't know why. He must have areason for that, too. It is probably a sound reason. E science has beendrilled into him until it is a part of his every mind cell, perhaps evenevery body cell.
"I assume he is not communicating because we can't help him, becausecommunicating with us distracts him from solving the problem. If E.H.Q.decides to send out a ship on its own, and risk landing in an unknownco-ordinate system, against the orders of two E's, which will become thecombined orders of all E's in the universe, that is their decision. Ifyou wish to be on it, that is your decision.
"I am cutting off now. It will be no accident that E.H.Q. cannot connectwith me. I'm cutting out because I don't want to be distracted anyfurther. I'm trying to think."
The acid rebuff of the old E left the administrative board hanging in avacuum of indecision, frustration. Angry determination to do something,anything.
They were caught between the intransigence of the E fraternity it wastheir duty to serve and from whom they should be able to expect help,and the obvious determination of Gunderson to use this incident as hismeans of regaining control over the E's and E.H.Q. for civil authority.Didn't the stupid E see the danger? Wasn't it the same danger that menof science had always faced, the same mistake they had alwaysmade--leaving out the human element in a problem?
The eternal blind spot in men of science! The average man doesn't give atinker's damn for progress or knowledge, not really. He wants only thathe and his shall be ascendant at the center of things, the inevitable,the only possible goal of the non-science mind. Surely the history ofscience versus non-science should have made this evident lon
g ago!Surely there had been enough incidents in history....
Very well, it was up to them to help the E in spite of himself. If herefused the see the clear danger to his whole structure--and their ownascendant position at the center of it--it was their clear duty toprotect him nonetheless.
They would send out another ship, a large one, a floating laboratory, aminiature E.H.Q., at least to be there on the scene; to help in any waythey could, perhaps to counter the moves Gunderson's police might make,at least to stand by.
At least, in the face of all this public clamor about Eden, to showtheir concern. The chairman of the board rationalized it masterfully,without once mentioning that their real concern was to remain ascendantat the center of things at all costs, and thereby maintained thetradition of all non-science endeavors.
"Gentlemen," he said in summary, "we have a grave responsibility notonly to the E structure, but to all mankind as well. In every system, inevery rule, there must be provision for the exception. Gray is only aJunior E. Herein lies the weakness of our position. Herein liesGunderson's strength, his weapon for swaying the sentiment of thepeople. A Junior E is not mature enough to make the decisions affectingthe life or death of fifty people. More than that, perhaps the futureprogress of mankind.
"May I point out, gentlemen, that in a showdown, if it should becomenecessary for us to land a ship to rescue those colonists, in spite ofthe Junior's demand that we stay clear of the planet, we will not beoverriding the decision of an E, but of a boy who has not yet proved hiscapacity to merit an E.
"We have to draw the line somewhere. I am forced to agree with Gundersonon that. If we must honor the command of the Junior E, then why not theAssociate E? Why not the student E? Why not the apprentice student E?Why not any kid in the universe who thinks he is extra smart?
"The line of demarcation, the point at which civil control over theindividual gives way to immunity from civil control has never beenclearly drawn. We may regret that the issue has arisen at all, but ithas arisen. Gunderson's purpose is clear. He intends to bring the Estructure back under civil control. We must salvage what we can. Perhapsif we concede his control over the Juniors on down, we can maintain theimmunity of the Senior E. We must work to save at least that much."
The floating laboratory, which might have to become a rescue ship, leftsix hours later.
Linda was on it.