XII
As has been said, the Stretts were working, with all the intensity oftheir monstrous but tremendously capable minds, upon their Great Plan;which was, basically, to conquer and either enslave or destroy everyother intelligent race throughout all the length, breadth, and thicknessof total space. To that end each individual Strett had to becomeinvulnerable and immortal.
Wherefore, in the inconceivably remote past, there had been put intoeffect a program of selective breeding and of carefully-calculatedtreatments. It was mathematically certain that this program would resultin a race of beings of pure force--beings having no materialconstituents remaining whatever.
Under those hellish treatments billions upon billions of Stretts haddied. But the few remaining thousands had almost reached their sublimegoal. In a few more hundreds of thousands of years perfection would bereached. The few surviving hundreds of perfect beings could and wouldmultiply to any desired number in practically no time at all.
Hilton and his seven fellow-workers had perceived all this in their oneand only study of the planet Strett, and every other Ardan had beencompletely informed.
A dozen or so Strett Lords of Thought, male and female, were floatingabout in the atmosphere--which was not air--of their Assembly Hall. Theirheads were globes of ball lightning. Inside them could be seen quiteplainly the intricate convolutions of immense, less-than-half-materialbrains, shot through and through with rods and pencils and shapes ofpure, scintillating force.
And the bodies! Or, rather, each horrendous brain had a few partiallymaterial appendages and appurtenances recognizable as bodily organs.There were no mouths, no ears, no eyes, no noses or nostrils, no lungs,no legs or arms. There were, however, hearts. Some partially materialichor flowed through those living-fire-outlined tubes. There werestarkly functional organs of reproduction with which, by no stretch ofthe imagination, could any thought of tenderness or of love beconnected.
It was a good thing for the race, Hilton had thought at first perceptionof the things, that the Stretts had bred out of themselves every iota ofthe finer, higher attributes of life. If they had not done so, theimpotence of sheer disgust would have supervened so long since that therace would have been extinct for ages.
"Thirty-eight periods ago the Great Brain was charged with the sum totalof Strettsian knowledge," First Lord Thinker Zoyar radiated to theassembled Stretts. "For those thirty-eight periods it has been scanning,peyondiring, amassing data and formulating hypotheses, theories, andconclusions. It has just informed me that it is now ready to make apreliminary report. Great Brain, how much of the total universe have youstudied?"
"This Galaxy only," the Brain radiated, in a texture of thought as hardand as harsh as Zoyar's own.
"Why not more?"
"Insufficient power. My first conclusion is that whoever set up thespecifications for me is a fool."
* * * * *
To say that the First Lord went out of control at this statement is toput it very mildly indeed. He fulminated, ending with: "... destroyedinstantly!"
"Destroy me if you like," came the utterly calm, utterly cold reply. "Iam in no sense alive. I have no consciousness of self nor any desire forcontinued existence. To do so, however, would ..."
A flurry of activity interrupted the thought. Zoyar was in factassembling the forces to destroy the brain. But, before he could act,Second Lord Thinker Ynos and another female blew him into a mixture ofloose molecules and flaring energies.
"Destruction of any and all irrational minds is mandatory," Ynos, nowFirst Lord Thinker, explained to the linked minds. "Zoyar had beenbecoming less and less rational by the period. A good workman does notcauselessly destroy his tools. Go ahead, Great Brain, with yourfindings."
"... not be logical." The brain resumed the thought exactly where it hadbeen broken off. "Zoyar erred in demanding unlimited performance, sinceinfinite knowledge and infinite ability require not only infinitecapacity and infinite power, but also infinite time. Nor is it eithernecessary or desirable that I should have such qualities. There is noreasonable basis for the assumption that you Stretts will conquer anysignificant number even of the millions of intelligent races nowinhabiting this one Galaxy."
"Why not?" Ynos demanded, her thought almost, but not quite, as steadyand cold as it had been.
"The answer to that question is implicit in the second indefensibleerror made in my construction. The prime datum impressed into my banks,that the Stretts are in fact the strongest, ablest, most intelligentrace in the universe, proved to be false. I had to eliminate it before Icould do any really constructive thinking."
A roar of condemnatory thought brought all circumambient ether to aboil. "Bah--destroy it!" "Detestable!" "Intolerable!" "If that is thebest it can do, annihilate it!" "Far better brains have been destroyedfor much less!" "Treason!" And so on.
First Lord Thinker Ynos, however, remained relatively calm. "While wehave always held it to be a fact that we are the highest race inexistence, no rigorous proof has been possible. Can you now disprovethat assumption?"
* * * * *
"I have disproved it. I have not had time to study all of thecivilizations of this Galaxy, but I have examined a statisticallyadequate sample of one million seven hundred ninety-two thousand fourhundred sixteen different planetary intelligences. I found one which isconsiderably abler and more advanced than you Stretts. Therefore theprobability is greater than point nine nine that there are not less thanten, and not more than two hundred eight, such races in this Galaxyalone."
"Impossible!" Another wave of incredulous and threatening anger sweptthrough the linked minds; a wave which Ynos flattened out with somedifficulty.
Then she asked: "Is it probable that we will make contact with thissupposedly superior race in the foreseeable future?"
"You are in contact with it now."
"_What?_" Even Ynos was contemptuous now. "You mean that one shipload ofdespicable humans who--far too late to do them any good--barred ustemporarily from Fuel World?"
"Not exactly or only those humans, no. And your assumptions may or maynot be valid."
"Don't you _know_ whether they are or not?" Ynos snapped. "Explain youruncertainty at once!"
"I am uncertain because of insufficient data," the brain replied,calmly. "The only pertinent facts of which I am certain are: First, theworld Ardry, upon which the Omans formerly lived and to which the humansin question first went--a planet which no Strett can peyondire--is nowabandoned. Second, the Stretts of old did not completely destroy thehumanity of the world Ardu. Third, some escapees from Ardu reached andpopulated the world Ardry. Fourth, the android Omans were developed onArdry, by the human escapees from Ardu and their descendants. Fifth, theOmans referred to those humans as 'Masters.' Sixth, after living onArdry for a very long period of time the Masters went elsewhere.Seventh, the Omans remaining on Ardry maintained, continuously and for avery long time, the status quo left by the Masters. Eighth, immediatelyupon the arrival from Terra of these present humans, that long-existingstatus was broken. Ninth, the planet called Fuel World is, for the firsttime, surrounded by a screen of force. The formula of this screen is asfollows."
The brain gave it. No Strett either complained or interrupted. Each wastoo busy studying that formula and examining its stunning implicationsand connotations.
"Tenth, that formula is one full order of magnitude beyond anythingpreviously known to your science. Eleventh, it could not have beendeveloped by the science of Terra, nor by that of any other world whosepopulation I have examined."
* * * * *
The brain took the linked minds instantaneously to Terra; then to a fewthousand or so other worlds inhabited by human beings; then to a fewthousands of planets whose populations were near-human, non-human andmonstrous.
"It is therefore clear," it announced, "that this screen was computedand produced by the race, whatever it may be, that is now dwelling onFuel World
and asserting full ownership of it."
"Who or what _is_ that race?" Ynos demanded.
"Data insufficient."
"Theorize, then!"
"Postulate that the Masters, in many thousands of cycles of study, madeadvances in science that were not reduced to practice; that the Omanseither possessed this knowledge or had access to it; and that Omans andhumans cooperated fully in sharing and in working with all theknowledges thus available. From these three postulates the conclusioncan be drawn that there has come into existence a new race. Onecombining the best qualities of both humans and Omans, but with theweaknesses of neither."
"An unpleasant thought, truly," Ynos thought. "But you can now, Isuppose, design the generators and projectors of a force superior tothat screen."
"Data insufficient. I can equal it, since both generation andprojection are implicit in the formula. But the data so adduced are inthemselves vastly ahead of anything previously in my banks."
"Are there any other races in this Galaxy more powerful than thepostulated one now living on Fuel World?"
"Data insufficient."
"Theorize, then!"
"Data insufficient."
The linked minds concentrated upon the problem for a period of time thatmight have been either days or weeks. Then:
"Great Brain, advise us," Ynos said. "What is best for us to do?"
"With identical defensive screens it becomes a question of relativepower. You should increase the size and power of your warships tosomething beyond the computed probable maximum of the enemy. You shouldbuild more ships and missiles than they will probably be able to build.Then and only then will you attack their warships, in tremendous forceand continuously."
"But not their planetary defenses. I see." Ynos's thought was one ofcomplete understanding. "And the _real_ offensive will be?"
"No mobile structure can be built to mount mechanisms of powersufficient to smash down by sheer force of output such tremendouslypowerful installations as their planet-based defenses must be assumedto be. Therefore the planet itself must be destroyed. This will requirea missile of planetary mass. The best such missile is the tenth planetof their own sun."
* * * * *
"I see." Ynos's mind was leaping ahead, considering hundreds ofpossibilities and making highly intricate and involved computations."That will, however, require many cycles of time and more power thaneven our immense reserves can supply."
"True. It will take much time. The fuel problem, however, is not aserious one, since Fuel World is not unique. Think on, First Lord Ynos."
"We will attack in maximum force and with maximum violence. We willblanket the planet. We will maintain maximum force and violence untilmost or all of the enemy ships have been destroyed. We will then installplanetary drives on Ten and force it into collision orbit with FuelWorld, meanwhile exerting extreme precautions that not so much as aspy-beam emerges above the enemy's screen. Then, still maintainingextreme precaution, we will guard both planets until the last possiblemoment before the collision. Brain, it cannot fail!"
"You err. It can fail. All we actually know of the abilities of thispostulated neo-human race is what I have learned from the composition ofits defensive screen. The probability approaches unity that the Masterscontinued to delve and to learn for millions of cycles while youStretts, reasonlessly certain of your supremacy, concentrated upon yourevolution from the material to a non-material form of life and performedonly limited research into armaments of greater and ever greater power."
"True. But that attitude was then justified. It was not and is notlogical to assume that any race would establish a fixed status at anylevel of ability below its absolute maximum."
"While that conclusion could once have been defensible, it is nowvirtually certain that the Masters had stores of knowledge which theymay or may not have withheld from the Omans, but which were in some waymade available to the neo-humans. Also, there is no basis whatever forthe assumption that this new race has revealed all its potentialities."
"Statistically, that is probably true. But this is the best plan youhave been able to formulate?"
"It is. Of the many thousands of plans I set up and tested, this one hasthe highest probability of success."
"Then we will adopt it. We are Stretts. Whatever we decide upon willbe driven through to complete success. We have one tremendous advantagein you."
"Yes. The probability approaches unity that I can perform research on avastly wider and larger scale, and almost infinitely faster, than canany living organism or any possible combination of such organisms."
* * * * *
Nor was the Great Brain bragging. It scanned in moments the storedscientific knowledge of over a million planets. It tabulated,correlated, analyzed, synthesized, theorized and concluded--all inmicroseconds of time. Thus it made more progress in one Terran week thanthe Masters had made in a million years.
When it had gone as far as it could go, it reported its results--and theStretts, hard as they were and intransigent, were amazed and overjoyed.Not one of them had ever even imagined such armaments possible. Hencethey became supremely confident that it was unmatched and unmatchablethroughout all space.
What the Great Brain did not know, however, and the Stretts did notrealize, was that it could not really think.
Unlike the human mind, it could not deduce valid theories or conclusionsfrom incomplete, insufficient, fragmentary data. It could not leapgaps. Thus there was no more actual assurance than before that they hadexceeded, or even matched, the weaponry of the neo-humans of Fuel World.
Supremely confident, Ynos said: "We will now discuss every detail of theplan in sub-detail, and will correlate every sub-detail with everyother, to the end that every action, however minor, will be performedperfectly and in its exact time."
That discussion, which lasted for days, was held. Hundreds of thousandsof new and highly specialized mechs were built and went furiously andcontinuously to work. A fuel-supply line was run to anotheruranexite-rich planet.
Stripping machines stripped away the surface layers of soil, sand, rockand low-grade ore. Giant miners tore and dug and slashed and refined andconcentrated. Storage silos by the hundreds were built and were filled.Hundreds upon hundreds of concentrate-carriers bored their stolid waysthrough hyperspace. Many weeks of time passed.
But of what importance are mere weeks of time to a race that has, formany millions of years, been adhering rigidly to a pre-set program?
The sheer magnitude of the operation, and the extraordinary attention todetail with which it was prepared and launched, explain why the Strettattack on Ardvor did not occur until so many weeks later than Hilton andSawtelle expected it. They also explain the utterly incomprehensiblefury, the completely fantastic intensity, the unparalleled savagery, thealmost immeasurable brute power of that attack when it finally did come.
* * * * *
When the _Orion_ landed on Ardane Field from Earth, carrying the firstcontingent of immigrants, Hilton and Sawtelle were almost as muchsurprised as relieved that the Stretts had not already attacked.
Sawtelle, confident that his defenses were fully ready, took it more orless in stride. Hilton worried. And after a couple of days he began todo some real thinking about it.
The first result of his thinking was a conference with Temple. As soonas she got the drift, she called in Teddy and Big Bill Karns. Teddy inturn called in Becky and de Vaux; Karns wanted Poynter and Beverly;Poynter wanted Braden and the twins; and so on. Thus, what started outas a conference of two became a full Ardan staff meeting; a meetingwhich, starting immediately after lunch, ran straight through into thefollowing afternoon.
"To sum up the consensus, for the record," Hilton said then, studying asheet of paper covered with symbols, "the Stretts haven't attacked yetbecause they found out that we are stronger than they are. They foundthat out by analyzing our defensive web--which, if we had had thismeeting fi
rst, we wouldn't have put up at all. Unlike anything known tohuman or previous Strett science, it is proof against any form of attackup to the limit of the power of its generators. They will attack as soonas they are equipped to break that screen at the level of power probableto our ships. We can not arrive at any reliable estimate as to how longthat will take.
"As to the effectiveness of our cutting off their known fuel supply,opinion is divided. We must therefore assume that fuel shortage will notbe a factor.
"Neither are we unanimous on the basic matter as to why the Mastersacted as they did just before they left Ardry. Why did they set thestatus so far below their top ability? Why did they make it impossiblefor the Omans ever, of themselves, to learn their higher science? Why,if they did not want that science to become known, did they leavecomplete records of it? The majority of us believe that the Masterscoded their records in such fashion that the Stretts, even if theyconquered the Omans or destroyed them, could never break that code;since it was keyed to the basic difference between the Strett mentalityand the human. Thus, they left it deliberately for some human race tofind.
"Finally, and most important, our physicists and theoreticians are notable to extrapolate, from the analysis of our screen, to the conceptsunderlying the Masters' ultimate weapons of offense, the first-stagebooster and its final end-product, the Vang. If, as we can safelyassume, the Stretts do not already have those weapons, they will knownothing about them until we ourselves use them in battle.
"These are, of course, only the principal points covered. Does anyonewish to amend this summation as recorded?"
* * * * *
No one did.
The meeting was adjourned. Hilton, however, accompanied Sawtelle andKedy to the captain's office. "So you see, Skipper, we got troubles," hesaid. "If we don't use those boosters against their skeletons it'll boildown to a stalemate lasting God only knows how long. It will be a war ofattrition, outcome dependent on which side can build the most andbiggest and strongest ships the fastest. On the other hand, if we _do_use 'em on defense here, they'll analyze 'em and have everything workedout in a day or so. The first thing they'll do is beef up theirplanetary defenses to match. That way, we'd blow all their ships out ofspace, probably easily enough, but Strett itself will be just as safe asthough it were in God's left-hand hip pocket. So what's the answer?"
"It isn't that simple, Jarve," Sawtelle said. "Let's hear from you,Kedy."
"Thank you, sir. There is an optimum mass, a point of maximum efficiencyof firepower as balanced against loss of maneuverability, for any craftdesigned for attack," Kedy thought, in his most professional manner. "Weassume that the Stretts know that as well as we do. No such limitationapplies to strictly defensive structures, but both the Strett craft andours must be designed for attack. We have built and are building manyhundreds of thousands of ships of that type. So, undoubtedly, are theStretts. Ship for ship, they will be pretty well matched. Therefore onepart of my strategy will be for two of our ships to engagesimultaneously one of theirs. There is a distinct probability that wewill have enough advantage in speed of control to make that tacticoperable."
"But there's another that we won't," Sawtelle objected. "And maybe theycan build more ships than we can."
"Another point is that they may build, in addition to their big stuff, alot of small, ultra-fast ones," Hilton put in. "Suicide jobs--crash anddetonate--simply super-missiles. How sure are you that you can stop suchmissiles with ordinary beams?"
"Not at all, sir. Some of them would of course reach and destroy some ofour ships. Which brings up the second part of my strategy. For each oneof the heavies, we are building many small ships of the type you justcalled 'super-missiles'."
"Superdreadnoughts versus superdreadnoughts, super-missiles versussuper-missiles." Hilton digested that concept for several minutes. "Thatcould still wind up as a stalemate, except for what you said aboutcontrol. That isn't much to depend on, especially since we won't havethe time-lag advantage you Omans had before. They'll see to that. Also,I don't like to sacrifice a million Omans, either."
* * * * *
"I haven't explained the newest development yet, sir. There will be noOmans. Each ship and each missile has a built-in Kedy brain, sir."
"_What?_ That makes it infinitely worse. You Kedys, unless it'sabsolutely necessary, are _not_ expendable!"
"Oh, but we are, sir. You don't quite understand. We Kedys are notmerely similar, but are in fact identical. Thus we are not independententities. All of us together make up the actual Kedy--that which ismeant when we say 'I'. That is, I am the sum total of all Kedyseverywhere, not merely this individual that you call Kedy One."
"You mean you're _all_ talking to me?"
"Exactly, sir. Thus, no one element of the Kedy has any need of, or anydesire for, self-preservation. The destruction of one element, or ofthousands of elements, would be of no more consequence to the Kedy than... well, they are strictly analogous to the severed ends of the hairs,every time you get a haircut."
"My God!" Hilton stared at Sawtelle. Sawtelle stared back. "I'mbeginning to see ... maybe ... I hope. What control that would be! Butjust in case we _should_ have to use the boosters...." Hilton's voicedied away. Scowling in concentration, he clasped his hands behind hisback and began to pace the floor.
"Better give up, Jarve. Kedy's got the same mind you have," Sawtellebegan, to Hilton's oblivious back; but Kedy silenced the thought almostin the moment of its inception.
"By no means, sir," he contradicted. "I have the brain only. The _mind_is entirely different."
"Link up, Kedy, and see what you think of this," Hilton broke in. Thereensued an interchange of thought so fast and so deeply mathematical thatSawtelle was lost in seconds. "Do you think it'll work?"
"I don't see how it can fail, sir. At what point in the action should itbe put into effect? And will you call the time of initiation, or shallI?"
"Not until all their reserves are in action. Or, at worst, all of oursexcept that one task-force. Since you'll know a lot more about thestatus of the battle than either Sawtelle or I will, you give the signaland I'll start things going."
"What are you two talking about?" Sawtelle demanded.
"It's a long story, chum. Kedy can tell you about it better than I can.Besides, it's getting late and Dark Lady and Larry both give me hellevery time I hold supper on plus time unless there's a mighty goodreason for it. So, so long, guys."