Antyok shook his head definitely, ‘No, thank you. What’s the temperature right now?’
‘A hundred twenty, if there were shade. And they complain of the cold. It’s drinking time now. Want to watch them drink?’
A spray of water shot upward from the fountain in the center of the court, and the little alien figures swayed to their feet and hopped eagerly forward in a queer, springy half-run. They milled about the water, jostling one another. The centers of their faces were suddenly disfigured by the projection of a long and flexible fleshy tube, which thrust forward into the spray and was with drawn dripping.
It continued for long minutes. The bodies swelled and the wrinkles disappeared. They retreated slowly, backing away, with the drinking tube flicking in and out, before receding finally into a pink, wrinkled mass above a wide, lipless mouth. They went to sleep in groups in the shaded angles, plump and sated.
‘Animals!’ said Zammo, with contempt.
‘How often do they drink?’ asked Antyok.
‘As often as they want. They can go a week if they have to. We water them every day. They store it under their skin. They eat in the evenings. Vegetarians, you know.’
Antyok smiled chubbily, ‘It’s nice to get a bit of firsthand information occasionally. Can’t read reports all the time.’
‘Yes?’ – noncommittally. Then, ‘What’s new? What about the lacypants boys on Trantor?’
Antyok shrugged dubiously, ‘You can’t get the Bureau to commit itself, unfortunately. With the Emperor sympathetic to the Aurelionists, humanitarianism is the order of the day. You know that.’
There was a pause in which the administrator chewed his lip uncertainly. ‘But there’s this birth-rate problem now. It’s finally been assigned to AdHQ, you know – and double A priority, too.’
Zammo muttered wordlessly.
Antyok said, ‘You may not realize it, but that project will now take precedence over all other work proceeding on Cepheus 18. It’s important.’
He turned back to the viewing window and said thoughtfully with a bald lack of preamble. ‘Do you think those creatures might be unhappy?’
‘Unhappy!’ The word was an explosion.
‘Well, then,’ Antyok corrected hastily, ‘maladjusted. You understand? It’s difficult to adjust an environment to a race we know so little of.’
‘Say – did you ever see the world we took them from?’
‘I’ve read the reports—’
‘Reports!’ – infinite contempt. ‘I’ve seen it. This may look like desert out there to you, but it’s a watery paradise to those devils. They have all the food and water they can get. They have a world to themselves with vegetation and natural water flow, instead of a lump of silica and granite where fungi were force-grown in caves and water had to be steamed out of gypsum rock. In ten years, they would have been dead to the last beast, and we saved them. Unhappy? Ga-a-ah, if they are, they haven’t the decency of most animals.’
‘Well, perhaps. Yet I have a notion.’
‘A notion? What is your notion?’ Zammo reached for one of his cigars.
‘It’s something that might help you. Why not study the creatures in a more integrated fashion? Let them use their initiative. After all, they did have a highly-developed science. Your reports speak of it continually. Give them problems to solve.’
‘Such as?’
‘Oh . . . oh,’ Antyok waved his hands helplessly. ‘Whatever you think might help most. For instance, spaceships. Get them into the control room and study their reactions.’
‘Why?’ asked Zammo with dry bluntness.
‘Because the reaction of their minds to tools and controls adjusted to the human temperament can teach you a lot. In addition, it will make a more effective bribe, it seems to me, than anything you’ve yet tried. You’ll get more volunteers if they think they’ll be doing something interesting.’
‘That’s your psychology coming out. Hm-m-m. Sounds better than it probably is. I’ll sleep on it. And where would I get permission, in any case, to let them handle spaceships? I’ve none at my disposal, and it would take a good deal longer than it was worth to follow down the line of red tape to get one assigned to us.’
Antyok ondered, and his forehead creased lightly, ‘It doesn’t have to be spaceships. But even so – If you would write up another report and make the suggestion yourself – strongly, you understand – I might figure out some way of tymg it up with my birth-rate project. A double-A priority can get practically anything, you know, without questions.’
Zammo’s interest lacked a bit even of mildness, ‘Well, maybe. Meanwhile, I’ve some basal metabolism tests in progress, and it’s getting late. I’ll think about it. It’s got its points.’
From: AdHQ-Ceph18
To: BuOuProv
Subject: Outer Province Project 2910, Part I-Birth rate of non-Humans on Cepheus 18, Investigation of.
Reference:
(a) BuOuProv letr. Ceph-N-CM/car, 115097, 223/977 G.E.
Enclosure:
1. SciGroup 10, Physical & Biochemical Division report Part XV dated 220/977 G.E.
1. Enclosure 1 is forwarded herewith for the information of the BuOuProv.
2. Special attention is directed to Section V, Paragraph 3 of Enclosure 1 in which it is requested that a spaceship be assigned SciGroup 10 for use in expediting investigations authorized by the BuOuProv. It is considered by AdHQ-Ceph18 that such investigations may be of material use in aiding work now in progress on the subject project, authorized by reference (a). It is suggested, in view of the high priority placed by the BuOuProv upon the subject project, that immediate consideration be given the SciGroup’s request.
L. Antyok, Superv. AdHQ-Ceph18,
240/977 G.E.
From: BuOuProv
To: AdHQ-Ceph18
Subject: Outer Province Project 2910 – Birth rate of non-Humans on Cepheus 18, Investigation of.
Reference:
(a) AdHQ-Ceph18 letr. M-LNmn, dated 240/977 G.E.
1. Training Ship AN-R-2055 is being placed at the disposal of AdHQ-Ceph18 for use in investigation of non-Humans on Cepheus 18 with respect to the subject project and other authorized OuProv projects, as requested in Enclosure 1 to reference (a).
2. It is urgently requested that work on the subject project be expedited by all available means.
C. Morily, Head, BuOuProv,
251/977 G.E.
IV
