impress the Council? Slaughtering the only intelligent race we’ve found?”

“I’m not playing to the Council!” Manning snapped. “I’ve got these men following me, and I’ll listen to what they want!”

Rynason stared at the microphone for a moment. “Are you sure you aren’t afraid of your own mob?” he said.

“We’re coming in, Lee. Get out of there or we’ll cut you down too.”

“Manning!”

“I’m switching off.”

“Not quite yet. There’s one more thing, and you’d better hear this one!”

“Make it fast,” Manning said. His voice sounded uninterested.

“If any of your boys try to come in, I’ll stop them myself. I’ve got the disintegrators, and I’ll use them.”

There was silence from the radio, save for the static. It lasted for long seconds. Then:

“It’s your funeral.” There was a faint click as Manning switched off.

Rynason stared angrily at the radioset for a moment, then left it lying at the top of the steps and went back inside. The Hirlaji stood motionlessly in dimness; it took awhile for Rynason’s eyes to adjust to it. He found the interpreter that Mara had left and quickly hooked it up to Horng. The alien’s eyes, moving heavily in their sockets, watched him as he connected the wires.

When everything was ready Rynason lifted the interpreter’s mike. “The Earthmen are going to attack you,” he said. “I want to help you fight them off.”

There was no reaction from the alien; only those quiet eyes resting on him like the shadows of the entire past.

“Can you still believe that Kor is a god? That’s only a machine—I spoke through it myself, minutes ago! Don’t you realize that?”

After a moment Horng’s eyes slowly closed and opened in acknowledgement. KOR WAS GOD KNOWLEDGE. THE OLD ONES DIED BEFORE TIME, AND PASSED INTO KOR. NOW KOR IS DEAD.

“And all of you will be dead too!” Rynason said.

The huge alien sat unmoving. His eyes turned away 

 Prev. P 69/80 next