The girl shrugged again. “We dreamed of such a weapon,
but never found it Are you telling the truth? What is the
weapon?”
“Brains, of course,” Lavon said. “Not just one brain, but a
lot of them. Working together. Cooperation.”
“Lavon speaks the truth,” a weak voice said from the deck.
The Para stirred feebly. The girl watched it with wide eyes.
The sound of the Para using human speech seemed to impress
her more than the ship itself, or anything else that it con-
tained.
“The Eaters can be conquered,” the thin, burring voice
said. “The Protos will help, as they helped in the world from
which we came. The Protos fought this flight through space,
and deprived Man of his records; but Man made the trip with-
out the records. The Protos will never oppose Man again. We
have already spoken to the Protos of this world, and have told
them that what Man can dream, Man can do. Whether the
Protos will it or not.
“Sharyour metal record is with you. It was hidden in the
ship. My brothers will lead you to it.
“This organism dies now. It dies in confidence of knowl-
edge, as an intelligent creature dies. Man has taught us this.
There is nothing. That knowledge. Cannot do. With it . . .
men . . .”have crossed . . . have crossed space . . .”
The voice whispered away. The shining slipper did not
change, but something about it was gone. Lavon looked at
the girl; their eyes met. He felt an unaccountable Warmth.
“We have crossed space,” Lavon repeated softly.
Shar’s voice came to him across a great distance. The
young-old man was whispering: “Buthave we?”