the galaxy, to take most of it under occupation without steal-
ing anyone else’s planet in the process. An occupation without
dispossessionlet alone without bloodshed. Yet if some
race other than man should develop imperial ambitions, and
try to annex our planets, it will find itself enormously out-
numbered.”
“That’s true,” Capt. Gorbel said, interested in spite of him-
self. “It’s probably just as well that we worked fast, way back
there in the beginning. Before somebody else thought up the
method, I mean. But, how come it was us? Seems to me that
the first race to invent it should’ve been a race that already
had itif you follow me.”
“Not quite. Captain. If you will give me an example1”
“Well, we scouted a system once where there was a race
that occupied two different planets, not both at the same time,
but back and forth,” Gorbel said. “They had a lifecycie that
had three different forms. In the first form they’d winter over
on the outermost of .the two worlds. Then they’d change to
another form that could cross space, mother-naked, without
ships, and spend the rest of the year on the inner planet in
the third form. Then they’d change back into the second form
and cross back to the colder planet.
“It’s a hard thing to describe. But the point is, this wasn’t
anything they’d worked out; it was natural to them. They’d
evolved that way.” He looked at Averdor again. “The navi-
gation was tricky around there during the swarming season.”
Avedor failed to rise to the bait.
“I see; the point is well taken,” Hoqqueah said, nodding