More Pyrrans had come up while they talked. None of them mov now. Like Kerk, they stood frozen, looking at Jason. When Kerk mike he spoke for all of them.
‘What do you mean?&
“Just what I said. Pyrrus is fighting you-actively and conscious] Get far enough out from this city and you can feel the waves of hato that are directed at it. No, that’s wrong-you can’t because you” grown up with it. But I can, and so could anyone else with any sort psi sensitivity. There is a message of war being beamed against y constantly. The life forms of this planet are psi-sensitive, and respoi to that order. They attack and change and mutate for your destructio And they’ll keep on doing so until you are all dead. Unless you e stop the war.”
“How?” Kerk snapped the word and every face echoed the questio
“By finding whoever or whatever is sending that message. The Ii
forms that attack you have no reasoning intelligence. They are being ordered to do so. I think I know how to find the source of these orders. After that, it will be a matter of getting across a message, asking for a truce and an eventual end to all hostilities.”
A dead silence followed his words as the Pyrrans tried to comprehend the ideas. Kerk moved first, waving them all away.
“Go back to your work. This is my responsibility and I’ll take care of it. As soon as I find out what truth there is here-if any-I’ll make a complete report.” The people drifted away silently, looking back as they went.
20
“From the beginning now,” Kerk said. “And leave out nothin~ “There is very little more that I can add to the physical facts. I s~ the animals, understood the message. I even experimented with some them and they reacted to my mental commands. What I must do now track down the source of the orders that keep this war going.
“I’ll tell you something that I have never told anyone else. I’m r only lucky at gambling. I have enough psi ability to alter probability my favor. It’s an erratic ability that I have tried to improve for obvic reasons. During the past ten years I managed to study at all of the c ters that do psi research. Compared to other fields of knowledge it amazing how little they know. Basic psi talents can be improved practice, and some machines have been devised that act as psioi amplifiers. One of these, used correctly, is a very good directional dicator.”
“You want to build this machine?” Kerk asked.
“Exactly. Build it and take it outside the city in the ship. Any sigi strong enough to keep this centuries-old battle going should be stro enough to track down. I’ll follow it, contact the creatures who are set ing it, and try to find out why they are doing it. I assume you’ll go alo with any reasonab~~e plan that will end this war?”
“Anything reasonable,” Kerk said coldly. “How long will it take y to build this machine?”
“Just a few days, if you have all the partshere,” Jason told him.
“Then do it. I’m canceling the flight that’s leaving now and I’ll kc the ship here, ready to go. When the machine is built, I want you track the signal and report back to me.”
“Agreed,” Jason said, standing up. “As soon as I have this hole in i back looked at, I’ll draw up a list of things needed.”
A grim, unsmiling man named Skop was assigned to Jason as a cc bination guide and guard. He took his job very seriously, and it did take Jason long to realize that he was a prisoner-at-large. Kerk F
accepted his story, but that was no guarantee that he believed it. At a single word from him, the guard could turn executioner.
The chill thought hit Jason that undoubtedly this’was what would eventually happen. Whether Kerk accepted the story or not, he couldn’t afford to take a chance. As long as there was the slightest possibility Jason had contacted the grubbers, he could not be allowed to leave the planet alive. The woods people were being simple if they thought a plan this obvious might succeed. Or had they just gambled on the very long chance it might work? They certainly had nothing to lose by it.