And so the Shapieron had found them. What had been a pathetically deformed mutant left by the Ganymeans to fend for itself against hopeless odds in a harsh and uncompromising environment had transformed itself into a creature of pride and defiance that had not only survived, but laughed its contempt at every obstacle that the universe had tried to throw in its path. The solar system, once the exclusive domain of the Ganymean civilization,
had become rightfully the property of the human race. And so the Shapieron had departed once more into the void on a forlorn quest to reach the Giants’ Star, the supposed new home of the Ganymeans.
Garuth sighed. Supposed for what reasons? Speculations based upon nothing that even the most elementary student of logic would accept as evidence; a frail straw of possibility clutched at to rationalize a decision taken in reality for reasons that only Garuth and a few of his officers knew about; a fabrication in the minds of Earthmen, whose optimism and enthusiasm knew no bounds.
The incredible Earthmen.
They had persuaded themselves that the myth of the Giants’ Star was true and gathered to wish the Ganymeans well when the ship departed, believing, as most of Garuth’s own people still believed, the reason he had stated-that Earth’s fragile civilization was still too young to withstand the pressures of coexistence with an alien population that would have grown in numbers and influence. But there must have been a few, like the American biologist Danchekker, and the Englishman Hunt, who had guessed the real reason-that long ago the Ganymeans had created the ancestors of Homo sapiens. The human race had survived and flourished in spite of all the handicaps that the Ganymeans had inflicted upon them. Earth had earned its right to freedom from Ganymean interference; the Ganymeans had already interfered enough.
And so Garuth had allowed his people to believe the myth and follow him into oblivion. The decision had been hard, but they deserved the comfort of hope, at least for a while, he told himself. Hope had sustained them through the long voyage from Iscaris; they trusted him again now as they had then. Surely it was not wrong to allow them that until the time came when they would have to know what only Garuth and a select few knew at present, and probably what Earthmen like Danchekker and Hunt already knew. But he would never be certain how much those two friends from that astounding race of impetuous and at times aggressively inclined dwarves had really known. He would never see them again.
Garuth had stared silent and alone at this image many times since the ship’s departure from Earth, and at the star maps showing its distant destination, still many years away and gleaming as
just another insignificant pinpoint among millions. There was a chance, of course, that the scientists of Earth had been right. There was always a shred of hope that- He checked himself abruptly. He was allowing himself to slip into wishful thinking. It was all nothing but wishful thinking.
He straightened up in his chair and returned from his reverie. There was work to do. “zort&c,” he said aloud. “Delete the image. Inform Shilohin and Monchar that I would like to see them later today, immediately after this evening’s concert if possible.” The image of Earth disappeared. “Also I’d like to have another look at the proposal for revising the Third Level Educational curriculum.” The screen came to life at once to present a table of statistics and some text. Garuth studied it for a while, voiced some comments for zoi~c to record and append, then called up the next screen in the sequence. Why was he worried at all about an educational curriculum that was nothing more than part of a pattern of normality that had to be preserved? Condemned by his decision along with the rest of his people, the children were destined to perish ignominiously and unmourned in the emptiness between the stars, knowing no home other than the Shapieron. Why did he concern himself with details of an educational curriculum that would serve no purpose?
He pushed the thought firmly from his mind and returned his attention fully to the task.