“Well, something has obviously gone badly wrong somewhere,” Shilohin commented. “Maybe it needs a Terran mind to fathom out what and why.”
Calazar looked at them for a moment longer, then nodded again. “Officially Frenua Showm is responsible for our dealings with Earth,” he said. “We should talk to her about this. I’ll see if I can get her here now.” He turned his face away and called in a slightly raised voice, “VISAR, find out if Frenua Showm is available. If she is, show her a replay of our conversation here and ask if she’d join us when she has seen it.”
“I’ll see to it,” VISAR acknowledged.
After a short silence Shilohin remarked, “She didn’t strike me as being overfond of Earthpeople in the replay of the Vranix meeting.”
“She has never trusted the Jevlenese,” Calazar answered. “Her sentiments apparently extend to include Terrans also. Maybe it’s not surprising.” After another silence he commented, “Queeth is an interesting world, with an emergent intelligent race spread across much of its surface. The Jevlenese have cooperated in bringing many similar planets into our system in the past. They seem to possess a natural aptitude for dealing with primitive races in a way that would not come easily to Ganymeans. I’ll show you an example of what I mean. VISAR, let’s have another view of the place I was looking at earlier.”
A solid image appeared above the open area in the center of the floor. It was of a view looking down on a township in which blocks of hewn rock or baked clay had been built into crude buildings of strangely curved designs. They were huddled around the base of a larger and more imposing edifice of ramps and col
umns set at the top of an arrangement of broad flat steps ascending on all of its six sides. As Garuth looked at the structure, it reminded him in a vague way of the depictions of ancient temples that he had seen while he was on Earth. The space at the foot of the steps on one side was densely packed with figures.
“Queeth is not integrated into VISAR yet,” Calazar informed them as they watched. “Therefore we can’t go down there. The view is being captured under high resolution from orbit and injected into your visual cortexes.”
The view narrowed, and the magnification increased. The crowd consisted of beings who were bipeds with two arms and a head, but the parts not covered by their roughly cut clothes seemed to be formed from what looked like a pink, glinting crystal rather than skin. Their heads were elongated vertically and covered with reddish mats on top and behind, their limbs were long and slender, and they moved with a flowing grace that Garuth found strangely captivating.
What made his eyes open wider in surprise was the group of five figures posing above the crowd at the top of the steps, standing motionless and erect in flowing garments and high, elaborate headdresses. They seemed aloof and disdainful. And then Garuth realized suddenly what the movements of the slender, pink aliens meant. The movements were signaling supplication and reverence
-worship, aimost. The starship commander turned his head sharply to direct a questioning look at Calazar.
“The Queeths think that the Jevlenese are gods,” Calazar explained. “They come down from the sky in magic vessels and work miracles. The Jevlenese have been experimenting with the technique for some time as a means of pacifying primitive races and instilling respect and trust in them before moving them from barbarism toward civilization. Apparently they got the idea from Earth-from their surveillance observations of long ago.”
Shiohin seemed concerned. “Is it wise?” she asked. “How could a race hope to advance toward rational methods and effective control of its environment if its foundations are built on such unreason? We know what happened on Earth.”
“I was wondering if you’d say something like that,” Calazar said. “I myself have been wondering the same thing. Perhaps, before these recent developments, we have been altogether too trust-
ing of the Jevlenese.” He nodded soberly. “I think we will see some big changes in the not-too-distant future.”
Before either of the others could reply, VISAR informed them, “Frenua Showm will join you now.”