James P Hogan. Giant’s Star. Giant Series #3

the Moon showing up. They’ve gained control of the surveillance operation, and probably by this time they can do their own instant moving of ships and whatever around the Galaxy because they’ve got their own independent computer, JEVEX, on their own independent planet. Also they’re human in form-physically indistinguishable from their rivals.” Heller sat back and looked at Danchekker expectantly, as if waiting for him to fill in the rest himself. He stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth and gaped at her incredulously.

“They could have made magic and miracles work,” Heller went on after a few seconds. “They could have put their own, shall we say, ‘agents’ into our culture way back in its ancient history and deliberately instilled systems of beliefs that we still haven’t entirely recovered from-beliefs that were guaranteed to make sure that the rival would take a long, long time to rediscover the sciences and develop the technologies that would make it an opponent worth worrying about again. Meanwhile the Jevienese have bought themselves a lot of time to become established on their own system of worlds, expand JEVEX, milk off more Ganymean know-how, and whatever else they’ve been up to.” She sat back, spread her hands, and looked at Danchekker expectantly. “What do you think?”

Danchekker stared at her for what seemed a long time. “Impossible,” he declared at last.

Heller’s ~patience finally snapped. “Why? What’s wrong with that theory?” she demanded. “The facts are that something slowed Earth’s development down. This accounts for it, and nothing that you came up with does. The Jevlenese had the means and the motive, and the answer fits the evidence. What more do you want? I thought science was supposed to be open-minded at least.”

“Too farfetched,” Danchekker retorted. He became openly sarcastic. “Another principle of science, which you appear to have overlooked, is that one endeavors to test one’s hypotheses by experiment. I have no idea how you intend testing this far-flung notion of yours, but for suggestions I recommend that you might try consulting the illustrators of Superman comics or the authors of the articles one finds in those housewives’ journals found on sale in supermarkets.” With that he returned his attention fully to his meal.

“Well if that’s your attitude, enjoy your lunch.” Heller rose in-

dignantly to her feet. “I heard that Vic had a hell of a time getting you to accept that the Lunarians existed at all. I can see why!” She turned and marched out of the room.

Karen Heller was still fuming thirty minutes later as she stood by one of the buildings on the edge of the apron watching a UNSA crew installing a more permanent generator facility. Danchekker came out of the door of the mess hall some distance away, saw her, then walked slowly off in the opposite direction, his hands clasped behind his back. He stopped at the perimeter fence and stood for a long time staring out across the marshes, turning his head every now and then to glance back at where Heller was standing. Eventually he turned and paced thoughtfully back to the door of the mess hall. When he was almost there he stopped, looked across at her again, hesitated for a few seconds, then changed direction and came over to her.

“I, er-I apologize,” he said. “I think you may have something. Certainly your conclusions warrant further investigation. We should contact the others and tell them about it as soon as possible.”

chapter twenty-three

“She what?!”

Hunt caught Caldwell’s arm and drew him to a halt halfway along the corridor leading toward Caldwell’s office at the top of the Navcomms Headquarters Building.

“He told her to give him a call next time she was in New York to see her mother,” Caldwell said. “So I told her to take some vacation and go see her mother.” He lifted Hunt’s fingers from the sleeve of his jacket and resumed walking.

Hunt stood rooted to the spot for a second, then came to life once more and caught up in a few hurried paces. “What in hell? . . . You can’t do that! She happens to be very special to me.”

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