but I have examined a statistically adequate sample of one million seven hundred
ninety-two thousand four hundred sixteen different planetary intelligences. I found one
which is considerably abler and more advanced than you Stretts. Therefore the
probability is greater than point nine nine that there are not less than ten, and not more
than two hundred eight, such races in this Galaxy alone.”
“Impossible!” Another wave of incredulous and threatening anger swept through the
linked minds; a wave which Ynos flattened out with some difficulty.
Then she asked: “Is it probable that we will make contact with this supposedly superior
race in the foreseeable future?” “You are in contact with it now.”
“What?” Even Ynos was contemptuous now. “You mean that one ship load of
despicable humans who-far too late to do them any good-barred us temporarily from
Fuel World?”
“Not exactly or only those humans, no. And our assumptions may or may not be valid.”
“Don’t you know whether they are or not?” Ynos snapped. “Explain your uncertainty at
once!”
“I am uncertain because of insufficient data,” the brain replied, calmly. “The only
pertinent facts of which I am certain are: First, the world Ardry, upon which the Omans
formerly lived and to which the humans in question first went-a planet which no Strett
can peyondire-is now abandoned. Second, the Stretts of old did not completely destroy
the humanity of the world Ardu. Third, some escapees from Ardu reached and
populated the world Ardry. Fourth, the android Omans were developed on Ardry, by the
human escapees from Ardu and their descendants. Fifth, the Omans referred to those
humans as `Masters.’ Sixth, after living on Ardry for a very long period of time the
Masters went elsewhere. Seventh, the Omans remaining on Ardry maintained,
continuously and for a very long time, the status quo left by the Masters. Eighth,
immediately upon the arrival from Terra of these present humans, that long-existing
status was broken. Ninth, the planet called Fuel World is, for the first time, surrounded
by a screen of force. The formula of this screen is as follows.”
The brain gave it. No Strett either complained or interrupted. Each was too busy
studying that formula and examining its stunning implications and connotations.
“Tenth, that formula is one full order of magnitude beyond anything previously known
to your science. Eleventh, it could not have been developed by the science of Terra,
nor by that of any other world whose population I have examined.”
The brain took the linked minds instantaneously to Terra; then to a few thousand or so
other worlds inhabited by human beings; then to a few thousands of planets whose
populations were near-human, non-human and monstrous.
“It is therefore clear,” it announced, “that this screen was computed and produced by
the race, whatever it may be, that is now dwelling on Fuel World and asserting full
ownership of it.”
“Who or what is that race?” Ynos demanded. “Data insufficient.”
“Theorize, then!”
“Postulate that the Masters, in many thousands of cycles of study, made advances in
science that were not reduced to practice; that the Omans either possessed this
knowledge or had access to it; and that Omans and humans cooperated fully in sharing
and in working with all the knowledges thus available. From these three postulates the
conclusion can be drawn that there has come into existence a new race. One
combining the best qualities of both humans and Omans, but with the weaknesses of
neither.”
“An unpleasant thought, truly,” Ynos thought. “But you can now, I suppose, design the
generators and projectors of a force superior to that screen.”
“Data insufficient. I can equal it, since both generation and projection are implicit in the
formula. But the data so adduced are in themselves vastly ahead of anything previously
in my banks.”
“Are there any other races in this Galaxy more powerful than the postulated one now
living on Fuel World?”
“Data insufficient.” “Theorize, then!” “Data insufficient.”
The linked minds concentrated upon the problem for a period of time that might have
been either days or weeks. Then: “Great Brain, advise us,” Ynos said. “What is best for
us to do?”
“With identical defensive screens it becomes a question of relative power. You should
increase the size and power of your warships to something beyond the computed
probable maximum of the enemy. You should build more ships and missiles than they
will probably be able to build. Then and only then will you attack their warships, in
tremendous force and continuously.”
“But not their planetary defenses. I see.” Ynos’s thought was one of complete
understanding. “And the real offensive will be?”
“No mobile structure can be built to mount mechanisms of power sufficient to smash
down by sheer force of output such tremendously powerful installations as their
planet-based defenses must be assumed to be. Therefore the planet itself must be
destroyed. This will require a missile of planetary mass. The best such missile is the
tenth planet of their own sun.”
“I see.” Ynos’s mind was leaping ahead, considering hundreds of possibilities and
making highly intricate and involved computations. “That will, however, require many
cycles of time and more power than even our immense reserves can supply.”
“True. It will take much time. The fuel problem, however, is not a serious one, since
Fuel World is not unique. Think on, First Lord Ynos.”
“We will attack in maximum force and with maximum violence. We will blanket the
planet. We will maintain maximum force and violence until most or all of the enemy
ships have been destroyed. We will then install planetary drives on Ten and force it into
collision orbit with Fuel World, meanwhile exerting extreme precautions that not so
much as a spybeam emerges above the enemy’s screen. Then, still maintaining ex-
treme precaution, we will guard both planets until the last possible moment before the
collision. Brain, it cannot fail!”
“You err. It can fail. All we actually know of the abilities of this postulated neo-human
race is what I have learned from the composition of its defensive screen. The
probability approaches unity that the Masters continued to delve and to learn for
millions of cycles while you Stretts, reasonlessly certain of your supremacy,
concentrated upon your evolution from the material to a non-material form of life and
performed only limited research into armaments of greater and ever greater power.”
“True. But that attitude was then justified. It was not and is not logical to assume that
any race would establish a fixed status at any level of ability below its absolute
maximum.”
“While that conclusion could once have been defensible, it is now virtually certain that
the Masters had stores of knowledge which they may or may not have withheld from the
Omans, but which were in some way made available to the neo-humans. Also, there is
no basis whatever for the assumption that this new race has revealed all its
potentialities.”
“Statistically, that is probably true. But this is the best plan you have been able to
formulate?”
“It is. Of the many thousands of plans I set up and tested, this one has the highest
probability of success.”
“Then we will adopt it. We are Stretts. Whatever we decide upon will be driven through
to complete success. We have one tremendous advantage in you.”
“Yes. The probability approaches unity that I can perform research on a vastly wider
and larger scale, and almost infinitely faster, than can any living organism or any
possible combination of such organisms.”
Nor was the Great Brain bragging. It scanned in moments the stored scientific
knowledge of over a million planets. It tabulated, correlated, analyzed, synthesized,
theorized and concluded-all in microseconds of time. Thus it made more progress in
one Terran week than the Masters had made in a million years.
When it had gone as far as it could go, it reported its results-and the Stretts, hard as
they were and intransigent, were amazed and overjoyed. Not one of them had ever
even imagined such armaments possible. Hence they became supremely confident that
it was unmatched and unmatchable throughout all space.
What the Great Brain did not know, however, and the Stretts did not realize, was that it
could not really think. Unlike the human mind, it could not deduce valid theories or
conclusions from incomplete, insufficient, fragmentary data. It could not leap gaps.
Thus there was no more actual assurance than before that they had exceeded, or even
matched, the weaponry of the neo-humans of Fuel World.
Supremely confident, Ynos said, “We will not discuss every detail of the plan in
sub-detail and will correlate every sub-detail with every other, to the end that every
action, however minor, will be performed perfectly and in its exact time.”
That discussion, which lasted for days, was held. Hundreds of thousands of new and
highly specialized meths were built and went furiously and continuously to work. A
fuel-supply line was run to another uranexite-rich planet.
Stripping machines stripped away the surface layer of soil, sand, rock and low-grade