fusion, would have realized that a link-up was impossible for them. But they had
made two further attempts—one when the rearmost creature had tried to twist
itself and its interface into a new position, and again when it had tried to
achieve fusion by sheer brute force. He was beginning to wonder whether the
recent attempt at communicating with the aliens had been strictly one way.
Until the Descartes linguists could be given the opportunity to learn the CRLTs
language, an accurate exchange of ideas was impossible. But it had already been
shown that pictures were very effective in putting across a message, and they
were all forgetting that actions, like pictures, often spoke louder than words.
Recalling those three unsuccessful attempts at fusion. Con-way wondered if the
two CRLTs had in fact been trying to
demonstrate that the link-up was impossible for them without assistance, but
that by changing the positions and perhaps the dimensions of some of the surface
features on the interfaces and forcing things a little, then a join might be
achieved.
“Friend Conway,” Prilicla announced, “is having feelings of optimism.”
“Perhaps,” Murchison said, “in his own good time, of course, he will explain to
us nonempaths the reason for his optimism.”
Ignoring the sarcasm, Conway briefly outlined his recent thinking, although he
personally would have described his feeling as one of forlorn hope rather than
optimism. He went on, “So I believe that the CRLTs were trying to tell us that
surgical intervention is necessary for them to achieve fusion, not brute force.
And it has just occurred to me that there is a precedent for this procedure. One
of the cadavers examined on Rhabwar showed evidence of surgery on its forward
interface and this could mean—”
“But that was a very youthful, although physically mature CRLT,” Murchison broke
in, “and the surgery was minor. We agreed that it had probably been performed
for cosmetic reasons.”
“I think we were wrong,” Conway said. Excitedly he went on, “Consider the
physical organization of this group entity. At the head is the most mature, male
adult and at the tail the most recently born infant, although as we know the
infant grows to physical maturity without separating from the parent. Between
the head and the tail there is a gradual and steady progression from the most
elderly and intelligent male entities down to the increasingly youthful and
female segments which form the tail sections. But Prilicla has reported an
anomaly in this progression. Young CRLTs positioned relatively close to the tail
show evidence of greater physical age and brain development than entities in
the midsections. Until now 1 could see no reason for this anomaly.
“But now let us suppose that this group entity,” he continued quickly, “forming
as it does a complete colonization project, has been artificially lengthened.
The extraordinarily large number of individuals in this group entity has always
bothered me, and now there is a simple explanation for it. Let us assume that
there is one head or. more accurately, a fairly large number
of linked elders forming the leading segments, and several tails connected one
behind the other. These would be very youthful tails because it must be much
easier to carry out the surgical modifications on young CRLTs which enable them
to link up. So we have this colonist group entity with intelligence and
experience at its head and linked to a number of young and inexperienced
subgroups forming an artificially lengthened tail. The joins between these
subgroups are surgically assisted and, I feel sure, temporary, because once
established on the target planet they would be able to separate again, and in
time the young heads would grow to full adulthood and the dangers from
inbreeding would be avoided.
“Perhaps the head on this group entity has also been artif-ically extended,”
Conway added, “so as to include elder CRLTs with specialist experience relating
to the colonization project who would be available initially to protect the
younger group entities, and subsequently to teach and train them and pass on the
knowledge of their race’s history and science.”
Prilicla had flown closer while Conway had been speaking and was hovering a few
inches above the Doctor’s head. It said happily, “An ingenious theory, friend