Boyd Ellanby

“ From the top gallery, high in the dome, Nautunal ran down the spiral ramp.
"We're getting it now, Bidagha! Planet of Topaz, is signalling this entire sector of galaxy, hoping to find planets with intelligent life on them. They wish to communicate, to exchange information, and they offer to visit any planet which would welcome them." ”

“ Bidagha strode forward to meet him.
"We've finally found key to vocabulary, Pehn, and others are at work now on main body of message. Signals are undoubtedly coming from one of planets of sun we call Topaz. It has system of nine planets, and waves are being sent from third. All my life I've believed that there were other planet systems like ours, and other intelligences in galaxy, but now that one of them is signalling us, I can hardly make myself believe it!" ”

“ I shall never live to see their visit!"
"But you don't understand, Bidagha. I forgot this isn't your field. These waves are coming through phase space, and they go much faster than speed of light. They reach us almost instantaneously."
Pehn began to laugh. He felt light-headed, and for some reason amused. "I suppose you all remember my father's Jarlu lecture, in which he demonstrated mathematically that life or intelligence on any planet except Zenob was impossible. He pointed out that unique properties of carbon compounds of which we are composed could never be duplicated on another planet. ”

“ Suddenly a marked change occurred in the pattern of the signals. The clear symmetry of mathematics ended and was replaced by a formless jumble, but a jumble whose repetition suggested that it, too, contained a pattern if it could once be glimpsed. Meters and meters of tape piled up, and the young men stared at it in frustration.
Nautunal stood up in sudden decision. "Bidagha is right. There must be intelligent life in another part of galaxy. We need help, Pehn. We can't decipher this stuff, and yet it may be key to basic vocabulary. We need mathematicians, linguists, semanticists. ”

“ Nautunal raised one eyebrow. "Don't let it get you, lad. Listening to space is apt to make you jumpy. Your friends over at Atomics wouldn't like that. More than once I've thought I was finding some sort of sense in all this chatter, but it never pans out. It's just noise. There may be other inhabited planets besides Zenob, just as Bidagha claims, but if so, they aren't talking."
"Stop, watch tape," said Pehn. Nautunal shrugged his shoulders, but he picked up the tape and watched as it trickled through his fingers. ”

“ The Premier touched his wrist and the gaunt face of Nautunal appeared in the dial.
"Signals have entered new stage, sir. Message coming at present states that Topaz planet wishes to visit any planet inhabited by intelligent race. They say they have phase space drive for spaceships, but in all their searching have not found even one inhabited world. They say they want to know that they are not alone in universe." ”

“ Last year when I passed Fire Test, I stood flames longer than any of boys in my class, longer even than Nautunal. But this is different. Trouble with Zenob is that we don't have any biology or any real medicine."
"Pehn! How can you say such things? Your best friend is Healer."
"You know I haven't anything against Healers. But only ailments they can cure are those that originate in mind, and they can't really do anything for purely physical ailments. Bidagha has admitted as much to me. He wants to change all that—he thinks time is ripe."
"But Pehn, our Healers can foresee future. ”

“ In the middle of the random noise, suddenly I came across what looked like 'dot dot, dot dot, dot-dot-dot-dot, dot dot dot, dot dot dot—' It was clear as crystal, and much louder than the noise, but then it lapsed into the usual nonsense. Pure chance at work, of course, but for a minute there, my hair stood on end. Well, it's all in the day's work. I'll just keep sending our stuff—"
"Of course," said the anthropologist, "there might be intelligent people in the sector you're working right now, but they might be like the Zuni." ”

“ As the sun set, Pehn was carried into Cave on a litter.
His father and mother, his sister, his father's collaborators in the government, and representatives of the whole community filed down the valley to the entrance where Bidagha stood, and each person, clad for this occasion only in a robe of animal fur, as he approached the opening extended his hands to show that he had removed his wrist band, and lifted his arms to show that no material product of modern technology was being taken inside to profane Cave. They all respected the ancient proverb, "What Immortals want new, they make new." ”

“ We will reply to these signals and tell people of Topaz planet that intelligent men do exist on our own world."
Nautunal's eyes had become dreamy and speculative. "I am not certain that we could reply, even if we dared," he said. He looked uncertainly at the other microwave technicians, to see fear looking from their faces, too.
At last one spoke. "I think we could change over to transmission through phase space in about half hour—if we had orders." He hastily turned away, afraid of his own thoughts.
"Responsibility is mine," said Bidagha. "I speak with authority of my calling. ”

“ Complete chemistry of our planet was worked out and tabulated more than three hundred years ago. There were great chemists in those days, and since then no further research has ever been necessary. There could not possibly be any elements which we don't know about. It is not seemly for you young men to be questioning work of great geniuses of past. ”

“ Zenob cannot escape contacts with other worlds!
"In my opinion, Zenob has reached fateful turning point in its history. We must face fact that our knowledge of physical science is not adequate. Our fossil fuels are nearly gone, and we must have atomic power. But frankly, our physicists don't know enough to design safe atomic reactors. And at rate science progresses on Zenob, they won't know enough for centuries. ”

“ I've been to kindergarten too. Four and four are eight. Has your aching face affected your mind? You ought to submit yourself for treatment."
He reached to shift the scanner, but Pehn grabbed his hand.
"Can't you see? Somebody is trying to show us they know how to add. Someone out in space. Keep watching. I wonder if they use duodecimal system, or what? Where is it coming from?"
Nautunal dropped his skeptical pose, and watched the emerging tape in silence. The growing table of symbols built all the simple additions up to 10 plus 10, by the laborious accumulation of dots. ”

“ My copter is waiting back there, and I'll take you to signal dome. Then I'll have to go home. If I'm not there for breakfast, my father will begin another lecture on depravity of youth."
Bidagha's eyes twinkled. "Premier Karn is pretty conscious of his responsibilities to nation, Pehn, but perhaps eighteen years ought to be more respectful of fifty. I am nearly latter myself, you know. But what has happened?"
Pehn raised his arm and pointed towards Weaver. "We're getting signals. We think maybe they come from some planet of Topaz." ”

“ A typical inward-looking culture. Now the Navahos, although they still keep their own language and religion, are an outward-looking culture, interested in the rest of the world. The Zuni are not. For them the boundaries of the world are the walls of Zuni village. They wouldn't bother to listen to a message from outer space, much less reply."
"Can't be very bright," said Joe. ”

“ But if, for example, as has been suggested, crust of our planet should contain large quantities of some heavy element with properties we don't know about, something related to 235 or 238 for instance, and easily fissionable, our very first trial might prove disastrous. ”