Across A Billion Years

NINE

October 14, 2375

Higby V

We leave here next week for a star called GGC 1145591. That’s where our asteroid is. With some luck, that’s where our High Ones robot is too.

GGC 1145591 doesn’t have a name, just a catalog number. It’s seventy-two light-years from Earth, and the star closest to it whose name you’re likely to know is Aldebaran, which isn’t really close at all. However, a billion years ago Aldebaran and GGC 1145591 were stellar neighbors, which is one of the ways Luna City was able to trace our star. It amazes me that the astronomers are able to figure out the positions of stars a billion years ago, when the only data they have to work with are the observations recorded over the last four or five hundred years. But they’re quite confident that they have found the right star. It’s as if they took a film of the present-day sky and ran it backward until it corresponded to the billion-year-old picture left us by the High Ones.

Luna City tells us that our globe sequence was filmed precisely 941,285,008 years ago. If you ask me, it takes a kind of cosmic slice to make dogmatic statements of that kind. But that’s what their computer told them, and I guess it must be so. It gives us one more confirmation of our own dating of High Ones culture.

GGC 1145591 is not visible from Earth. Or from anywhere else. It was a white dwarf 941,285,008 years ago, but by now it’s pretty well burned out and has become a black dwarf. No heat radiation to speak of, and therefore no luminosity; as stars go, it’s invisible. It was discovered about forty years back by a scout ship of the Dark Star Survey Mission. Except for that bit of luck, no one could have traced it for us, since it can’t be located by optical or radio or X-ray telescopy.

We ran our TP bill a little higher by notifying Galaxy Central of our plans. Dr. Schein felt honor bound to let it be known that he was giving up work at Higby V. Zit! What commotion! I drove Dr. Schein to town so he could place the call. I wasn’t with him while he was giving the message to Nachman Ben-Dov for relay to Galaxy Central, but when he came out of the TP office his face was dark and tense.

“They blew up,” he told me. “The TP says they were practically spouting gamma rays. How dare we pull out of Higby V? What kind of archaeologists are we? What sort of madness is this asteroid chase of ours?” Dr. Schein looked as angry as I’ve ever seen him. “The phrase Galaxy Central used was dereliction of duty. I think they also called us unprofessional. They can’t comprehend why we don’t want to dig our full two years here.”

“You tell them about the TP charges?” I asked. “I didn’t get to that part,” Dr. Schein sighed. He fell into glowering silence as we began our drive back to camp. Halfway there I said, “What are we going to do now?”

“We’ll go to GGC 1145591 and find that asteroid vault.”

“Despite Galaxy Central?”

“Despite Galaxy Central,” Dr. Schein said. “There’s no turning back for us now.” He sounded grim.

Over the next couple of days Dr. Schein, Dr. Horkkk, and Pilazinool were locked in almost constant conferences, and Dr. Schein made several more trips to town to talk things over via TP with Galaxy Central. Almost no information on any of this filtered down to us underlings. Sometimes Dr. Schein let a few words slip to his chauffeur, sometimes not. Meanwhile we went on digging, dating, playing the globe, and otherwise carrying on business as usual. This was the mixture of fact and rumor that we put together:

?Pilazinool is overwhelmingly in favor of going to 1145591 no matter what the consequences.

? Dr. Horkkk has had second thoughts about his professional reputation and now would like to remain on Higby V for the duration of our grants.

?Dr. Schein is wavering between the two positions, but generally feels that we have already compromised ourselves beyond repair and might as well go through with the voyage.

Also:

?That all our grants are being cancelled and we are being ordered back to Galaxy Central for a roasting. (This has been denied by Dr. Schein.)

?That Galaxy Central insists that we go on digging here, but is sending a separate expedition to 1145591. (This is still circulating, unverified.)

?That we have been cut off from our financial sup port, but Dr. Schein is trying to raise private funds for an immediate expedition to 1145591. (Confirmed by Dr. Horkkk and denied by Dr. Schein on the same day. Who’s lying?)

The only thing we know for sure, and we aren’t very sure of it, is what I said at the beginning of this letter: we leave here next week for 1145591. An official order has been posted in the lab to that effect. We’re supposed to stop excavations tomorrow, begin backfilling the site, and pack.

All is confusion.

A day later, and confusion has been replaced by catastrophe. At least for yours truly.

All three bosses went into town after breakfast and spent the whole morning in TP communication with Galaxy Central. The rest of us started, in a halfhearted and uncertain way, the shutting down of operations. Most of us expected to be told later in the day that we weren’t going anywhere and better open up the excavation again, so we didn’t put much effort into the shutdown.

A little past noon our leaders returned. For the first time since the beginning of the crisis they looked reasonably calm. Dr. Schein was actually smiling. As they got out of the runabout, Dr. Horkkk said, “Everything is settled. We have Galaxy Central’s permission, and we are departing on schedule for GGC 1145591.”

That was all. They disappeared into the lab. A little while later they summoned Saul Shahmoon and Leroy Chang to a conference. Secrecy prevailed.

At dinnertime this notice was posted in our quarters:

MEMBERS OF THE EXPEDITION:

Agreement has been reached with Galaxy Central for suspension of operations on Higby V and for immediate transfer of activities to the solar system of the black dwarf star GGC 1145591. An ultraspace cruiser making a regular run will pick us up here on October 21. The following members of the expedition will depart for GGC 1145591 at that time:

Dr. Schein

Pilazinool

408b

Professor Chang

Kelly Watchman

Mirrik

Jan Mortenson

Steen Steen

The following members of the expedition will remain on Higby V until October 27, at which time a second ultraspace cruiser will pick them up and convey them to Galaxy Central, where they are to deliver the globe and other artifacts, and report on our findings thus far:

Dr. Horkkk

Professor Shahmoon

Tom Rice

It is hoped that these individuals will be able to rejoin the expedition at a later date.

I read the notice six times, and still didn’t believe it. How could they do this to me? Ship me back to Galaxy Central? Cut me out of the expedition at its most exciting point?

Is it fair? I’m the one who found the globe. I’m the one who thought up the way we could have the location of the asteroid traced. And now — packed off to Galaxy Central while the others go on into the unknown-While Jan goes —

I staggered across to the other dorm and found her. “Have you seen the notice?” I asked, though I could tell without asking that she had.

She nodded. “Isn’t it awful?”

“Jan, how could this be happening?”

“It’s a dirty deal, that’s what it is!”

“What is this business about sending the globe back to Galaxy Central? I thought we decided not to do that. And to make me go with it — instead — instead—”

Jan said, “I’ve asked Pilazinool about that. He says it’s Galaxy Central’s pound of flesh.”

“I don’t follow that.”

“Galaxy Central is furious with us for walking off Higby V, after so much effort went into planning this expedition.”

“I know, but—”

“The bosses had to calm them down somehow. There were all sorts of negotiations, Pilazinool said, and finally they mentioned the globe. Galaxy Central wants that globe. We agreed to ship it to them if they’d let us hunt for the asteroid.”

“All right,” I said, “so it’s politics. I don’t mind that. But why me? I found the globe, didn’t I? I’ve got a right to see that vault! I — I—”

“Calm down,” Jan murmured. “It’s no use shouting at me, chimpo! I’m on your side already. You’ve got to talk to Dr. Schein and show him how unfair this is. Maybe he didn’t even stop to think about it — just picked you to go at random. Go to him now. We’ll all back you up, Tom. We’ll sign a petition or something.” She gave me a little kiss on the cheek, nothing passionate, a we’re-for-you kind of kiss. Then she turned me around and pointed me toward the lab.

I went numbly over there and peered in. Dr. Horkkk and 408b were conferring. Somehow I didn’t feel like asking aliens for mercy, so I said, “Is Dr. Schein around?”

“Went back to town,” Dr. Horkkk said sharply. “What is it?”

“Pilazinool, perhaps—?”

“Went with Dr. Schein.” More sharply, this.

“Well,” I said weakly, “I just wanted to ask a question. About the three people taking the globe back to Galaxy Central. If it’s possible, Dr. Horkkk, I’d like to be excused from that assignment. That is, if I have to go to Galaxy Central it means I’ll miss close to a year of the expedition, and—”

Dr. Horkkk brusquely waved a couple of arms at me. “Take it up with someone else,” he snapped. “These procedural matters are not my concern.”

Dismissed. Zog out, Rice, I’ve got no time for you.

Dr. Schein and Pilazinool didn’t get back to camp until late tonight, about an hour ago as I dictate this. They went straight to the lab and they’re still there. I don’t know what this is all about, Lorie. But I don’t mean to let them sposh me like this without a fight. I’ve earned a place on this expedition!

October 16

I waited up half the night for Dr. Schein to come to the dorm, but he didn’t show, and finally I fell asleep. In the morning, as we got breakfast, I went over to him and said tentatively, “Dr. Schein, if I could trouble you about a certain aspect of the notice that was posted yesterday—”

“Later, Tom, later. I can’t discuss little details now.”

Brushed off again. Everybody too busy for poor Tom. Glumly I went out to the site and joined the others who were backfilling. Mirrik tried to console me with Paradoxian proverbs. “He who suffers scorn and rejection,” said Mirrik, “learns to grasp the roots of the sea.” And also, “The higher powers reward us most tenderly by their absence from our lives.” Furthermore, “He alone finds grace from whom grace is withdrawn.”

“Very comforting, Mirrik.”

“Meditation and concentration bring understanding, my friend. Perhaps this grief is beneficial.”

“I’m sure of that,” I said.

Then Jan came up to me, close to the fusion point and emitting a high-frequency zing. “Do you know what I just found out?” she demanded.

“Sure,” I said bitterly. “Inasmuch as I’m a TP, it’s no effort at all for me to read your mind and—”

“Shut up, Tom. I just learned who it was that drew up the list of who goes to 1145591 and who goes to Galaxy Central. It was Leroy Chang.”

“Leroy Chang,” I said. “That’s odd. Why’d he do it?”

“Dr. Schein asked him to,” said Jan. “The bosses were too busy. He typed up the memo and ran it off. But don’t you see, Tom? Leroy Chang! Leroy Chang]”

“Leroy Chang,” I said again. “Yes, I heard you.”

“But you aren’t thinking! The list says that you go to Galaxy Central, and I go to 1145591… and that Professor Chang goes to 1145591 also! Leroy deliberately arranged it so—”

“I’m tuned in now, Jan. I read it all!”

“Isn’t it absolutely the dirtiest?”

“Where’s Leroy now?”

“Packing inscription nodes in the lab.”

I sprinted toward the lab. Mirrik called after me, “The universe is a reversible phenomenon, Tom! Paradoxian proverb!”

“Thank you,” I called back.

For many weeks now — since Leroy had gone groping for Jan — I’ve been making a point of avoiding the company of Professor Chang. Leroy hasn’t been cultivating me any, either, with good reason. Lately he’s been a kind of shadowy, skulking figure, sniffing around the outskirts of things and occasionally casting a longing look at Jan or Kelly. I’ve regarded him as more pathetic than hateful — nothing but a creepy vidj of the kind you see in the grimier feelie theaters of big cities. Now, though, I was ready to demolish him.

I looked into the lab and saw him in back, indeed packing inscription nodes. Dr. Schein was also in the lab, and Pilazinool, and I didn’t want to make a scene in front of them. So I said quietly, “Professor Chang, can I have a word with you?”

“Will it wait?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“All right, what is it?”

“There’s something out back by the site that I’d like you to examine. We don’t quite know what to make of it, and before we backfill there, we thought we’d have you look at it.”

He fell for it.

We walked in silence toward the site. But we didn’t enter it. I halted in front of a mound of excavation tailings that we hadn’t backfilled yet. A drizzle began. I said, “Let’s stop here, Leroy. Let’s talk a little.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You will. They tell me you drew up the list of names of those who’d escort the globe to Galaxy Central.”

“Yes.” Guardedly.

“How come?”

“At Dr. Schein’s request. It was just a routine matter.”

“You routinely separated me from the expedition,” I said, “while managing to send yourself on the asteroid trip. And to send Jan too.”

“The globe,” Leroy said, “was your discovery, Tom. I simply felt that you’d want to accompany it and look after its safety personally.”

That kind of reasoning didn’t impress me. “How’d you like me to throw you into the excavation?” I asked.

Leroy backed away from me. “What kind of talk is that?”

“Archaic belligerent primitivistic talk. You feeby sposher, am I supposed to sit back and smile while you neatly put me on an orbit heading into the sun?”

“I don’t understand.”

“You said that once already. Let me give you an old Paradoxian proverb: The universe is a reversible phenomenon. You know what I want you to do?”

“I don’t like the way you’re talking to me, Tom.”

“Zog, man. I want you to put yourself in that gang heading for Galaxy Central. In place of me.”

“But—”

“I’m going to the asteroid. And you’re going head first into the pit if you don’t cooperate.”

I took a step toward him. He made some little blenking noises and looked sick. I hate bullies and bullying, but at the moment I didn’t feel apologetic, thinking of the way he had bothered Jan.

Chang said, “These threats of physical violence—”

“—will be carried out—”

“—are disgusting, Tom.”

“Into the pit!” I yelled, and feinted at him. He squeaked in fear. I grabbed him by the shoulders, but I didn’t throw him in; instead I leaned close to his ear and said, “What would Dr. Schein think of you, Leroy, if Jan complained to him that you tried to rape her?”

Leroy shivered. He sagged.

I doubt very much that a rape-attempt complaint filed weeks after the event, under circumstances like these, would make much steam in court. But guilty consciences blackmail easily. Leroy glared at me, blustered a little, muttered that I was persecuting and maligning him, and then folded completely. “What do you want me to do, exactly?”

I told him.

He did it.

This evening a revised list of assignments was posted. My name now is among those going to look for the asteroid. Professor Leroy Chang has replaced me in the group returning to Galaxy Central. I won’t miss him. Neither will Jan.

October 17

To continue this marathon letter. Today’s news is about how I just outswiftied myself. I couldn’t help it, though.

You know how it is when you get so spun up over a marginal thing that you overlook something really important? Old Paradoxian proverb: He who loses track of main point will oversleep when millennium arrives. I was busy maneuvering myself out of the Galaxy Central deal and failing to see what I should have seen at once. What all of us should have seen.

I hunted up Dr. Schein during my morning break.

“Sir,” I said, adopting my humble-apprentice tone of voice, “I’ve got a hypothetical question. What if we get to the asteroid and find the robot and it’s still in working order, and all? How will we communicate with it? How will we tell it who we are and how much time has passed?”

“It won’t be possible, Tom.”

“But it could be possible! We have a credential. A letter of introduction. Only we’ve decided not to take it with us.”

“You’ve lost me, Tom.”

“I mean the globe, sir!”

Dr. Schein frowned. Pursed his lips. Considered. Brightened.

“Of course! Of course, the globe, the globe!”

And rushed off to confer with Dr. Horkkk and Pilazinool.

The conference lasted an hour. Then they summoned us all to the lab for a general meeting in the middle of the day. Dr. Horkkk presided. Dr. Schein, sitting to one side, gave me a warm, fond smile. I was teacher’s pet again.

Dr. Horkkk interlaced his arms, opened and closed his three bulging eyes in rapid sequence, stuck a few long, many-jointed fingers into his eating mouth, and otherwise went through the patterns that are the Thhhian equivalents of preliminary throat-clearing. Then he said, in his fussy, explosive little voice, “I wish to propose a change of plan. It will require unanimous consent, since the consequences may be serious. As you know, we have agreed to Galaxy Central’s request that the globe be shipped there at once for study and preservation. However, a suggestion was made today that we keep the globe with us as a means of communication should we find the High Ones’ robot. It could serve, so to speak, as a letter of introduction, establishing our credentials as archaeologists of an era much later than its own.”

I admired the deft adoption of my own terms.

“That is,” Dr. Horkkk went on, “we could demonstrate to the robot that we had found the globe and followed it to the robot, and that a great length of time had passed since its arrival on the asteroid. I can visualize other ways in which communication will be possible using the globe as intermediary. However, if we take it with us, we will be in direct defiance of our understanding with Galaxy Central. Therefore—”

He called for a vote.

All in favor of telling Galaxy Central to go sposh itself? Eleven hands in the air.

Opposed? Zero.

Carried unanimously. Dr. Schein now said, “Of course, there’s no reason now for any of us to go to Galaxy Central. The recent order is cancelled. We will travel as a unit to the asteroid.”

Damn. I thought for a while that I was rid of Leroy Chang.