Birthright

“Not so,” said Nelson. “The probe said they're living underground. They may have had to develop

intelligence to keep one step ahead of the explosions.” “The probe said they were onor under the surface. There's no reason to assume one rather than the other.”

“The hell there isn't. You've seen the explosions, Milt. Nothing could survive those.” “If they've evolved anything,” said Bowman, “it's probably an instinctive awareness of what areas to avoid at what times.”

“Maybe,” said Nelson. “But it sounds like so much rationalizing to me.” Bowman sighed. “You're probably right. Still, we've got a job to do. We've signed a contract, we're a million dollars in the hole already, and about to shell out another million. After expenses, we're not going to break even, but we'll come close. The alternative is to forfeit the contract and pay off the Master Computer from future jobs.”

“I guess that's what it boils down to in the end,” said Nelson. “I guess so,” agreed Bowman grimly. “We'd better reach a decision.” The silent, peaceful natives of Zeta Cancri IV were blissfully unaware of the discussion going on hundreds of miles above them. They went about their business, which was unintelligible to anyone but themselves, hopefully planning for the future, thankfully praising their God for this land of plenty He had provided for them.

Their decision made, the Pioneers tied in to the Master Computer once again; and, light-years distant, the Republic chalked up another world on Man's side of the ledger. 2: THE CARTOGRAPHERS

...Unquestionably the greatest scientific achievement up to its time, and well beyond it, the Department of Cartography—and most especially the complex at Caliban—soon took on an importance undreamed of by the populace at large. For the first time since Man had reached for the stars, the military was totally subservient to a scientific arm of the Republic, and the expansionist movement took on a high degree of order and direction.

The various segments of the Cartographic Department first coalesced under the inspired leadership of Robert Tileson Landon, an almost unbelievably perceptive scholar who had been given total control of Cartography in 301 G.E., and proceeded to shape and mold the budding science into something far more vital than even Caliban's original planners could have anticipated. During the fifty-six years that Landon headed the Department, phenomenal gains were made in... —Man: Twelve Millennia of Achievement ...The Department of Cartography, established on Caliban in 197 G.E., was an almost perfect example of the transformation of a pure science into a vehicle for continued territorial aggrandizement. The chief motivational force behind this perversion was a Dr. Robert T. Landon. Spending as much time on his public image as on his appetite for Empire, Landon managed to die a beloved hero in the eyes of his people, which in no way alters the fact that he was responsible, directly or indirectly, for...

—Origin and History of the Sentient Races, Vol. 7. Vast, thought Nelson, was an understatement.