and asthey retired to their rooms early he began to realize how absolutelycomplete was the impasse into which they had been driven.
"They've let us in," he said to Joyce. "They've shown us the historythey've written of themselves. There's no way in the Universe we canstand up and boldly challenge that history and call them the liars weknow they are."
"But they must know of the histories written on other Council worldsabout their doings," said Joyce. "Maybe we could reach a point where wecould at least ask about them. Ask how it is that other histories showthat a hundred and twenty years ago a fleet of Markovian ships sweptunexpectedly out of space and looted and decimated the planet LakcaineVI. Ask why the Markovian history says only that the Nucleus concludedsix new commercial treaties to the benefit of all worlds concerned inthat period, without any mention of Lakcaine VI."
"When you start asking questions like that you've got to be ready torun. And if it fizzles out you've lost all chance of coming back for asecond try. That could fizzle out because they simply deny the validityof all history outside their own."
"Then we might as well pack and go home if you're not going to challengeany of this stuff they hand out. We won't find the answer by standingaround and taking _their_ word on everything."
"I forgot to tell you one thing," Cameron said slowly. "We may not haveto take their word for it. Someone else here knows the truth of thesituation, also."
"Who?"
"The Ids." He told her then of the warning Sal Karone had given himaboard the ship on the way to the Nucleus, the statement that "MyMasters are a people who cannot yet be understood by the men of otherworlds."
"The Ids know what the Markovians are and what they are trying to hide.I had almost overlooked that simple fact."
"But you can't go out and challenge them to tell the truth any more thanyou can the Markovians!" Joyce protested. "Because Sal Karone went outof his way to warn you doesn't mean he's going to get real buddy-buddyand tell you everything you want to know."
"No, of course not. But there's one little difference between him andthe Markovians. He has admitted openly that he knows why we're here.None of the Markovians have done that yet. We don't have to challengehim because there already exists the tacit understanding that somethingis decidedly phony.
"And besides, he invited us to come and visit the Id communities outsidethe city. I think that's an invitation we should accept just as soon aspossible."
IV
Sal Karone had not repeated his invitation that the Terrans visit the Idcommunities, but he showed no adverse reaction when Cameron said theywould like to take him up on his previous offer.
"You will be very welcome," he said. A soft smile lightened hisfeatures. "I will notify my leaders you will come."
With a start, Cameron realized that the existence of any kind ofcommunity probably implied leaders, but he had ignored this in view ofMarthasa's insistence that the Ids had no culture of their own. Hewondered just how untrue that assertion might be.
For the first time, he sensed genuine disapproval in the attitude ofMarthasa when he mentioned plans to go with Sal Karone to the Idcenters. "There's nothing out there you'd want to see," the Markoviansaid. "Their village is only a group of crude huts in the forest. It'llbe a waste of your time to go out there when there's so much else wecould show you."
"Sal Karone suggested the visit before we arrived," said Cameron. "He'dbe hurt if we turned him down. Perhaps just to satisfy him--"
Angry indecision hid behind Marthasa's eyes. "Well--maybe that makes itdifferent," he said finally. "We try to do everything possible to makethe Ids happy. It's up to you if you want to waste your time on thevisit."
"I think I do. Sal Karone has been very attentive and pleasant to us.It's a small favor in return."
* * * * *
Early in the morning, two days later, they left with Sal Karonedirecting them to the Idealist center. They discovered that the term, atthe edge of the city, was a mere euphemism. It was a long two-hour tripat the high speed of which the Markovian cars were capable.
The city itself vanished, and a thickly wooded area took its placeduring the last half of the journey, reminding them of the few remote,peaceful forests of Earth. Then, as the car slowed, they left thehighway for a rough trail that led for a number of miles back into theforest. They came at last into a clearing circled by rough woodendwellings possessing all the appearance of crude, primitive existence onlittle more than a subsistence level.
"This is the village of our Chief," said Sal Karone. "He will be pleasedto explain all you may wish to know about the Idealist Way."
Cameron was shocked almost beyond speech by his first sight of theclearing. He had tried to prepare for the worst, but he had told himselfthat the Markovian's estimate of the Ids could not be true. Now he wasforced to admit that it was. In contact with all the skills of theirMasters, which they would certainly be permitted to learn if they wantedto, the Ids chose primitive squalor when they were on their own.
Their serenity could be little more than the serenity of the savage whohas no wants or goals and is content to merely serve those whoseambitions are greater. It was the serenity and peacefulness of death.The Ids had died--as a race--long ago. The Markovians were loud,boastful, and obnoxious, but that could be discounted as the awkwardnessof youth in a race that would perhaps be very great in the Universe at atime when the Ids were wholly forgotten.
Cameron felt depressed by the sight. He began to doubt the wisdom of hiscoming here in hope of finding an answer to the Markovian deception. Thewarning of Sal Karone on shipboard seemed now like nothing more than ahalf ignorant demonstration of loyalty toward the Markovian Masters.Possibly there had been some talk which the Id had overheard and he hadtaken it upon himself to warn the Terrans--knowing perhaps nothing ofthe matter which the Markovians were reluctant to expose.
If he could have done so gracefully, Cameron felt he would have turnedand gone back without bothering with the interview. His curiosity aboutthe Ids themselves had all but vanished. The answer to their situationwas obvious. And he had maintained such high hope that somehow hisexpectation in them would be fulfilled during this visit.
There was a satisfying cleanliness apparent in everything as Sal Karoneled them to the largest of the buildings. Joyce seemed to be enjoyingherself as she surveyed the surroundings with an interest Cameron hadlost.
As they entered the doorway a thin, straight old man with a white beardarose from a chair and approached them in greeting. The ancient,conventional, patriarchal order, Cameron thought. He could see the wholesetup in a nutshell right now. Squalid communities like this where thetoo-old and the too-young were nurtured on the calcified traditions towhich nothing was ever added. The able serving in the homes of theMarkovians, providing sustenance for themselves and those who dependedon them. The Markovians were generous indeed in not referring to the Idsas slaves. There was little else they could ever be called.
The Chief was addressed as Venor by Sal Karone, who introduced them. "Itis kind of you to include our village in your visit to the Nucleus,"said Venor. "There are many more spectacular things to see."
"There is often greatest wisdom in the least spectacular," said Cameron,trying to sound like a sage. "Sal Karone was kind enough to invite us toyour center and said there was much you could show us."
"The things of the soul are not possible to _show_," said Venor gently."We wish there were time that we might teach you some of the greatthings our people have learned in their long wanderings. I am told thatyour profession and your purpose in being here is the study of races andtheir actions and the things they have learned."
With a start, Cameron came to greater attention. He was certain he hadnever given any such information in the presence of Sal Karone orMarthasa. Yet even Venor knew he was a sociologist! Here was the firstknowledge that must lie behind the evidence of the undercurrent ofobjections of the Markovian representative in the Council and PremierJargla.
A
nd this primitive patriarch was in possession of it.
Relations between the individuals of this planet were something far morecomplex than Cameron had assumed. He hesitated a moment before speaking.Just why had this bait been so innocently thrown to him? Marthasa hadnever mentioned it. Yet had the Markovians asked for an attempt to getan admission from him for their own purposes? And what purposes--?
He abandoned caution, and nodded. "Yes, that is the thing I aminterested in. I had hoped to study the history and ways of theMarkovians. As Sal Karone has told me, they don't want strangers to makesuch a study. You are perhaps not so unwilling to be known--?"
"We wish the entire Universe
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