the thought were being given an answer.In the darkness of the room a bright image appeared, three-dimensional,not quite a sphere in form, tiger-striped in orange and black, balancedon a broad, bifurcated swimming tail. Stalked eyes protruded from thetop of the sphere; their slit pupils seemed to be staring directly atHalder. Down both sides ran a row of ropy arms.
* * * * *
Simultaneously with the appearance of this projection, a man's voicebegan to speak, not loudly but distinctly. Dreamlike again, the voiceseemed to have no specific source, as if it were coming from everydirection at once; and a numbing conviction arose in Halder that theirminds were being destroyed in this room, that a methodical dissectingprocess had begun which would continue move by move and hour by houruntil the Federation's scientists were satisfied that no further scrapsof information could be drained from the prisoners. The investigationmight be completely impersonal; but the fact that they were beingignored here as sentient beings, were not permitted to argue their caseor offer an explanation, seemed more chilling than deliberate brutality.And yet, Halder told himself, he couldn't really blame anyone for thesituation they were in. The Kalechi group represented an urgent andterrible threat. The Federation could not afford to make any mistakes indealing with it.
"This image," the voice was saying, "represents a Great Satog, theoxygen-breathing, water-dwelling native of the world of Kalechi. Thereare numerous type-variations of the species. Shown here is the dominantform. It is highly intelligent; approximately a third of a Satog's bodyspace is occupied by its brain.
"Kalechi's civilization is based on an understanding of biologicalprocesses and the means of their manipulation which is well in advanceof our own. This specialized interest appears to have developed from theSatogs' genetic instability, a factor which they have learned to controland to use to their advantage. At present, they have establishedthemselves on at least a dozen other worlds, existing on each in amodified form which is completely adapted to the new environment.
"Our occasional contacts with Kalechi and its colonies during the pasttwo centuries have been superficially friendly, but it appears now thatthe Great Satogs have regarded our technological and numericalsuperiority with alarm and have cast about for a method to destroy theFederation without risk to themselves. A weapon was on hand--their greatskill and experience in altering genetic patterns in established lifeforms to produce desired changes. They devised the plan of distributingKalechi agents secretly throughout the Federation. These were to developand store specific strains of primitive organisms which, at an indicatedlater date, would sweep our major worlds simultaneously with anunparalleled storm of plagues.
"The most audacious part of the Kalechi scheme follows. Ninety-two yearsago, a Federation survey ship disappeared in that sector of the galaxy.Aboard it was a man named Ohl Cantrall, an outstanding scientist of theperiod. We know now that this ship was captured by the Great Satogs, andthat Cantrall, his staff, and his crew, were subjected to extensiveexperimentation by them, and eventually were killed.
"The experimentation had been designed to provide Kalechi'smaster-biologists with models towards which to work. They proposed toutilize the high mutability of their species to develop a Satog typethat would be the exact physical counterpart of a human being and couldlive undetected on our worlds for the several years required to preparefor the attack. They were amazingly successful. Each group of cells inthe long series which began moving towards an approximation of the humanpattern was developed only far enough to initiate the greatest favorableshift possible at that point in its genetic structure. Cell generationsmay have followed each other within hours in this manner, for over sixdecades.
"The goal of the experiment, the last generation issued in Kalechi'slaboratories, were Satog copies of embryonic human beings. This stagewas comprised of approximately twelve hundred individuals who were nowpermitted to mature and were schooled individually in complete isolationby Satog teachers. They were indoctrinated with their purpose inlife ... the destruction of our populations ... and trained fully inthe manner of accomplishing it.
"Eventually, each was shipped to a Federation world. Cover identities asobscure Federation citizens with backgrounds and records had beenprepared. The final instructions given these agents were simple. Theywere to do nothing to draw attention to themselves, make no attempt tocontact one another. They were to create their stocks of lethalorganisms, provide methods of distribution and, on a selected day, threeFederation years away, release the floods of death."
* * * * *
The voice paused briefly, went on. "It is a sobering reflection thatthis plan--an attack by a comparatively minor race with one specializedskill on the greatest human civilization in history--might very wellhave been appallingly successful. But the Great Satogs failed, in partbecause of the very perfection of their work.
"From the human beings on board Ohl Cantrall's captured survey ship theSatog scientists selected Cantrall himself and two female technicians onhis staff as the models to be followed in developing Kalechi'spseudohumanity. In the twelve hundred members of the group sent to theFederation ninety years later, these three identity-patterns arerecognizable. They appear in varying degrees of combination, but anoccasional individual will show only one or the other of the threepatterns involved.
"Ohl Cantrall was regarded as a great man in his time, and hisidentification pattern is on record. That was the detail which firstrevealed the plot. When three duplicates of that particularpattern--and a considerable number of approximate duplicates--turned upsimultaneously in identification banks at widely separated points in theFederation, it aroused more than scientific curiosity. Our securitysystem has learned to look with suspicion on apparent miracles. Theunsuspecting 'Cantralls' were located and apprehended at once; thethreat to the Federation was disclosed; and an intensive thoughunpublicized search for the scattered group of Kalechi agents beganimmediately...."
The voice paused again.
The Satog image above the pit vanished. A clear light sprang up in thebig room. Simultaneously, Halder felt the nightmare immobility drainingfrom him and the sensation of dreamlike unreality fade from his mind. Heturned to the right, found Kilby's eyes already on him, saw the Relliscouple sitting beyond her ... Rane, no longer disguised, looking like amirror image of Halder.
They were still fastened to their chairs. Halder's gaze shifted backquickly to the center of the room. Where the pit had been, the flooringwas now level, carrying a massive, polished table. Behind the table sata heavily built, white-haired man with a strong face, harsh mouth, inthe formal black and gold robes of a Councilman of the Federation.
"I am Councilman Mavig." The voice was the one that had spoken in thedark; it came now from the man at the table. "I am in charge of theoperation against the Kalechi agents, and it is my duty to inform them,after their arrest and examination, of the disposition that must be madeof them."
He hesitated, twisting his mouth thoughtfully, almost as if unwilling tocontinue. "You four have been thoroughly examined," he stated at last."Most of the work has been done while you were still unconscious. Afinal check of your emotional reactions was being made throughout thestress situation just ended, in which you listened to a replay of areport on the Kalechi matter. That part is now concluded."
Mavig paused, scowled, cleared his throat. "I find," he went on, "thatsome aspects of this affair still strain my credulity! More than half ofyour group have been captured by now; the remainder are at large butunder observation. The danger is past. The activities of the GreatSatogs of Kalechi will receive our very close scrutiny for generationsto come. They shall be given no opportunity to repeat such a trick;nor--after they have been made aware of the measures we are preparingagainst them--will they feel the slightest inclination to try it.
"Now, as to yourselves. After we had tracked down the first dozen or soof you, a startling pattern began to emerge. You were not followingKalechi's careful instructions. In one way a
nd another--in often veryingenious ways--you were attempting primarily to establish contact withone another. When captured and examined while unconscious by thevarious interrogation instruments of our psychologists you told us yourreasons for doing this."
Councilman Mavig shook his head. "The interrogation machines aresupposed to be infallible," he remarked. "Possibly they are. But I amnot a psychologist, and for a long time I refused to accept the reportsthey returned. But still ..."
He sighed. "Well, as to what is to happen with you. You will be sent tojoin the previously arrested members of your group, and will remain withthem until the last of you is in our hands, has been examined, and ..."
Mavig paused again.
"You see, we can accuse you of no crime!" he said irritably. "Asindividuals and as a
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