* * * * *
Hotang Lu looked at Kennebec seriously. "That is your main concern," he
said. "You--and all Solarians--have but that to fear."
"What?"
"You need fear only yourselves. All your other enemies fall like the
wheat before the scythe. From the most minute to the most gigantic.
Micro-organisms that defy your best instruments can not defy your
evolution. Giants that defy your imagination can not defy your science.
The cold and forbidding planets themselves bow to Terran domination.
Lane, born on Venus; a world of violent insect life and rife with
micro-organisms is populated by Terrans. Downing was born of Mars.
Mars is cold and forbidding. Life cannot survive there. Life cannot,
gentlemen. Oh, life in the sense that regeneration and self-sustenance
is life, can. After all, Mars is bathed in the same radiation that
produces hardy mutations. But Terran life is intelligent. Martian life
can not be--"
"See?" chortled Cliff Lane.
Hotang Lu swung upon the Venusite. "Stellor Downing is Terran," he said
stoutly. "Venus can not support intelligent life either," he added in a
mollifying tone.
"They do," objected Kennebec.
"By support I mean spawn," said Hotang Lu. "To support does not mean to
'be converted to'."
"Oh."
"Terra controls. Terra takes over. Terra is the Planet of Terror. Her
minions rule the Galaxy, her mutants are the fear and the death of all.
Linzete of Sscantoo capitulated because of two things. One was Lane's
ability to carry, without self-destruction, microlife that destroyed
their minor animals in a matter of minutes. The other was Downing's
ability to read the radiation of their weapons and return in less than
a month with an improvement on them. And what is your favorite dish?"
he asked Kennebec.
"Filet mignon with mushrooms."