Star quest

the spots where the warlike worlds had been would be gaps in the new universe. It was quite like a cancer operation, cutting out the malignant growths—in this case, worlds—and leaving them behind. What happened to the Romaghins and Setessins in that great empty universe was not their worry. Cruel, perhaps, but wasn't it worth it to all those neutral peoples who had been caught up in an eight hundred year war?
    All of this was shown him, not in words, but in mind pictures, in thought-image concepts that he could grasp with all senses.
    At last, he understood.
    "Well?" Triggy Gop said, when he came out of hypno-teach.
    "It's clear now."
    "Are you with us?"
    He grinned at the walls where the cameras would be watching him. "Of course."
    "I'm glad. I was intrigued by you that first time we met. When I learned you were with Corgi's group, I wasn't surprised. Not really. In fact, I was so intrigued with you that I began writing an opus about your exploits. I expect to get a full account from you so that I may work on the verse once we get through to the new universe and this great labor is over."
    "An heroic epic?"
    "Something like that."
    "You know that my search never reached fruition."
    "Well, we shall see."
    "It didn't. A bust"
    "Time heals all wounds. Meanwhile, stay strapped in. We're landing on Columbiad in a few minutes. I have to attend to that now."
    Tohm leaned back in the chair. The entire concept was staggering. The Muties had been trying to transfer the capital of Basa II into another universe. But they had discovered that it was simpler to transfer everything
but
the Romaghins and Setessins! He still could not grasp it all. But it meant something now. He had seen how war and the war-makers had held back an entire people—the Muties—and had disrupted the entire lives of billions more. To end war was certainly a noble gesture. He wanted to be in on it. It was something to continue living for.
And the hissing in the bushes… The filling in of a blank face
…
    The retro-rockets fired, jarring the library…
    The time was coming swiftly…

Chapter Sixteen
    "You SIT OVER THERE," Corgi said, pointing across the room full of Muties to an empty chair next to Mayna.
    "Next to her?"
    "Why not?"
    "She hates my every cell."
    Corgi smiled sarcastically. "Sure."
    "She does. Please seat me elsewhere."
    "You really believe—"
    "Listen, Corgi, she will claw me to pieces if I go near her."
    "You fool."
    "Look, don't call me that. Everyone has had a turn now, so shut up."
    Corgi grabbed his arm. "No. You are a fool. You are a fool not to see when someone is in love with you. Surely, your Tarnilee never looked at you the way Mayna does."
    Tohm wrinkled his brow in uncertainty. "I—"
    "You're a fool. I'll say it again: you're a fool" No. Look, she said I didn't understand—"
    "And you didn't. You didn't understand that she had been taught to fight normals, to consider herself better, and she fell, instead, in love with one. All of her values and mores were upset. She fought you to bolster herself, her own beliefs that were being shattered by your presence. She fell in love—well, on first sight. But all you could think of was finding Tarnilee. Did you ever tell Mayna you loved her?"
    "No!"
    "But you do, don't you?"
    He tried to deny it, but he could not find the words.
    "She wanted to be sure that you understood us, for, if you really did, it would justify her love. Now go sit next to her. The time has come."
    He hesitated a moment, then struck off across the room. There were Muties in every chamber of Triggy Gop's belly. Two thousand of them. The remainder of their numbers were hooked electronically to the Old Man. The moment had come. He slumped into the chair, looked at her. "Good luck," he said at last
    "Thank you, Hero Tohm."
    "For God's sake-"
    But he was interrupted by Triggy. "Okay, let us prepare ourselves. We may not have time, but we can try. And if we succeed today, let us not forget that it was Hunk, a brave and intelligent man, who died for us and gave us this plan. Now, first stage."
    Tohm looked about at the weird conglomeration, the two-headed men, the graceful nymphets with eyes that constantly changed colors, the winged people. They were a wonderful phantasmagoria. As a single entity, they slipped into a trance.
    The last word Mayna spoke was this: "Tohm."
    He looked to her full lips as they closed into sleep. Perhaps Corgi had been right. Perhaps he was the greatest fool to come down the space