by Rory Magill
Need I add that after you have taken thesetests, we will not be expecting you to remain...."
Several students tittered.
"I'm going to talk now, Garnot of Jlob," Smith said. "You asked mequestions earlier. Now I'm going to answer them."
"But I did not...."
"They're questions that should be answered, even though I'm not at allsure that there's enough free-thought here to grasp the real meaning ofwhat I'm going to say."
"I did not tell you to talk."
"I'm Smith of Earth, and this is supposedly a free institution. On EarthI wasn't accustomed to being told when I could talk, when I couldlisten, when I could think. You asked me once where Earth is. I'll tellyou."
"But I do not care and...."
"Earth, interstellarly speaking, is a few parsecs from Sirius.Spaceo-graphically speaking, it isn't very important where it is, notreally. Historically, it was at the apex of civilized culture beforeJlob ever existed except as a steaming carboniferous swamp peopledlargely by a species of amphibian. Socio-psychologically, Earth is a fewaeons ahead of the worlds so badly represented here."
"You have not been told to talk!" screamed Garnot of Jlob.
"But you are supposed to listen," Smith insisted. A gasp sounded throughthe room. "You asked what was the first interstellar event ofimportance. I'm going to tell you." He turned so that he was looking atthe class. "It wasn't the exodus from the prehistoric Sirian worlds tothe first culture in the Denebian system. Nor was it the Sirian wars.Those things didn't set the stage for Interstellar history. Interstellarhistory had already begun and grown old on the planet Earth, half amillion years before...."
An intensity boiled up through the wick of Smith's body. "The questionitself is shallow, meaningless in an academic sense. It was asked onlyto be answered in such a way as to reinforce egotistical concepts ofculture. The most important event in Interstellar history was when menon the planet Earth developed speech perhaps, or some other event evenlong before that ... and started the scientific process that led finallyto the most glorious epoch in history. And what was that? I can rememberwith pride the engravings of the first proud Earth ships that blastedoff for the Centaurian system aeons ago. And other pictures of the earlydays of the new Centaurian culture, and still others. Of discontent andover-population. And the migration to Sirius.
"Or even earlier, of the stern, thin-lipped face of Matthew Merkle whosetincan of a spaceship carved a loop in space around the Moon--asatellite of Earth--and returned.
"You think of history in terms of challenge and response, and theearlier challenges were the most significant ones. It was harder to geta spaceship across a mere quarter of a million miles to the Moon then,than it is to send it, translight, to the farthest star today."
Garnot of Jlob was quivering. His face had a deep purplish cast.
Smith turned completely around, his back to the instructor.
"If you want the truth about interstellar history, my friends, come toEarth. That was where it started. That's where anything decent about ithas remained. And I'm not at all sure that Earth isn't where it will end... if it ever really ends."
Half way to the exit, he turned to Garnot of Jlob. "You can stop tryingto use psi-power to make me shut up, you pompous phony."
Laughing softly, Smith went out and down the hall. Behind him he heard aloud coughing as though someone was choking.
* * * * *
The word had spread before him to the room where Sog-chafka of Wortan,and Kard of Shilon, and the crowd waited. The two giants were on themats and around the rows of up-circling benches, were the eager, hungryfaces of the women of Bortinot. The Dominants, their lips moist andslightly open and their eyes shiny with anticipation.
Geria stared at him, her body shifting slightly, her lips apart and herteeth shining white, eyes glistening. He remembered how the kiss hadbeen. He smiled at her. She seemed scornful now, a little sad, pitying,as he walked onto the mats.
"Ah, Earthsmith," boomed the instructor. His massive blood-colored facewas shiny as he stood there, muscles rippling and seething under theblack uniform. Kard of Shilon grinned. The spectators laughed as Smithtripped on the mat and almost sprawled.
Kard of Shilon said, "I'm going to kill you, Earthsmith."
Smith said, "That's an odd way to express your elite tastes, Kard, but Ican understand how you feel. Earth knew a lot of killing in its day."
To Sog-chafka, Smith said, "You accused me of using psi-power in Wortanfighting. It was kind of you to recommend clemency. However, I deny theaccusation."
"He has psi-power," screamed Jorak of Gyra from the top bench. He shookgreen fists.
"You said only a few Earthmen had psi-power," Sog-chafka said.
"I didn't. I said it's never used on Earth. There's a difference."
"You said you...."
"Didn't use it," Smith said. "What psi-power you have, came from Earth.We of Earth developed it. But it's been a long time since we havebothered with it. But though I'm a little bit rusty now, I'll showyou--"
None of them ever knew what a dreadful moment that was for Smith ... whoknew his capacity for psi-power, but had never bothered to use itbefore.
He concentrated.
Twenty Dominant women of Bortinot fell writhing on the mats.
They writhed for a while, then got up and sat down again. Perspirationwas heavy on their faces, and they panted heavily, and their eyes wereslightly glazed with psychic shock.
Smith's head ached. But he would never show it. He was rusty all right.
Sog-chafka and Kard shifted once and seemed uneasy.
Smith said. "I did that to demonstrate a point, which is that if I wantto use psi-power here, I'll not fool around with any puny amount of itsuch as I was accused of doing earlier. I prefer fighting the Wortanway. Psi-power fighting is pretty unhealthy stuff. Minds getting allwrapped up together in combat. It's finally like beating yourself...."
Smith laughed at the two giants. "Well," he said.
Kard rushed. Smith dropped to hands and knees, pinched Kard's legs, heldthem perpendicular from the knees down. Kard's rushing weight carriedhis body on over. His knees popped. He screamed and fell moaning on themat.
Sog-chafka was already rushing and he tried to duck as Smith lungedupward. The sound in the room was cracking and sharp. Sog-chafka, theinstructor in Wortan fighting, stumbled back and his thick arms dug atthe air and a laxness showed under the skin-tight black uniform. Bloodran on the mats as Sog-chafka refused to go down any further than hisknees. His head hung loosely and he slowly raised his blood-shot eyes.
His massive face twisted. Kard of Shilon lay groaning a little, nursingdislocated knees.
Sog-chafka remained bent, powerful thighs driving as his toes dug intothe mat in a pounding, hurtling running dive, head down, hands reaching.It was a ferocious thing to see. Smith could hear the gasps ofanticipation as he waited.
* * * * *
Smith chopped down with cupped hands as he stepped aside. He brought hisknee up into Sog-chafka's face and the instructor spun crazily acrossthe mat, his body sinking lower and lower and finally sliding forward onhis belly and lying there without moving at all. "Brute strength," Smithsaid, "is what you want on Wortan."
Smith glanced at Geria. "As you said earlier, Geria, there's somethingglorious about fighting tooth and nail. That's what you said."
Smith's foot was jerked from under him as Kard heaved. Smith's heavybody thudded on the mat. Before he could twist around, Kard's powerfularm was around his throat. Smith's wind was cut off. He felt his eyesbulge, and he knew that Kard would kill him. "I think, Earthsmith, itonly right you should come down here with me!"
Smith put his right hand under Kard's right elbow. He clenched Kard'sright wrist with the other hand. He pushed up with his right hand,heaved down with his left. Kard screamed a second time as his elbowpopped.
He had to let go or his arm would break, so he let go. As Kard rolledfree, Smit
h aimed for that vital point just to the left of the tip ofKard's chin. The back of Kard's head thudded on the mat, his eyes rolledup.
Smith got to his feet. He could hear Jorak of Gyra yelling. "He usedpsi! He used psi!"
Smith hated to acquire another headache, but he felt this had to bedone. He concentrated on Jorak who started to sweat. Then Jorak camedown to the mats and began to writhe and hop around in a weird andformless dance. Round and round the mats Jorak danced, his face workingfitfully.
Sog-chafka was on one knee. His face was swelling and blood ran from hischin. He grinned and a broken tooth fell out. He looked up at the row ofspectators. "He didn't use any psi on me. I