I spoke to the Ergons and Jan-3 understood. It was apparent that they had simple minds; maybe they would respond to a gentle but firm approach. In a fatherly but stern voice, I said, “Release that man.” As I had hoped, they responded like children. The frightened engineer ran to Jan-3, but he didn’t have the time-travel buttons. Ulto read my thoughts of disappointment.
“I cannot allow you to keep the buttons, because you might not keep your part of the bargain, and you might not return after going to planet Earth.”
“Our reason for wanting to return to Earth was to get stun guns to protect ourselves. We know that you could protect us but, for some reason, you’re not. I think perhaps that’s why you were unable to live with the Ergons without fighting. If you are going to get along with others, you must adopt basic habits of honesty, decency, and integrity.”
“You hid your thoughts from us. We have no vocal cords, so we have no audible voices. The only way we can communicate is by thought transfer. When you hid your thoughts, we felt we couldn’t trust you, so we took the buttons to prevent you from betraying us.”
“You say you have great knowledge, and your technological achievements prove that is so, but it would seem that you have not developed your wisdom to keep pace with your knowledge. If we betray you, we betray ourselves. You have something we want, and we have something you want. The only way we can both get what we want is to work together.”
* * * * *
Chapter 20
“We are trained from childhood to win,” Ulto boomed. “We tell our children to do whatever is necessary to win. To lose is a weakness. If you want something, take it. We are taught that if you won’t help yourself, then no one is obligated to help you. Be self-reliant. Only help others if it will help you in some way. We have observed that those who do not live by these rules have no wealth or property. That, to us, proves that our philosophy is best.”
“You have attained the whole universe, yet you are unhappy,” I replied. “That should tell you that there is something wrong with your thinking.”
Jan-3 interjected, “No society can function in peace and happiness unless the members of that society observe the basic rules of proper human conduct. The first rule you must learn and observe is: DO NO HARM. Deceit is harmful. Denying privacy to one’s thoughts is harmful. By your present method of communication, you cannot observe that rule, so when you again have vocal cords, you must overcome that deficiency.”
“That is what I want you to instruct us on, so that we can have a peaceful life and stop worrying about destroying ourselves.”
I said to Ulto, “First, you must protect us from the aggressive behavior of the Ergons, so we can do what we came here to do. Then, you and your people can retrieve your bodies from the past, and begin the process of purification. After you’ve purified your bodies, you can go home to planet Duos and correct your emotional deficiencies. Then you can correct your mutations by injecting mutation-free DNA. Finally, you will have the bodies and minds that you strive for. We earthlings and, indeed, the whole universe will benefit!”
“The Ergons are hostile to us, and many of them are half-breeds, the consequence of the joining of Anton women and Ergon men. The Ergons have a long-enduring hate and distrust of us. The conflict that destroyed planet Ergo was the manifestation of that hate. What do you suggest?”
“I’ve seen the results of greed and religious fanaticism on Earth. Jan-3 is part of a society that overcame those destructive tendencies. If you will allow us to work with the Ergons in our own way, we’ll complete our work here, then join you on planet Duos and help you to form a peaceful society.”
“Our wives will not allow you to harm the Ergons. They say, and rightly so, that the Ergons have suffered enough and deserve to be helped.”
“Harming others is not our way,” Jan-3 explained, “but we can’t help either you or the Ergons, if the Ergons are allowed to harm us. In many ways, the Ergons are like disobedient children who must be taught that proper behavior will be rewarded, and that errant behavior will result in unpleasantness. We are bound by our law, the law we hope to introduce to both you and the Ergons, DO NO HARM. We have found that there are many peaceful ways to persuade people to comply with the law.”
“How will you get them to obey without inducing pain?”
“It seems an odd tool to use, but since they have already been taught to take what they want, we’ll teach them psychologically to want what they can get only by doing the right thing. What do they like most?” I asked.
“You are right about their having minds like disobedient children; they like what most children like. They like food and games. They also like to feel loved and appreciated. There is a problem with getting the food that they crave, because it grows only in the most remote jungles of planet Ergo. The jungle is home to some frightful reptiles and furious flesh-eating beasts.”
Games had never been important to me, but I could understand that the people who wanted to be athletes liked the exhilaration of the sport and the approval of others. I proposed my idea to Jan-3 and Ulto read my thoughts, so he understood when I said, “I have an idea for a game that will accomplish everything we’re trying to do.”
“Many in our society enjoy games,” Jan-3 said, “so I understand how games can be both helpful and entertaining. What do you have in mind?”
“The game will be that only those who do well in their work will be allowed to go into the jungle to get the plants they like, while not being harmed by the flesh-eating animals.”
“They won’t do it!” Ulto voiced. “They are terrified of those animals. That is why they don’t have a plentiful supply of their favorite food.”
“That’s exactly why I think they’ll do it. The excitement of getting the food right from under the noses of the beasts they fear, and the praise they’ll receive from their admiring audience will make them want to do it. What could be more exciting than garnering something valuable, while outmaneuvering the animals that are trying to eat you?”
“Without a doubt it will be exciting,” Ulto agreed, “but the animals are bound to win some of the time, and you promised no harm would come to the Ergons.”
“A team of Ergons will go into the jungle. Each Ergon will be armed with a stun gun that will render the animal unconscious the moment the animal touches an Ergon. If an Ergon is touched by an animal, the Ergon is eliminated from the game. Each Ergon will be allowed to keep or share only the food he or she gathers. The Ergon who endures longest or gathers the most food will be declared the winner.”
“How will the audience participate?” Jan-3 asked.
“Cameramen will photograph the game from a keri suspended over the jungle, and the audience will see it, by watching on a device like a television. They have that capability, don’t they?”
“Yes, of course, but they won’t trust you, or have faith in your intentions. They still won’t do it.”
“I’ll gain their trust by being the first to get the food out of the jungle while avoiding the animals. The audience will admire my courage, and that, plus my bringing back the food they like, will make the Ergons want to participate.”
“Gus, I fear for you,” Jan-3 said. “You haven’t even seen these beasts. The Ergons alone are frightful enough. Why are you willing to risk your life to save people who are trying to kill you?”
“In my time, Earth had many man-eating animals in its jungles. Men, sometimes armed only with spears, went into the jungles and competed with those animals for food. While on earth, in the thirty-first century, I saw a stun gun in the laboratory. I’ll go back to Earth and get such a device to wear—it will make me virtually safe.”
The engineer we rescued from the Ergons was listening to our conversation and spoke up. “I know the device Gus is referring to. It can quickly be adapted to render anything unconscious that touches the wearer. With your permission, I’ll go back to Earth and return with a supply of stun devices.”
“I think the idea might wor
k. One of my assistants will take your engineer to Earth and have him back in an instant,” Ulto’s voice resonated in our heads.
Jan-3 agreed, “If this works, it will be a good start in solving our problems.”
“Do you think a keri will work in this atmosphere?” I asked.
The engineer replied, “Of course. A keri operates in its own magnetic field. You wouldn’t be able to land in a jungle, though, because the dense vegetation would interrupt that magnetic field. But you could hover over the jungle, giving the cameramen a platform from which to record the struggle. The keri would also be transportation to and from the jungle for the contestants.”
I said to the engineer, “If Domer will approve, go with the Antons and bring back what we need.”
“I’ll check with the boss,” the engineer said, as he disappeared through the plasma curtain.
We heard Ulto’s voice talking to the Ergons: “Tell Mordo to have his people watch their view screens tomorrow. They will see an earthling defy the Lōōgs to bring back the tubers that they like. He will share the tubers with them. He challenges any Ergon to duplicate that feat.” Then Ulto addressed his thoughts to us: “You had better get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow will be a big day; perhaps it will be your last day. If you fail, our mission will be lost and Earth will be destroyed.”
“Ulto,” I replied, “you have much to learn. Threats will gain you nothing. We will rest tonight and be ready as soon as the engineer and your assistant return from Earth with the things we need. Don’t worry, I won’t fail.” I put my arms around Jan-3’s trembling shoulders, and we walked through the plasma curtain. The engineer who had volunteered to return to Earth with the Anton was talking excitedly with Domer.
Domer said, “Gus, this is dangerous. If you fail, we’ll all be killed—or worse, we’ll be marooned here on planet Ergo with the Ergons.”
“Will the stun device stop the Lōōgs and the reptiles?” I asked.
“We can set the devices with a pulse strong enough to kill the largest creature that ever lived, but there is always the possibility of something going wrong.”
“I don’t want to kill the beasts—I simply want to render them temporarily incapable of moving,” I said.
“We can do that, but may the Creating Force be with us if we fail,” Domer replied.
“Then we must not fail,” I chuckled, not really feeling the mirth. “Let’s all get some sleep. Tomorrow is a day unlike any other I am aware of.”
Dormer and his engineers had eaten while Jan-3 and I had been negotiating with Ulto. The food we had brought was sufficient. After eating, we headed to our separate beds.
“Gus,” Jan-3 requested, “may I sleep with you? I need to feel your arms around me. I’ve never felt fear before. . . . I was born into a peaceful world, and fear is new to me. Is there another way?”
“There’s always another way. But the question is: will it work? If we try another way, and fail, we’ll still be lost. If I succeed, we’ll gain the Ergons’ trust. If they trust us, they’ll help us. If they help us, we’ll all win. Everyone has too much to lose. We will succeed,” I said with assurance. Jan-3 snuggled closely. I was thinking, If I never have another moment, this moment alone is enough to make life worthwhile.
* * *
I slept fitfully, and was awakened by the roaring of strange animals, and the grunting of the Ergons. I was hearing an Ergon morning. I took Jan-3’s hand and we stepped through the plasma curtain. The early morning dwarf sun was blood-red—its light reflecting off the vegetation gave the plants a strange beauty.
Since they did not have bodies, the Antons needed no rest. Ulto greeted us with the thought foremost in everyone’s minds: “Well, Gus and Jan-3, today is the day that decides our fate. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready, and I hope the Creating Force is watching, and He, She, or It, is smiling. Let the day begin,” I said with a confidence that I didn’t really feel.
Domer and his crew joined us.
“Have the keri and the supplies arrived?” I asked.
“Everything is here, and we’re ready to prepare you for your ordeal,” Domer replied.
Jan-3 and I were the only earthlings who understood when Mordo said, in his rattling, grunting voice: “Every Ergon on the planet is watching. They’ll be delighted when they see Gus eaten by a Lōōg.”
Jan-3 translated to Domer and his crew.
Domer asked, “What on earth is a Lōōg?”
“There’s nothing like it on Earth,” she replied, “and if it is as bad as they say, I hope there never will be. All we know is that it is a terrible flesh-eating beast, feared by the Ergons.”
Bart, Domer’s assistant, said, “I brought a large keri. There’s room for all of us, including the cameramen. The Antons need no transport, and the Ergons will be watching from the safety of their homes.”
“Then let’s get on with it,” I said, a little more impatiently than I should have.
Jan-3 understood, and patted my arm reassuringly. Mordo rode with us to show me the plants I was to gather. With a twisted grin, Mordo showed me the type of plant that produced the tubers. It was a vine that reminded me of the sweet potatoes we grew on the farm.
Domer and Bart fitted the stun device around my waist while I checked the things in my backpack. I had a knife for digging tubers, and a machete for cutting the vines away. The cutting edges of these tools were keen and resilient. I didn’t want the restriction of the radiation suit, so I decided to risk the radiation long enough to do what had to be done.
I spoke loudly so everyone could hear: “I’m ready.”
On the ride to the jungle, Jan-3 held my hand, but no one spoke. A strange haze surrounded her, but I thought nothing of it, until I saw a machete concealed in her robe. I wanted to ask her about it, but I didn’t dare. Everything was strange on planet Ergo.
“There,” Mordo said gutturally as he pointed to a grove of extra-large trees.
The keri hovered over the trees, and I prepared to descend on a rope ladder. Domer pointed to a clear, flexible tube that had been extended down among the trees and said, “Descend through that tube; it’s pneumatic.”
“What will they think of next?” I said, shaking my head as I put on the packet that would contain the tubers, and prepared to slide down the tube into the jungle.
Jan-3 and I had spent a night hovering over the African jungle, listening to the animal sounds rising from it, but the sounds coming from this Ergon jungle, even in the daytime, caused shivers to run up my spine. What am I letting myself in for?
With a weak smile, Jan-3 kissed me on the cheek and said, “I’ll be waiting.” The best I could do was to return her smile and nod.
* * * * *
Chapter 21
The tube of compressed air lowered me quickly. I stepped out onto ground that had no vegetation. The shade under the trees was so intense that nothing could grow. A short distance away in the weak sunlight, vegetation grew profusely. The vines Mordo had shown me covered the ground. I saw nothing threatening, so I pulled up the vines and the tubers came out easily. With the machete, I separated the tubers from the vines and, in no time, I had a sack full of tubers. I placed the sack in the vacuum tube, and it disappeared up into the keri. Working quickly, I sent up several sacks. I depleted the vines nearby and looked around for more. A log lay partially hidden in the vegetation. I sat on it thinking about what I should do next.
The log moved! It didn’t roll sidewise, it slid along the ground, it moved lengthwise. I jumped to my feet, realizing I had sat on a living thing! What I had thought was a log continued moving. Suddenly, 30 paces away, the head of a reptile rose out of the grass. Then the head disappeared and the log slithered away.
Something was wrong! That shouldn’t be! Any living thing that touched me was supposed to be stunned into unconsciousness. I yelled into the tube to find out why the stun gun didn’t work. I heard the word “switch,” but that was all I had time for, because another snake—not qui
te so large, but large enough—was trying to coil around my legs. Ugh! Using my machete, I chopped it to pieces. It uncoiled from my legs, but continued to wiggle, as snakes do. The writhing of the dead snake attracted other reptiles that were coming at me from every direction. Chopping with my machete and slashing with my knife, I was holding my own, but I wasn’t sure how long I could hold out. Humanity hung in the balance, and I couldn’t find the switch to turn on my stun gun!
Just as I was about to go under, I heard a roar reverberating through the jungle and felt the ground tremble. The reptiles that were attacking me ran or slithered away. They were afraid of whatever it was that had roared. To my right, as far as the dense trees would allow me to see, I saw small trees covered with vines being pushed aside by something huge. I was frantically searching for a button, a switch, a lever—anything, but found nothing.
Too late, the “thing” was practically upon me. It was a tiger-like beast, large as an elephant. Perhaps because of its size, it was not as agile as a tiger, but what it lacked in agility, it made up for in size. It had three-toed front paws, with one toe used as an opposing thumb. I knew it could grasp, and the size of its grasp could easily encompass me. I was in trouble!
Frantically, I looked for a way to escape. It would do no good to run—this creature could run faster than I could. I couldn’t climb a small tree, because the beast could push a small tree over, and I would be on the ground, ready to become a tasty meal. Trees were nearby, but anything large enough to support the creature’s weight would allow it to climb the tree after me.
I had to do something, and quickly. “It” stopped less than a hundred feet away, its red, glaring eyes examined me closely. Its slavering mouth was at least three feet wide, and its foul-smelling breath was revolting.
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