Tiger in the Stars

by Zach Hughes

  real abilities. Matt wanted the organizational abilities of his brother John in Plank Enterprises and John's refusal to take an interest puzzled Matt. At that moment on Plank's World, Matt was puzzled anew by his brother John. Matt had received a blinkstat that stated, without explanation, that John would be landing on Plank's World in a matter of weeks. «I will not,» Matt Plank told his secretary, «give the professor the satisfaction of being asked why he's chosen this time to visit us.» But he was curious, and he put out an order to the Earth office to send a man to nose around Plank University to see what old John was up to. John, by that time, was on the top floor of the Heath Building in room 1040, seated comfortably in the informal atmosphere of a seminar room waiting for the last of his six advanced students to arrive. When the tardy student hurried in, John leaned back in his chair, smiled at his students, and said, «This will be my last meeting with you.» There was a stir and a mutter of dismay. «The seminar will be carried to conclusion by various members of the department as individual time requirements allow. You will be in good hands. Your work is going well and your programs are nearing completion. You will have no problems.» «May we ask why, Professor?» «Not at this time.» «You will be missed,» one of the female students dared to say. «You assume, then, that I am leaving the university,» Plank said. «You are right.» He held up a hand. «Now, instead of talking about me, let's review the findings of our program to date. I want to be sure that you're on a firm footing for the completion of your program.» After the two-hour class meeting it was time for lunch. He could have used one of the private rooms in the cafeteria, but he was not the sort to demand special treatment. He found an empty table, placed his tray upon it, and was beginning to eat with a healthy appetite when he saw Ellen Walters weaving her way through the tables toward him, tray in hand. He watched her, not without appreciation of her trim form. She smiled, engendering a smile in return. «The big day,» she said. «The big day.» He took a bite of good Texas steak and chewed thoughtfully. «Will you be at the ceremony?» «Of course.» «You're all ready, then?» «I've been ready for weeks,» she said. «Would you pass the salt, please.» He reached and his hand knocked the salt container off the table. It fell, obeying the laws of physics, until it was within five centimeters of the floor, then it halted and began to rise of its own accord. Leaning over, Plank put out his hand and plucked it from the air. «Show off,» he said.

  «If you've got it, flaunt it,» Ellen replied. «And since I'm reminded of it, you know Sparks, of the Parapsychology Department, has enrolled another receiver.» «Astounding, isn't it? Man goes along his merry way for millions of years accepting evolution only in part and then, suddenly, we're living a change.» «I wish I were a receiver too,» Ellen sighed. «There are times when I'd like to know what's going on up there in your head.» «As I look at you, my dear, I can tell you I have some very interesting things going on,» Plank said, grinning at her. «By the way, tell Sparks to warn his new receiver that he… male or female?» «Female. The ratio still holds true. Females two to one.» «… that she will, no doubt, be getting an offer from my brother. Tell him to give her the standard lecture about continuing her education before going off into the galaxy to make her fortune.» «I'm sure it's been done,» Ellen said. «I'm glad you're not a receiver,» Plank said. «I always feel uncomfortable. I've never sure they're living up to their oath. I have to guard my thoughts even around our Susan.» «I think she's very conscientious,» Ellen said. «She says it is extremely embarrassing to look into someone who is unaware. I think it's actually unpleasant at times.» «I'm sure it would be,» Plank said, finishing his meal. «See you.» He still had the formal call to make on the university's president, his afternoon seminar to meet, and then the ceremony. He had been against

  it, but he felt that it was his obligation to attend. If his fellows valued him, he would be insulting them to refuse their honors. He spent a quiet hour in the privacy of his apartment, dressed in formal wear, and walked the short distance to the assembly hall of the School of Physics. He was early. He sat on the stage talking with the president and the various deans until the hall was filled and the appointed hour had come. Then he sat, rather

  uncomfortably, listening to various speakers tell of his long years of service to the university and of his achievements. When he rose, a sincere roar of applause followed. He stood, waiting it out, saying, «Thank you, thank you.» He went through the formal opening, addressing the various elements of the gathering; then he stood, hands behind his back, and looked out to the sea of student faces. «We are fortunate,» he began, «to live in what is, perhaps, the most exciting era in the history of man. We have seen the galaxy opened. We have watched the ships blink out from home by the thousands, the millions, carrying Earth's surplus to the far stars. By picking up the telephone in our homes we can cross parsecs of space in an instant via

  blinkstat to send greetings to friends and relatives who are colonizing. For breakfast we may have fruit from one of the planets of a star that, 100 years ago, had only been a number in an astronomical catalog. We live in an age of plenty. No man goes without the basic needs. No man need be idle. And each man has his opportunity, in our rapidly expanding society,

  to fulfill his own potential. There is opportunity for all. There is challenge

  for all. And if the race survives for a million years there will still be, in our vast galaxy, challenge and opportunity.» He paused. The last echoes of his voice faded away. «In every scientific field we are advancing. Here at the university the work being done in micro-metallurgy has advanced the art immeasurably in two decades. Our work with elemental particles has opened the door to what was once thought to be an occult science. If we needed gold beyond the natural supply now available from a million planets, we could make it. When the natural food supply is low, we synthesize foods. And we advance steadily in other fields. We are, we men, in the midst of a vast change in our race. Something is happening in the basic structure of our brains. Our youth show astounding abilities. Not all of them, but a small percentage of them are developing abilities that were unbelievable when they were predicted by the esoteric science fiction writers of our past. We are able, through these new abilities, to know ourselves better. The science of medicine has been advanced immeasurably by the application of para abilities to medical problems. There are mental healers among us. Healers who can use the power of the mind to overcome the age-old ills of mankind. In one generation, the lifespan of the average man has been lengthened by five decades. Evolution is at work. Man has come a long way. I choose to believe that our advance is more than a matter of chance, more than the accidental results of existence. I believe that man has a destiny.» «As you know, para abilities are being applied to the studies of all the sciences. Para anthropologists have come up with convincing proof that life evolved on this planet with a richness of variety unknown elsewhere in the galaxy. I believe that man is the end result of billions of years of evolution under the guidance of an unknown hand. I believe that man is his own creature, a product of this Earth, a master of his own fate.» «In Central Africa there is a monument. It is a reminder. It was erected on the spot where an alien came to our planet to show his complete lack of

  regard for an intelligent species. I, for one, will never forget that once man was considered to be nothing more than a food creature. Not by some dumb animal, some beast of the jungle of man's past, but by a being with superior abilities and dangerous talents. My grandfather and grandmother received a warning. Since I was a small child that warning has been engraved on my mind, always with me, always in my thoughts. We were told to stay in our place. We were told not to aspire beyond our abilities. We were, with some show of generosity, given our own galaxy.» «It is my belief that the knowledge that we are not alone in this universe, that somewhere out there is a being who could manipulate us at will, can be nothing but inhibiting to man's future development. I think each of us should, at some time during our lives, visit the Central African monument and re
member the Eater, I will never forget.» He smiled. «Nor will I forget our university and my association with thousands of young people who are doing so much to make man more than he has ever been before. Thank you.» «I think,» John Sahara Plank III said, seated beside Ellen Walters in his personal atmoflyer as it arrowed south on autopilot, «that we'll be married aboard the Pride.» For a moment her eyes narrowed in surprise. «All right,» she said. «I think it would be fitting,» he said. «We'll be spending a lot of time there.» He took her hand and smiled at her. «We don't want to shock our young crew by living in sin.» «You are,» she said, «the very soul of romance.» «You could say no,» he said gently. «You're not a receiver, but you should be able to read my mind better than that.» «I'm sorry. I just took it for granted, I suppose, that when the time came we'd be married. Would you like for me to start all over and propose properly?» «I think I'd like for you to kiss me,» she said. After minutes during which his attention was occupied, the beeper told them of contact with Canaveral Control. Plank disengaged and sighed. «As first officer and captain we'll have to be on good behavior. No unseemly passionate displays before the crew.» «Just so you haven't arranged separate cabins,» she said. «Not a chance,» he grinned. Control landed them in the private sector of the base. There, the Sahara Pride VII rested on her pad, large as ships went, almost globular, gleaming with the blue and red of Plank University. Ellen laughed at the display of the school colors. «Will you also laugh when I tell you that the library contains films of all of last year's games?» Plank asked. «You're kidding.» «I'm going to analyze them, find out where we went wrong.» «Oh, the coach is going to love you.» «He's not my type,» Plank said, leading her toward the entrance port of the Pride. The port was opened by First Engineer Joker Osbourne, red-haired,

  muscular, blunt. Osbourne, a product of the university, had Plank's gift, as it was called. He came closer to becoming a part of his equipment than any man since John Plank. Susan Lite, receiver and navigator, was in the lounge to greet them, along with Tom and Martha Peters, electronics and parakinetics. Martha Peters made Ellen's small abilities seem like the work of a minor magician. All had been carefully selected, hand-picked by Plank himself. All had worked with Plank in the lab back at the university. All had participated in the building of the Pride. Within an hour of the arrival of Plank and Ellen, the Pride lifted. An extra passenger was aboard, a civil servant who performed a simple ceremony as the ship positioned itself for the initial blink. The civil servant was picked off by a lighter, and the Pride departed from Earth. The ship received V.I.P. treatment on Plank's World. Both Mark and Frank Plank were present when the Pride lowered to the surface. The party at the home of the president of Plank Enterprises was gala. When it was over, two of the brothers sat in Mark Plank's study over brandy. «Each paired off, like Noah's ark,» Mark was saying, speaking of John's crew. «We'll be gone a long time,» John said. «Where?» «Around.» «You wouldn't care to do a little work while you're star hopping, would you?» Mark asked. «I can use you.» «Sorry, Mark. I have my own thing going.» «Yes, I know.» «Spying again?» «Keeping my knowledge up to date,» Mark said, smiling. «You are constantly amazing me with some new gadget from that lab of yours. I have to spy on you to stay ahead of you. Otherwise you'll spring some development on me, and I won't have a use in mind for it.» «How much do you know about the Pride?» John asked, reaching for a decanter to refill his glass. «Not as much as I'd like to know. I know there's a pile of electronics on her. I know you have triple the power of the most advanced ship. And you have some things that I can't even guess about. Wanta fill me in?» «There's a mental amplifier.» «A what?» «'I'll tell you about it after we test it completely.» «What does it amplify?» «Power.» «We have an infinite power source in the blink generator. Power to fill all our needs. Why an amplifier?» John shrugged. «For more power.» «For what?» «For things that require more power.» Mark laughed. «All right. I'm sure that when you're ready you'll hand it over to the firm, and I'm sure I'll find a money-making use for it. Where do you go from here?» «Out,» John said, waving a hand. «We need open space.» «The clouds?» «Not that far. At least not in that direction.» «John, you do need to file a flight plan, you know. In case of trouble we must know where to look.» «No flight plan,» John said. «Do you have all you need? Anything I can get for you?» «Yes, as a matter of fact. I'd like six cases of this brandy.» «Done,» Mark said. He filled his glass. «John. I hope you're not going to do what I'm afraid you're going to do.» «And that is?» «You're going to the barrier.» «Does anyone else suspect that?» «No.» «I would appreciate it if—» «You don't have to say it. Look, you know and I know that if the word got out that you were testing the barrier there'd be one helluva hue and cry.» «How did you guess?» «I know you. brother. I remember when you were small you showed a great deal of interest in the barrier. When grandfather was alive you used

  to bug him to tell you about it, over and over. It still bothers you, doesn't it?» «Yes. Very much.» «Can't stand prosperity, huh? We have a galaxy. We're making do nicely with it, thank you. If we continue to breed at the present expansion rate

  and double our population every few years, there's still enough for the race for a million years. Why the barrier? Are we ready?» «Because it's there, I suppose,» Plank said. «And the hell of it is,» Matt said, «100 credits to ten you'll break the thing, if that's your goal.» «Just a preliminary study.» «Promise me one thing?» «Perhaps.» «Promise me you won't go through, even if you can, until you talk with me. Until we can make plans. John, I don't think we are ready. There's something pretty hairy on the other side of that force field or whatever it is. Before we go out there to, as they told our grandparents, invade their privacy, we'd better be damned sure we're ready.» «If we can break the barrier we're ready.» Matt frowned. «Why not give the race a bit more time to develop? I know you have your mentalists. But from remembering grandfather's tales, your mind people are amateurs compared to those people out there. They wouldn't even be able to hold their own with the Eater, and he was retarded.» «Grandfather used to say that they were not infallible.» «He used to say a lot of things. He talked a lot about tigers.» John smiled. «When a tiger is eating members of the community, a man picks up his spear and goes tiger hunting.» «Right now the tiger is sleeping,» Matt said. «I'd feel a lot better if we sort of tippytoed around him and let him sleep.» «Do you remember one of the things that impressed grandfather most about that being he spoke with? She was explaining why she could not rebuild Matt Webb, for whom you were named by the way, and she said it was because the Eater didn't have enough willpower to give up the tastiest morsel of a human body, the brain. The description of the delight of the

  Eater when he was enjoying a brain was so vivid, she said, that it raised an atavistic appetite in her.» «No,» Matt said, «I won't buy that rationale. You're not going out there to protect us from some future threat. Those people are not going to bust into the galaxy and start eating humans. No. You're going out there for

  the same reason that old John spent the second half of his life establishing a university and engaging in pure research. All of your work to date points to that. Grandfather spent a lifetime and vast amounts of money to better the race, to make it more powerful in its technology. He even became interested in parapsychology and was the first to apply psychic power to

  the search for man's ancestry. He was afraid, just as you're afraid, that the beautiful woman and the Eater were right, that we are evolved from the artificially created food creatures. You think that by proving that man is, at least, the equal of those people out there that you can disprove the theory of our artificial origin once and for all.» «I'd be lying if I said you're 100 percent wrong,» John said. «But you're not 100 percent right, either.» «Think it over carefully, John. I won't try to stop you, although I have the power to stop you if I wanted to. But I respect you too much to try to impose my will on you.» «You're becoming truly civilized.» «Just don't come home
with the tiger chasing you, nipping at your tail.» «I am rather attached to my tail,» John laughed. When the stars thinned, they advanced carefully. The Pride functioned smoothly. Susan Lite, prior to each jump, blended her mind with a new detection system and searched the space ahead. Not many ships had been