by Moulton, CD
"We weren't using the psy shields," Nortich explained. "We thought the fungoid was long dead and gone. That was immensely stupid."
"I hope you've destroyed those spores we gave you?" Givzoo asked. "They were, of course, fungoid."
"How many clones are there?" TR asked.
"We aren't sure. At least six," Nortich replied. "Two have spored so there are a minimum of four left down there unless Volich was able to do something. There aren't any sterilizing lights in that cave!"
"Maybe we should ... I don't know. We have to wait for Tab to call us," Kit said. "Is it likely Volich is still alive?"
"I think Volich will have used the tranquilizers again," Givzoo replied. "She saw what was happening to us immediately, I'm sure. It was sudden and she had been out by the group Tab found to study their growth when she found the entrance to the hill. She had the psy shield on for that so was able to resist it. I think she injected herself with the tranquilizer as soon as she found the clone or it would have been able to kill her. It couldn't locate her so was forced to precipitate action. When it realizes we're gone I don't know what it will do."
"I ruined that lab with a lightning bolt," TR said. "Maybe it'll think you were killed in there. It was the same bolt that cut most of the sensors off for your escape. I made a small strike to disable the ones near your ship for Kit to come in. There isn't any power being produced now. I burned out the generating facility with that bolt.
"Hey! There isn't any power being produced – AT ALL – down there!"
"There could be a gravity feeder backup so we can't be sure," Givzoo said. "It could still have most of what it needs. I hope Tab will realize there would have to be more than one or two clones."
"Tab will handle it," TR said confidently. "We have to worry about the bioform that will control the fungoid. I can safely assume most of it was destroyed by that thing?"
"The main supply in the labs and the cultures, yes," Nortich said. "There's plenty on the planet it can't reach. It knows it's doomed on Kuhlicht. That's why it was so insistent on getting off-planet. Givzoo has convinced it the bioform would be confined to only the one continent on Grandish for a few decades. It felt it could find a way to escape in that time. When we suggested that it also seed itself on Tesfort where no one would bother to look for it it accepted the opportunity immediately. It's desperate. Tab's saying we would spread it on hundreds of worlds was something we hoped he would seize upon from the Tesfort hint.
"You see, we would have to go to the cave again to get the spores for that so I was planning to try to introduce something into the feed supply that would stop further sporing in those that were left. It was all I could think of. The thing could detect any intense concentration so I had to go with what occurred to me and to let the thought pass. I've learned how to repress thoughts from the forefront of consciousness to an extent. I can remember on a lower level of my mind where it can't detect. I can't plan on that level, though."
"What will we do on Grandish if all the bioform spores are gone?" Kit asked.
"The control is producing billions of spores on Grandish on its own," Givzoo answered. "All we have to do is to move it to all the continents. It'll take a bit longer, but it'll handle the job. We made projections about it. If nothing at all is done it'll become ubiquitous on Grandish in less than three years. I concentrated on a worst case scenario to fool the fungoid here. It believes it will take thirty Grandish years, which is plenty for its purposes."
"Then how long if we move it around a bit?" TR asked.
"Four growth seasons – about a year and a half," Nortich said. "Its seasons aren't tied to Grandishian cycles, but to Kuhlichtian."
"The fungoid lives for four years or longer before it must spore," Givzoo added. "The bioform will be there waiting for the spores so we're talking about five years to the absolute certainty of total extinction of the fungoid on Grandish. I think we can live with that. We have to."
"We'll go through major sterilization programs on anything leaving Grandish for six years to be sure," TR said. "What we'll also have to do is monitor the planet constantly. We can find any of the fungoids that reach any size by their psy if they're close to where there are any people, that is."
"The great reprieve there is those spores are only partially programmed, at best," Nortich said. "We'll have to monitor this world for a like period."
"The scary thing about all this is that there are natural injectors," Givzoo said. "Tesfort can produce this thing through natural processes. That's a large part of evolution. It may take millions of years, but it can happen. If it can happen on Tesfort it can happen elsewhere. Do you see what I'm saying?"
"Will RNA and protein chains be a necessity?" Kit asked. "I mean, they're vital to the process aren't they?"
"Oh, certainly!" Nortich replied. "There can be no thought processes or memory storage without that!"
"Then your research must continue," TR put in. "We have the cure for these types of worlds. That will never be lost. Maita will see to it that such information is readily available to all for all time here. What you'll have to develop is cures for the other types of worlds with other climatic cycles and even other life cycles."
"And for lifeforms not based on CHON," Kit added. "I see no reason why this would be confined to carbon-based life. It's the most common, but there are some other possibilities. I think the Grandish Project will have a lot of use in the future. This can be the first use of the grant, then you can find another area of research to pursue."
"It'll take a few years to find cures for the others. They should mostly just be variations of this process," Givzoo agreed. "We can use it as a training program. Grandish will be the best place to establish it so we can monitor the world while we do the research. After that we can go where we're needed."
"Sounds like a good deal to me," TR replied. "I wonder how Tab's doing down there."
Learning Process
Tab came out from Givzoo's ship while TR was rising, reasoning that the fungoid would certainly concentrate on watching the ship to be sure it left the planet. He moved quickly away from the lab area and out past where he knew the sensors to be. There was something he had to be missing. It was nagging at him so he stopped beyond the hill to sit by Zantoo's grave to think.
Zantoo had made a clone under the influence of that thing. The clone was in a cave or tunnel under that hill to his left. That was damned sure. The fungoid was already programmed as part of the cloning process, though everything else could be added through the psy link later, making for a two-way safety margin. That was almost as sure.
The fungoid had remained safe under that hill since Zantoo's death by the simple expedient of not using the psy talent on anyone else. It grew and learned a hell of a lot since the death of the students and Zantoo. It had, in the guise of that single growth in the lab, tricked them into thinking they had destroyed their major enemy. That was evident and sure.
Then Volich found its second clone, forcing it to act on the assumption it was being sought. Volich was obviously using the psy shield when she was checking the patch of remaining fungoids so would appear to be part of the directed search. That was most likely from the way the thing was believed to think. It then seized control of the scientists, probably killing Volich – but maybe not. Volich had some protection from the shield. That was an unknown.
It had forced Givzoo and Nortich to package the spores for spreading on Gran ... uh-oh! If it had spored it was dead.
Tab's own psy receptor was on in that lab, the spores had no psy ability he could detect and Nortich and Givzoo were still being controlled.
Okay. SECOND clone! Zantoo had cloned more than one of the things. It had to be. If there was to be another shipment of spores there had to be more than that one sporing plant. To keep control of Givzoo and Nortich there had therefore to be yet another. The strength of the psy ability from that distance indicated it was gestalt so there were several more of the fungoids. Zantoo could clone as many as he was
directed to clone at one time. Another spored or was sporing so the spores could be spread to all those other worlds. Assuming it had already done so there were at least two still alive in that hill.
Working backwards from the way the fungoid seemed to think there would be a minimum of four more and a maximum of ... four. The thing would limit numbers to limit the sharing of power. It didn't need to argue with itself.
Six original clones, of which two had spored, two were for the gestalt power synergy and two were for emergency backups in case something happened to the others. Tab wasn't so sure he was proud of the fact he understood the mind of the thing so well. While he was being logical and thoughtful he might as well consider other things. The time for reckless speed was past after he got away from the ships safely undetected. He could take the time to think out what he had to do now.
Volich was using the psy shield when she found the clones so she would have time to act at the very least for a few seconds. The fungoid would be confused at being found this quickly. Volich was terrified of the thing for what it had done to her before and carried the tranquilizer. If there had been any evidence Givzoo or Nortich had been influenced in any way she would have used it immediately. She was therefore probably still alive, but there was the danger she would awaken at any time now. To awaken would be to die. The thing could instantly locate her and could remove pieces of her nervous system.
What a hell of a time for a thunderstorm! It sure came up fast!
Nortich and Givzoo were making some kind of plan. They left hints enough he was to do something to give them time. The other worlds bit should do that. It should also make it necessary for one or both of them to go to the fungoids in person to collect the next batch of spores. Volich might be in that same shed – not likely! She would be very near the hill. Maybe right there in direct view of the fungoids. They couldn't "see" her without her mental broadcasts.
Damn! That was close! Good thing it was a small strike. It seemed to hit the compound somewhere.... TR? What was happening?
Do NOT communicate with TR! The ship and Kit knew what they were doing! It would be best to wait to see if this was a scheme TR had dreamed up. Tab didn't doubt the ship could cause a local thunderstorm like this one.
Tab used the time to observe the low hill where the fungoid clones were hidden with telescopic vision. There was nothing moving at all. His passive sensors noted a section of the electrical system near the compound was out from the lightning strike. TR was doing something. That was designed to take out a section of the sensory apparatus near the labs.
Tab moved around the hill again in time to see Kit running for Givzoo's disabled ship with Nortich under one arm and Givzoo under the other. Kit was getting the scientists out of there. Now he was shooting away with both of them on a shielded floater. What was that about? They shouldn't be in very much danger yet.
A massive bolt of lightning struck the lab directly. Not very much would have survived that!
Think again. Nortich and Givzoo were removed in such a way that it wasn't likely the fungoid could be sure if it was natural interference with the systems or not, then the lab was totally destroyed. There couldn't be anything surviving in that place after such a massive strike. That also could be natural lightning striking the high point of the lab roof.
So! Was there something about the spores that had panicked TR? Was there something he didn't know? Something vital?
Well, Nortich and Givzoo were safe now and the spores at the labs were destroyed so that was a bit less for him to worry about. His passives showed him there was no power whatever from the place.
Was that it? Had TR detected some power use by the fungoid and moved to eliminate it? There was no least doubt TR would go to extraordinary lengths to ensure the safety of Tab as Tab would for TR. They were, after all, parts of the same being.
It was now highly unlikely the fungoids under that hill had any automatic feeders or servos working unless they had gravity feeds. With Givzoo and Nortich gone and the spores stopped from getting offplanet the fungoid was defeated completely. All they had to do was to abandon this world for a few decades for the control bioform to eliminate the fungoid forever. It was only a matter of getting to Volich and getting the hell out of there.
Tab went carefully around the hill again, then over to the one where the fungoid was hidden. There were no sensors working without power so he wasn't in such dire need of caution. He was still in danger from the fungoid, of course. It could still remove pieces of his body if it could firmly locate him, but it couldn't "see" him with the shields up and the psy part of his mind off.
Maita warned earlier about the thing developing an ability to get past the shields so that would have to be considered. Don't get cocky or you might get dead. Bear in mind also that Maita suggested another danger. What if that second worry was real? What if the thing could develop enough TK power to directly remove spores from Kuhlicht? The power needed to get a few million spores to the nearer star systems, one of which was Grandish Prime, was slight if it encased them in something it grew that was insignificant in mass but strong enough to protect them from space and fired away. To move an object that massed at one gram, which would be enough mass for thousands of spores and the encasement, would take.... At close to light speed out here, about six MGS stams! That was next to nothing!
Okay. If the spores could live for four years in the cases they could reach anything within three point five plazsis. This was an area of the galaxy with quite a density of star systems. Seven total, four of which had planets that would support the fungoid. Using one successful targeting as a jumping-off point if the thing was undetected on that primitive world it could then fire its little cases of spores by the millions. It would start in as little as six MGS years.
In other words this fight wasn't won yet! Not so long as that thing had any viable point at all anywhere in the galaxy.
Tab shook his head in a very ordinary organic manner as he searched for the entrance to the hill's hiding place. Volich had found it so he could.
It was behind some low shrubs and rocks and was an entrance to a natural cave. There was a burned stump by the entrance so Tab was sure a small fungoid had once grown there. It had communicated that the cave was there to the fungoid in the labs – so that was where Zantoo was sent to grow the clones.
Was that logical? How would the little fungoid be able to detect a cave?
Bugs, frogs, night moving rodents and many other cave dwellers would pass right by it every night. Simple enough. Send Zantoo to see what size the caves were, then use them.
Okay, before you go in check for something external to do. Something to distract the fungoids in there, but that appears to be natural.
Tab searched the hill thoroughly, found the feeder – which was definitely run through gravity – and dropped a rock on the thin plastic line carrying the mixture into the caves. It would take a short while for the dribble's stopping to be noticed, but perhaps now there wouldn't be enough food to produce much of a sporing. There also wouldn't be so much for energy, thus for TK.
Go slow. Be sure. After another check Tab went back to the entrance. He was about to go inside when he noticed something by some rocks to one side of the entrance. He checked to find Volich unconscious where she had crawled under the outcropping to inject herself with tranquilizer.
First things first. Tab picked her up, carried her around the hill and over to the next one near Zantoo's grave. He considered calling in the floater there and then, but decided that wouldn't be safe so carried her to Givzoo's ship. He used his own powerpack to call TR on the fastcom unit there to tell it where she was. Kit would come after her soon. It was a good thing Tab hadn't called a floater to take her to TR because TR was more than a plazsi away!
Tab stopped the transmission quickly. Fastcom uses truly exorbitant amounts of energy and his personal packs weren't inexhaustible.
Tab then walked back to the hill where the fungoids were hidden, took a very real-l
ooking deep breath (Had there been anyone to see it) and went in. There was a large floater behind him with a phase shifter weapon on it. It operated by interfering with the normal motion of molecules making them vibrate radically, thereby breaking them apart. Only vapor was left after a phase shifter was fired at anything.
The entrance was more than head high, but wasn't wide enough for the floater to follow him. That wasn't something to be at all comfortable with! He considered his options, then went carefully ahead while the floater went to hover directly above the feeder line. If things went badly the weapon could fire through the hill.
Tab meant to try to communicate with the fungoids for his own satisfaction. He worked out a way while coming back from carrying Volich out.
He opened a little door behind his ear, removed a circuit board, unrolled a long gang-wire cord he had taken from Givzoo's ship, connected a number of leads, then moved a quarter of the way around the cave from where he left it sitting. It was the psy part of his mind. He was connected to it by remote through the wire.
He turned it on and felt startlement from the fungoid.
"Don't attack!" he said quickly. "There would be no point to it."
"Fel again, I see," came whispering into his mind. "I made a major mistake in not destroying you in the two times where I had you in my power."
"You never had me in your power," Tab replied. "Please don't waste our time and energy on such unimportant things. You are now finally defeated completely. None of your spores can have possibly survived at the lab building. The lightning strike caused a firestorm in there. It melted all of the tubes and vials. You are defeated on Grandish.