The Galaxy Primes | Page 6

spaceship Pleiades, Captain
Garlock commanding, asking permission to land and information as to
landing conventions." He did not have to tell James to stop the ship;
James had already done so.
"I was about to ask you to hold position; I thank you for having done so.
Hold for inspection and type-test, please. We will not blast unless you
fire first. A few minutes, please."
A group of twelve jet fighters took off practically vertically upward and
climbed with fantastic speed. They leveled off a thousand feet below
the Pleiades and made a flying circle. Up and into the ring thus formed
there lumbered a large, clumsy-looking helicopter.
"We have no record of any planet named 'Tellus'; nor of any such ship
as yours. Of such incredible mass and with no visible or detectable
means of support or of propulsion. Not from this part of the galaxy,
certainly ... could it be that intergalactic travel is actually possible? But
excuse me, Captain Garlock, none of that is any of my business; which
is to determine whether or not you four Tellurian human beings are

compatible with, and thus acceptable to, our humanity of Hodell ... but
you do not seem to have a standard televideo testing-box aboard."
"No, sir; only our own tri-di and teevee."
"You must be examined by means of a standard box. I will rise to your
level and teleport one across to you. It is self-powered and fully
automatic."
"You needn't rise, sir. Just toss the box out of your 'copter into the air.
We'll take it from there." Then, to James, "Take it, Jim."
"Oh? You can lift large masses against much gravity?" The alien was
all attention. "I have not known that such power existed. I will observe
with keen interest."
"I have it," James said. "Here it is."
"Thank you, sir," Garlock said to the alien. Then, to Lola: "You've been
reading these--these Hodellians?"
"The officer in the helicopter and those in the fighters, yes. Most of
them are Gunther Firsts."
"Good girl. The set's coming to life--watch it."
The likeness of the alien being became clear upon the alien screen;
visible from the waist up. While humanoid, the creature was very far
indeed from being human. He--at least, it had masculine rudimentary
nipples--had double shoulders and four arms. His skin was a vividly
intense cobalt blue. His ears were black, long, and highly dirigible. His
eyes, a flaming red in color, were large and vertically-slitted, like a
cat's. He had no hair at all. His nose was large and Roman; his jaw was
square, almost jutting; his bright-yellow teeth were clean and sharp.
After a minute of study the alien said: "Although your vessel is so
entirely alien that nothing even remotely like it is on record, you four
are completely human and, if of compatible type, acceptable. Are there

any other living beings aboard with you?"
"Excepting micro-organisms, none."
"Such life is of no importance. Approach, please, one of you, and grasp
with a hand the projecting metal knob."
With a little trepidation, Garlock did so. He felt no unusual sensation at
the contact.
"All four of you are compatible and we accept you. This finding is
surprising in the extreme, as you are the first human beings of record
who grade higher than what you call Gunther Two ... or Gunther
Second?"
"Either one; the terms are interchangeable."
"You have minds of tremendous development and power; definitely
superior even to my own. However, there is no doubt that physically
you are perfectly compatible with our humanity. Your blood will be of
great benefit to it. You may land. Goodbye."
"Wait, please. How about landing conventions? And visiting
restrictions and so on? And may we keep this box? We will be glad to
trade you something for it, if we have anything you would like to
have?"
"Ah, I should have realized that your customs would be widely
different from ours. Since you have been examined and accepted, there
are no restrictions. You will not act against humanity's good. Land
where you please, go where you please, do what you please as long as
you please. Take up permanent residence or leave as soon as you please.
Marry if you like, or simply breed--your unions with this planet's
humanity will be fertile. Keep the box without payment. As Guardians
of Humanity we Arpalones do whatever small favors we can. Have I
made myself clear?"
"Abundantly so. Thank you, sir."

"Now I really must go. Goodbye."
Garlock glanced into his plate. The jets had disappeared, the helicopter
was falling rapidly away. He wiped his brow.
"Well, I'll be damned," he said.
When his amazement subsided he turned to the business at hand. "Lola,
do you check me that this planet is named Hodell, that it