The Lani People Page 21

  "Of course--oh--I see! It could be something like that.Certainly--strong yellow G-type sun--an isolated colony serviced attwenty-year intervals--there was a marked physical precocity."

  "And if this had been continued for several millennia?" Kennon asked.

  "Hmm--I see. Yes, it's possible. On Alpha V the colonists grew frominfancy to maturity in fifteen years."

  "And wasn't Heaven one of our early colonies?"

  "Yes--it was established after the Great Schism near the end of theFirst Millennium--when science and religion split irrevocably on thisworld. We packed the whole lot of them off to a world of their own wherethey could develop as they pleased. They called it Heaven--odd name fora fogworld--but there's no accounting for tastes." Brainard chuckled.

  "I thought that was the case, but I couldn't remember. My ancienthistory is pretty weak."

  "You should read more," Brainard said. "But as I see it--this girl is ofBetan ancestry providing your theory and the facts coincide."

  "Which could also explain why an outworld species of agerone would betoxic. They tried to prolong Lani life and met with failure. Our plantsare mutant forms."

  "Just as we are a mutant race," Brainard said, "or partly mutant." Hesighed. "You have brought us a great deal of trouble, Kennon. You arebringing matters to a head. If our investigations prove your statements,we are morally bound to open the Lani question. And if those people areof Betan origin--that fellow Alexander will have plenty to answer for."

  "I don't believe it is really his fault," Kennon said slowly. "I don'tthink he has ever known the truth."

  "Why didn't you tell him?"

  "The answer to that should be obvious. Even though I trusted himcompletely, I could never be sure. He has a Free Trader backgroundand those people can't he trusted where money's concerned. The wholeKardonian culture is an outgrowth of Free Traderism: small business,independent corporation, linear trusts, and all the cutthroatcompetition such a culture would naturally have. It's a regular jungleof Free Enterprise. I couldn't predict how he would react. He couldeither act in a moral manner and make restitution, or he could quietlycut our throats and go on with his business."

  "I see. The temptation to cut a throat might be overwhelming."

  "They fight commercial wars," Kennon said.

  "Disgusting--utterly uncivilized! Under the circumstances you had noother course. Still, they have no moral right to enslave human beings."

  "There is always the element of doubt. Maybe they didn't know. Afterall, an impartial court declared the Lani alien--and the Betan mutationisn't known throughout the Brotherhood."

  "One doesn't go around broadcasting data on the variations of one's germplasm," Brainard said. "That's a private affair--a matter of personalprivacy."

  "And public safety?"

  Brainard nodded. "We're no more courageous than any other civilization.We have no desire to borrow trouble. We are content to leave thingsalone."

  "That's the trouble," Kennon said. "We're all content to leave thingsalone. If I hadn't found the spaceship I'd not have been able to layaside my moral conditioning. And if I had not, Copper would not havebecome pregnant and forced me into these drastic actions. It's evenpossible that I would have done nothing." He grimaced. "And when I leftAlexander's employment mnemonic erasure would have removed all memory ofthe Lani's human origin." He shrugged. "I still am not certain that itwouldn't have been the wiser course. Naturally, once I knew, I couldn'tdo anything else than what I did."

  "Naturally," Brainard said. "Humanity reaches the heights when it facesquestions of moral responsibility."

  "To mankind," Kennon added heavily. "We have a convenient blind spotregarding our moral responsibility to other intelligent races."

  "A harsh fact, but true--and who is to judge whether it is right orwrong? We achieved dominance of Earth by our moral responsibility tofamily, tribe, and nation--and we nearly exterminated ourselves whenwe forgot that this responsibility went beyond nations and embracedall mankind. We learned that after the Exodus. As for the otherraces--perhaps someday we will learn moral responsibility for allintelligence--but we are not ready for that yet. That's too big a mentalhurdle." Brainard sighed. "We are what we are, and we change slowly. Butwe change."

  "True enough," Kennon said. "But it's hard to be philosophical aboutit."

  "You're young. Live a couple of centuries and you will understandpatience."

  Kennon smiled.

  "You know," Brainard said thoughtfully, "you still have plenty of thingsto do."

  "I know. I'll have to make a transcript of this discussion, haveit witnessed, and make a sealed record. I have to arrange for thereposition of the evidence inside the Egg, and a complete recording ofthe Egg itself."

  "And to be safe you'll need several facsimiles, properly attested. Thearms of these outworld entrepreneurs are long, and unfortunately not allBetans are models of honesty."

  "I'd better get started then."

  "Let me help you," Brainard said. "I have a little influence in thisarea--and your cause interests me." He picked up the phone on his desk.

  Kennon sighed. He had found an ally.