The temperature of the air, Rex thought, was perfect. There was colour everywhere, and from time to time he caught the perfume of flowers that grew everywhere in profusion. The Terromagnians were evidently a race of garden lovers, he thought, as he stood up and took a few steps, when the stronger pull of gravity, due to the size of the planet, was instantly evident.

  His attention now switched to an open vehicle coming towards them. On Earth it would have been accepted without question as a somewhat large motor car. Travelling smoothly and noiselessly it headed directly for the ship, making it plain that that was its objective. Two distinguished-looking men occupied the forward seats. When the car had been brought to a standstill they alighted, smiling. One raised a hand in greeting.

  `Here is Multavo,' announced Vargo, stepping forward. Slight bows, in accordance with Minoan custom, were exchanged.

  Vargo, speaking in Minoese, then made the introductions, telling Multavo that the Professor's party were visitors from Earth, using the Minoan name for the planet to help him to identify it.

  For a moment Multavo looked puzzled. `Do you mean that comparatively new little planet beyond Mars?'

  Vargo confirmed this.

  `You have come quite a long way,' said Multavo, casually, and went on to say that the name of his companion was Normino. 'Welcome to Terromagna,' he continued. 'We will do our best to entertain you during your visit.'

  `We shall not be able to stay long,' said Vargo. 'This call is unofficial,' he explained, 'and my crew do not want their families distressed by the posting of the ship as missing.'

  `I understand,' replied Multavo. 'By the way, I brought Normino with me in case any of you felt any ill effects from your journey. He is a doctor who specializes in space-sickness.'

  `I don't think we are in need of treatment, thank you,' put in Toby.

  `On Earth my friend is also a doctor,' informed Vargo, indicating Toby.

  `We shall be able to compare notes,' suggested Multavo, turning to the car. 'Please step in,' he invited.

  Vargo took a slow pace forward.

  `Just a moment,' requested Multavo, quickly. 'I see you are inconvenienced somewhat by our gravity. Anticipating that I have brought with me some antigravity shoes that should help you.'

  From the back of the car he produced several pairs of overshoes such as those Rex had noticed being worn by some of the incoming space travellers. Now he knew their purpose. Selecting a pair that looked about the right size he put them on, when, although he had resolved not to be surprised by anything, he was amazed to find that the sensation of heaviness had given way to one not only of lightness but of buoyancy.

  `It seems that we have arrived at the home of magic,' said the Professor, beaming.

  `Here we do not acknowledge magic,' said Multavo, seriously. 'We are a practical people.'

  Leaving the crew, with the exception of Vargo, at the ship, they took their places in the car, which at once moved off at a speed that took Rex's breath away, until he realized that aside from the few vehicles on the road, and no pedestrians trying to cross it, there was a force at work which made collision impossible. Twice as they neared another car, although Multavo did not appear to touch the controls, an invisible buffer, a sort of spring cushion came between them.

  He asked Vargo about this. Vargo spoke to Multavo and then explained. It was simple. Within a certain distance of another car the power was automatically cut and brakes applied. The driver had nothing to do with it. It was physically impossible for two cars to collide. The brakes began to operate some distance away. The closer the cars the stronger became their grip. Pedestrians were not allowed to walk on the carriageways. Broad pavements were provided for them.

  After a short drive the car pulled up before a building which from its size and imposing facade was clearly an administrative headquarters. After they had alighted Multavo ushered them through portals that swung open at their approach, into a broad corridor with doors on either side. Turning into one of these the party entered a large room which, from the position of a long table with numerous chairs round it, might have been a council chamber. A man who had been seated in a chair at the head of the table rose and walked to meet them. At a distance of a few yards he stopped and made a short speech in a language only Multavo understood.

  At the end Multavo interpreted this to mean that they were welcome. The people of Terromagna were proud of their civilization and were always happy to receive visitors from the backward planets. He, Multavo, was to show them round the objects most likely to interest them. There would not be time for them to see everything. But first he was to offer them some refreshment.

  Multavo bowed. They all bowed and withdrew to another room where food and drink had been set out, not as the banquet Rex was half expecting, for this would have been in keeping with their surroundings, but in the most simple manner possible. Colour was provided by bowls of fruit and flowers. The food, to Rex's disappointment, consisted entirely of cereals, fruit and vegetables; and plain cakes. He had hoped for something more substantial. However, he made the best of it.

  At the end Multavo asked them what they would like to see first.

  The Professor said he would be content to leave that to their guide. Toby said he would like to see a hospital.

  Multavo looked puzzled and asked Vargo to explain what was meant by a hospital. Vargo did so, whereupon Multavo surprised everyone by saying there were no hospitals of the sort he had in mind because disease had long ago been banished from the planet. There was a casualty ward for accidents but as these rarely happened it was seldom used. They had a correction clinic, which he would show them presently, as it would be rather difficult to explain.

  `How did you know we were coming?' asked Rex.

  `I saw a Minoan ship coming and hoped it might be Vargo,' answered Multavo.

  `You saw it?'

  `Yes.'

  `You mean, as we came in to land.'

  `I saw you from the watch hall long before that. You were in the region of Ardilla. I watched you leave it and take a course towards us.'

  `You saw us all that distance away?' gasped Rex.

  `What is distance? What has that to do with vision?' Rex did not know what to say.

  `He must mean some sort of radar device,' declared Tiger.

  `Or television,' suggested Toby.

  `What is television,' suggested Multavo.

  `Ah ! Perhaps we have the advantage of you there,' said Rex, and went on to explain the purpose of the invention.

  Multavo smiled. 'Oh that,' he said, clearly not impressed. 'I think I understand what you mean. Come with me. I will show you.'

  They followed him out of the room, down the corridor and into another.

  13 Something to think about

  Rex found himself in a room of such dimensions that it might with greater accuracy have been called a hall. Rectangular in shape, it was nearly the size of a church, although not so high. The ceiling was domed, and like the walls was devoid of any sort of decoration. Everything was white, and had a faint shine as if it might be plastic. Closer examination revealed that the walls consisted of a series of glazed panels about fourteen feet wide and twelve feet high. What the purpose of these panels might be Rex did not attempt to guess.

  The only furniture was a long central table, or rather, stand, of the type commonly seen in museums; that is to say, double-sided, each side set at a slight angle. Whether this was metal or some artificial material could not be determined by sight or by touch. This table was quite obviously a switchboard, for inset into it were rows of dials and white studs. It looked like part of the equipment of a modern power station. On both sides of the table, facing the walls, were a number of soft-seated couches and chairs.

  They accepted Multavo's invitation to be seated.

  A man in white overalls who had apparently been on duty came over to them. He had a short conversation with Multavo, and at the finish made what looked like a gesture of assent. He regarded the visitors from Earth for a moment or two with mild curiosity, smiled at them with the utmost amiability and strolled away. Multavo remained standing by the long table in the posture of a tutor about to deliver a lecture or give a demonstration.

  In an atmosphere of almost tense expectation the visitors, and this included Vargo, waited for one or the other to begin.

  `You asked me,' said Multavo, in a smooth, modulated voice, 'how we knew a Minoan ship was on its way to this constellation, and from where. Minoan ships are of course easily recognizable from their size, shape and colour. I will now show you that section of the region in which you were at the time you were first observed by our officers in the central watch tower. I believe that science on Earth has reached the point of being able to project beams to produce both sound and vision.'

  `That is correct,' confirmed the Professor. 'We call these devices radio and television.'

  `Then you may not be greatly surprised by what I am now going to show you. Please watch the panel in front of you.'

  There was no sound, but Multavo must have thrown a switch, for a section of the wall, one of the panels, began to cloud with swiftly deepening colouration.

  No one spoke as the clouds in the panel slowly took form, to resolve themselves into a picture of a section of the sky. Against this background, moving so slowly that for practical purposes they might have been called stationary, were a number of spots gleaming with reflected light, some large, some small. Between them, moving at a faster pace, were more points of light. Some were mere pinpricks, but one or two were comparatively large and appeared to be slightly elongated.

  Multavo's voice broke quietly into the silence. 'Our pictures can of necessity cover only one section of the sky at a time,' he said casually. 'The three largest spots are planets in our own galaxy, Colina, Lena and Normo. They appear large because they are comparatively close. The very small fast-moving spots are spaceships in transit. Other sections of the sky can be brought into view as required — thus.' The picture began to move horizontally across the screen, for that, Rex now realized, was what the panel really was. The effect of this was to cause the spots on the right to move off the panel while fresh ones came in from the left,

  `Or we can move in the vertical plane,' said Multavo, dispassionately.

  The picture halted and then moved on again, travelling vertically, bringing in fresh objects from the bottom.

  `In this way,' continued Multavo, 'we can cover any section of the sky around us, so as observation is maintained always in the Central Watch Tower it would be impossible for any ship, or a meteor for that matter, to approach us, without our being aware of it. The room we are in, by the way, is a public one, open to those who have reason to watch the progress of any particular ship. Would you care to see any particular planet?'

  `Can you show us Mino?' requested Vargo.

  The picture flashed across the screen, diagonally now, from corner to corner, bringing in a new area of sky, and, of course, fresh bodies. It slowed, and came to a stop.

  `There is Mino and its neighbour Lentos, with the lesser planetoids around them. You can just see Mars in the far background,' said Multavo. 'I will bring them nearer.'

  The picture began to expand from the centre, creating a curious impression that the planetoids were rushing towards them, so swiftly did they enlarge. Near Mino was a fast-moving point of light.

  `Observe that a ship has just left Mino,' said Multavo. 'It appears to be on a course for Mars. There has been a lot of activity in that region lately.'

  `Mino is busy rehabilitating Mars,' said Vargo.

  `We thought it might be something of the sort,' replied Multavo, calmly. 'If we can bring the ship nearer you might be able to recognize it.'

  Some selective form of focus now appeared to come into action centred on the ship, causing it to become enlarged until it half filled the screen. It lost something in definition, the outline becoming somewhat blurred, but even so, Rex could see a line of blue stars on the ship.

  `That's Rolto,' he cried.

  `Taking more passengers to Mars,' guessed Vargo.

  The picture diminished to normal and moved a trifle.

  `There is the sun that controls your own system,' said Vargo. 'Your planet Jupiter stands out clearly on account of its size, but you may just be able to make out Earth a trifle to the right of it, in the same plane.'

  `This is fantastic,' muttered Tiger.

  `It is wonderful to those who have never before seen our astronomical aids; but it is not fantastic,' answered Multavo. `It is no more than a development of what you yourselves possess. What did you say you called your method?'

  `Television.'

  `Ah yes. If no disaster overtakes you it is only a question of time before you will be able to do this. In the matter of science development must always be slow, one step leading to another. That was the case here, of course. We are a very old world, and it may be that our civilization had begun before Earth took its present shape and position.' Multavo moved a hand and the picture faded.

  Rex drew a deep breath. 'I still can't believe it,' he said, weakly.

  Multavo smiled. 'Not so long ago you would have found it hard to believe in your own form of television, I think, limited though it still is in its scope and application.'

  `Have you, or any of your people here, ever been to Earth?' inquired the Professor.

  `No. Our observers look at you sometimes, as they keep watch on the orbits of all planets within the galaxy, to confirm that they are in their proper places; for should they leave them the results could be far-reaching. But long ago we decided on a policy of non-interference with peoples outside our own system. It is better that way. A world cannot jump from one form of civilization to another without the risk of chaos. A world must take its own time, adapting itself to new conditions as it proceeds. In our own system it is rather different, for we have for a long time been in close touch. We on Terromagna lead and the others follow.'

  `By close touch I take it you mean by interplanetary transport?' queried the Professor.

  `Not only transport,' replied Multavo. 'Each of our planets can always at any time see what the others are doing. That was a natural development and a comparatively simple matter once the basic laws of the Universe were understood and the fundamental principles of science emerged from them. You are still groping in the dark, but it is only a question of time before you make contact with your neighbours. I will give you a demonstration of what I mean.' Turning, Multavo spoke to the duty officer, and having received a reply, continued:

  `On Colina, one of the members of our system, there is today a public ceremony, with rejoicing, on the completion of the harvest. It is one of the old customs that has survived through the ages. Let us see how they are enjoying themselves. The objective, being so much closer than the last picture, should show up well, particularly as our friends are having a fine day.'

  `Then you are all friends in your solar system?' said the Professor.

  `Of course. That is an essential condition for the advance of culture. Please watch the second panel.'

  Multavo must have touched another switch, for the panel he had indicated began to brighten. Colours, vague at first, began to sort themselves out, to harden, and presently the picture was there. It showed a large public square through which moved a procession surrounded by people dancing and waving flags.

  Rex's jaw sagged as he stared incredulously. The picture was life size, in full colours, and had a third-dimensional effect that gave it such a live quality that it was difficult to believe it was not the real thing; that the people were not in the next room. The colour rendering was perfect, with the flesh tones more true to life than anything he had seen on a cinema screen.

  `It isn't true,' he told himself over and over again. 'It couldn't be.' He was dreaming. These people were outside, not on another world. The knowledge that he was looking at something that was happening on another planet was so uncanny that he began to feel a little frightened.

  `Let us hear what they are saying,' suggested Multavo. The good people may be a little noisy. Normally they are quiet, but on occasions such as this they are inclined to forget themselves.'

  Into the room poured the sound of music and singing, faint at first but swelling quickly to full pitch.

  The Professor's spectacles slid off his nose, but he caught them. 'We are looking at and listening to people dancing and singing on another world,' he said in a voice that suggested he was having difficulty in convincing himself that this was true.

  `Why not?' answered Multavo, cheerfully. 'After all, if you are able to do this in its most simple form, project sound and vision over short distances, is it remarkable that we, who have had so much longer life, should be able to extend the process over a longer distance, over any distance? Distance is nothing. Time is everything. Perhaps you would like to see something more of Colina.'

  The picture began to move, reminding Rex of the action of `roving-eye' television cameras at home. The crowded square moved off the screen, giving way first to suburban houses and gardens, then cultivated fields, woods, lakes and mountains, much in the style of Earth. This continued for some time. Then Multavo switched off and the picture faded. 'We can visit any of our neighbours at any time in the same way,' he remarked. 'For the purpose of a conference, for example, there is no need for a member to leave his home planet if he does not wish to do so. He can be seen and heard where he happens to be.'

  `Does this sensational apparatus work both ways?' asked the Professor.

  `Certainly. Any planet in our system can see and hear any other. I may say that we have made contact with worlds unknown to us, beyond our range of vision. We may have received sounds from Earth. It is not unusual to pick up sounds, both voices and music, that cannot be identified. Some we do know are at such a distance that there is a delay in their reception. I may be able to demonstrate what I mean.' Music, soft string music, crept into the room from an unseen source.

  `That is Lodna, the most distant member of our galaxy, broadcasting,' informed Multavo, imperturbably. 'Or perhaps I should say was broadcasting, for the music you hear is already in the past. It was being played yesterday.'

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15