Between the Strokes of Night

“Yes, certainly — tackle big subjects, there’s no question about that. But look behind the message, at the facts. The problem on Paradise had been known for five thousand Earth years, and no one had come near a solution. Until our friends came along, people were studying it from S-space, and that gave only a couple of S-years of effort. Now look at our situation. We have a hundred thousand Earth-years to learn how to control the changes in stellar types. In that much time, the human race should be able to solve anything, any problem you care to mention. But not if you work in S-space. That moves at a snail’s-pace, two thousand times too slow, when we need fast action.”

“But the messages from the Kermel Objects are absolutely vital.” Judith Niles was leaning back, a perplexed look on her face. “They’re inaccessible from normal space.”

“So somebody must be in S-space or T-state to receive them. But the analysis of those messages must go as fast as possible. That means we must be in normal space. You have to change your system, change it completely. Tell the planet-dwellers the problem, and make them the key to its solution. That’s the real significance of the message from Kallen and the others, the part you’ve been ignoring.”

Elissa leaned forward across the table, her full attention on Judith Niles. “You want us to work on the central problem? I’d love to, there’s nothing in the universe that I’d like better. But in normal space. I know I may never see the solution if we do it this way. But I’ll take my chances, because I feel sure that my descendants will find the answer, maybe a thousand Earth-years after I’m dead. That’s enough to make it all worthwhile.”

She looked at Peron, and drew encouragement from his expression. He was nodding vigorously, his earlier uncertainty gone.

“I agree completely with Elissa,” he said. “Though I didn’t see it until she pointed it out. Let’s go ahead just as you suggest, and set up your second facility. But in normal space, not S-space. You’ll feed us the best information you can collect in Gulf City, as you get it. We’ll be turning that to new theories, two thousand times as fast as you could ever do it in S-space.” Judith Niles had listened closely. Now she was frowning and shaking her head. “It sounds good. But it would never work. Both of you, listen to what else your friend Kallen said. You lack experience. It will take many years to acquire it. You need interaction with us, here in Gulf City, but you could never gain the benefit of our experience if you were in normal space and we stayed in S-space. The information exchange problems are enormous. I said I would leave you free to undertake experiments in the second facility, but you would still have access to us, to talk to and exchange ideas.” Again she shook her head. “What you propose sounds good, but it wouldn’t work.”

“I agree with Elissa,” said Wolfgang Gibbs suddenly from the other side of the table. He stopped, as though amazed at his own outburst. When he continued he addressed his words to Judith Niles, but he kept his eyes on Elissa and Peron, as though drawing support from them. “She’s right. We’ll be able to progress thousands of times as fast in normal space as in S-space — not to mention T-state, and you know that’s my own special baby. I’ve worried the problem for months and years, wondering how to make better progress. But I never thought of two facilities, one in S-space and one in normal space. To us, used to the way things are here, normal space is almost unthinkable. Shorter life span, planet-grubbing, probably never seeing a solution. But I bet it will work.” He paused, hesitated, looked at Charlene and Elissa, then at Judith Niles. His face was pale, but there was only conviction in his voice. “Your point about experience is a valid one. There is no substitute for years of practical experience of our work here. But I have that. If you go ahead and set up a second facility, in normal space, then I volunteer to go to that facility.” “Wolfgang!” said Charlene Bloom. The word came from her unbidden. She bit her lip, and looked down. They were revealing too much — too much new hope in his voice, and too much raw pain in her own.

Judith Niles was sitting bolt upright in her chair. Elissa’s support had come from the place she least expected it. “And you, Charlene?” she said calmly. “Since we all appear to have formed our opinions by now.”

Peron looked at the Director and marvelled. Like Sy, she appeared able to move instantly from one position to another, and be ready at once for the next stage of discussion. It was as though her analysis of Elissa’s and Peron’s remarks had been performed automatically, subconsciously, needing no time for assimilation and full reflection.