Rocket to Limbo

“That’s right. I get the impression that these other creatures, these Masters, used to be right here among the City-people. These people keep referring to them as ‘the Masters that fed us and taught us.’ I think the Masters built these viewscreens.”

“But where are they now?”

“I don’t know,” said Peter, “and I don’t seem to find out. The City-people aren’t afraid of them, exactly. They seem to be in awe of them. The ‘Masters’ keep coming up whenever you talk to the City-people, but you can’t pin them down to just what they are, or where they are.”

“But there must be something we can get hold of,” Lars said in exasperation.

Peter was silent for a moment. Then he said, “What did you find up on the mountain ridge? What was the wreck that we saw in Kennedy’s pictures?”

Lars told him. Peter stared. “The Argonaut! You mean the Earth ship that took the Long Passage?”

“That’s right.”

“But it’s been lost for centuries.”

“It isn’t lost any more. It crashed up there.”

“That’s very strange,” said Peter, “because one of the few things I am sure of about these people is that they know about that wreck up there, and they’re afraid of it.”

“Afraid of it?”

“They never go there. It’s a ‘forbidden place.’ They can’t say why, or won’t. They don’t even want to talk about it. Which is particularly odd when you consider that they haven’t the least fear or interest in the two ships here in the city. They don’t want us to go near them, but they aren’t afraid of them.”

“Anything else that you’re sure about?” Lars asked. “I mean, we might as well cover the board while we’re at it.”

“Just one thing,” said Peter. “The City-people are desperately afraid of the crewmen of both ships!”

“But I thought you said they were asleep.”

“They are, but the people are still afraid of them. They take care of them as if they were fusion bombs approaching critical. The thought of wakening them literally scares the City-people out of their wits.”

Lars thought that over. “But they aren’t afraid of us!” he protested. “I mean you and me. Or at least, if they are, they hide it pretty well. This gets crazier and crazier every minute, and we always seem to slam up against the same brick wall: * exactly what is so special about you and me?”

But they had no answer to that question. Food had appeared as they were talking, and they settled down glumly to eat. “They’ll be coming to give you your first lesson when we’re finished,” Peter said. “Maybe you’ll have some brilliant ideas along the way. I sure haven’t had any.”

“But there’s nothing—” Lars protested.

“There has to be something that’s important to them that we just can’t see,” said Peter. “But what it could be is beyond me. I hate to admit that I’m whipped, but I’ve got no choice on this one.”

“There’s only one thing,” Lars said.

Peter stopped with his food halfway to his mouth. “What?”

“Oh, nothing,” Lars muttered in disgust. “We’re different from the rest of the crew in one way, but I don’t see how it could make much difference.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Our ages,” said Lars. “It’s the only imaginable thing that could distinguish us from the rest of the crewmen in the eyes of these strangers, that could make us any different from Commander Fox, or Lambert, or Salter, or any of the others.”

“You mean—”

“Yes,” said Lars. “Both of us are young.”

Chapter Thirteen The Place Of The Masters

It was so obvious, and yet so ridiculous, that they both burst into gales of laughter. It had been there staring them in the face from the first, yet it made no sense at all.

“But it’s true,” Lars said flushing. “We’re both just eighteen. The next youngest man on the crew is Mangano, and he’s twenty-six.”

“Maybe they figure we’ll be the tenderest for roasting,” said Peter.

“Well, why not?”

“It doesn’t add up to anything, that’s why,” said Peter.

“Neither does anything else around this place to us. But obviously it adds up to the City-people, or they woldn’t make a distinction like this. What other difference can you suggest?” Lars rose from the meal and walked over to the window, stared out across the city. The sky was dark now, but the bright lights of the buildings made it seem like daylight outside. “The way I see it, we’ve been tripping over everything in sight, and losing track of the one thing that we’ve just got to remember: that there are answers to this whole business. There must be answers, simple answers. We can’t see how, but somehow the pieces must fit together.”

“I wonder,” said Peter sourly.

“Look, we’ll think of something. Can you brief me on these lessons a little bit?”

“Why not ask your tutors?” Peter said. “Here they are now.”