“Just what I said. Pyrrus is fighting you-actively and consciously Get far enough out from this city and you can feel the waves of hatred that are directed at it. No, that’s wrong-you can’t because you’ve grown up with it. But I can, and so could anyone else with any sort psi sensitivity. There is a message of war being beamed against you constantly. The life forms of this planet are psi-sensitive, and respond to that order. They attack and change and mutate for your destruction And they’ll keep on doing so until you are all dead. Unless you stop the war.”

“How?” Kerk snapped the word and every face echoed the question.

“By finding whoever or whatever is sending that message. The life forms that attack you have no reasoning intelligence. They are being ordered to do so. I think I know how to find the source of these orders. After that, it will be a matter of getting across a message, asking for a truce and an eventual end to all hostilities.”

A dead silence followed his words as the Pyrrans tried to comprehend the ideas. Kerk moved first, waving them all away.

“Go back to your work. This is my responsibility and I’ll take care of it. As soon as I find out what truth there is here-if any-I’ll make a complete report.” The people drifted away silently, looking back as they went.

20

20

“From the beginning now,” Kerk said. “And leave out nothing!”

“There is very little more that I can add to the physical facts. Is the animals, understood the message. I even experimented with some them and they reacted to my mental commands. What I must do now track down the source of the orders that keep this war going.

“I’ll tell you something that I have never told anyone else. I’m not only lucky at gambling. I have enough psi ability to alter probability my favor. It’s an erratic ability that I have tried to improve for obvious reasons. During the past ten years I managed to study at all of the centers that do psi research. Compared to other fields of knowledge it amazing how little they know. Basic psi talents can be improved practice, and some machines have been devised that act as psionic amplifiers. One of these, used correctly, is a very good directional indicator.”

“You want to build this machine?” Kerk asked.

“Exactly. Build it and take it outside the city in the ship. Any signal strong enough to keep this centuries-old battle going should be strong enough to track down. I’ll follow it, contact the creatures who are sending it, and try to find out why they are doing it. I assume you’ll go along with any reasonable plan that will end this war?”

“Anything reasonable,” Kerk said coldly. “How long will it take you to build this machine?”