Alfred Van Vogt - Null–A Three

The fact that these were all persons who had been aboard the Dzan battleship was surely significant. They were all individuals with whom he had been in verbal contact aboard the great vessel, and in addition there was President Blayney of earth—

Missing was Strala. Missing were Enin and Dan Lyttle and—a significant omission, indeed—Gosseyn Two.

The flickering thought came: the aliens were not vet ready to deal with both Gosseyns at the same time—Gosseyn Three had the impression that the roomful of people had been engaged in a very minor and subdued conversation just prior to his arrival.

… They must, surely, each and everyone, be startled by the implications of what had happened . what technical mastery it must have taken to bring them here; and yet, also, the fact that they were alive, and not murdered out of hand, had its own significance He had already noticed that at the far end of the table was an unoccupied chair, with a place setting on the table in front of it. He was not surprised that it was to this chair that the maître-de guided him.

During the half minute required for him to walk over to the unoccupied space, there was verbal silence from those who were already seated.

Gosseyn did not sit down. He waited for the maître-de to depart, meanwhile gazing at the assembled guests, and he saw that they were staring back at him expectantly, perhaps even hopefully.

The implication seemed to be that they were anticipating that a purpose would now emerge for them. Somehow, everybody’s presence in this room would, with Gosseyn’s arrival, be explained. That must be the hope.

Gosseyn felt a small sinking sensation. Because he still had no purpose, himself.

His feeling: he needed more information. And, since he believed that, with the Troogs, time—for him—was short, he spoke… a question:

“Anyone here have a significant thought to express in relation to the possibility that the aliens brought you people here?”

It was Enro who put up his hand, and who said—in English: “I believe that they probably know that if they do damage to me, my fleet will destroy their single ship.” He added, “Right now, Admiral Paleol is in direct contact with me.”

Gosseyn wondered if Enro had noticed that, on his arrival aboard the Dzan warship, he had needed his sister to translate the language of Gorgzid into English, but now he had not only understood Gosseyn’s question, but had answered him.

So he smiled as he spoke the obvious question: “In the English language?” he asked.

Pause. Then, with a grim smile, the super-leader commented, “There’s automatic translation in the interstellar communication lines; and the major Earth languages were added after my dear sister—” he paused and glanced at Patricia Crang—“came out here and, uh, found herself a husband.”

The young woman raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. And Gosseyn was not about to make a comment on personal matters.

But inside his head that aspect—Enro and his special situation—abruptly took on a special, no-delay meaning… “I should do something right now about what he can do, just in case—”

It was a moment of interim decision. With his special ability, he made a precise extra-brain photograph of Enro, noting—as he did so—that a tiny object attached to, or somehow inside the big man’s clothing, had a special quality.

“… He’s carrying a tiny distorter,” Gosseyn reported to his alter ego, “and that’s how he’s staying in touch with his fleet, and they with him.”

“—I’m sure you’re right,” was the reply.

At once, Gosseyn Three made a separate second-brain picture of that remarkable little device. It was a precaution for the future. Completed now. To be utilized at a key moment.

Standing there, he continued his role as intermediary “You’ve given us a major reassurance that you, at least, will not be damaged.” He glanced around him “Anything else that will make us all feel safer?”

Eldred Crang held up his hand. “Mine may not be reassuring, but I notice that you, also, seem to be assuming that the prime mover in this situation has been the Troogs.”

Gosseyn nodded. “I believe the Troogs used the knowledge they gained of my extra-brain to bring you people here. So it would appear—” he used the GS qualification phrase—“that they have a plan.”

He thereupon described what had happened to him when he had suddenly found himself back inside the capsule, except that this time it was aboard the alien ship.

He concluded his account, “Maybe I should have stayed for that interrogation, but I opted out.”

No one said anything. The faces at the table seemed more serious, but that was all.

Except for Leej. Something about the way she held herself seemed significant.

Gosseyn, who had a somewhat greater feeling of urgency, had been aware of Leej the predictor woman sitting off there to one side. In a small way, she had avoided looking directly at him. And so, for him, it was time to utilize her special ability.

He glanced at her, and said, “Leej how much time do we have?”

“Your question,” she said, “implies you yourself do not have anything more in mind besides what you did a minute ago.”

So she had noticed; not surprising, but he hadn’t thought about her; had been too intent. “True,” he said now.

Pause; then:

“About four minutes,” said the woman, “and then there’s that blankness.”

It could have been a special moment. But bare instants after the woman spoke, a rear door of the dining room opened, and three busboys came in with drinking water. They spent about a minute filling all the glasses. As they went out, the one who must have been head-boy turned and asked, “Do you want the waiters to come in?”

“Later,” said Gosseyn.

President Blayney spoke for the first time, firmly, “We’ll call you.”

The boy went out; and Gosseyn stood there.

It was a special moment. The fact that everyone at the table—including the two government leaders, Enro and Blayney, were looking at him, evoked in Gosseyn a visualization of what they were seeing:

Himself, standing here! Physically strong, leaned-faced, and tanned, a medium tall—just under six feet—determined man who felt calm and capable; and somehow that showed in everything he did: the way he held himself, every movement he made, reflected the power of the extra-brain and… General Semantics.

Where the tan had come from, he could only speculate. But he deduced that a source of mild radiation inside the capsule had been part of the life support system tending to his needs.

During those seconds of self-awareness, it seemed to him that there was no point in doing anything else but what he had already been doing. So he said, simply: “Any more comments?”

Prescott who, with the appearance of being in his forties and, therefore, along with Blayney, was one of the two oldest persons in the room, indicated with his fingers, and said, “What do you think is the basic purpose of these creatures?”

“I believe,” said Gosseyn, “they want to get back to their own galaxy; and I believe they’re studying me to see how I might have participated in helping to bring them here.”

Prescott made a small gesture with his hand, indicating the other people at the table. “If they were technically skilful enough to bring us all here, why haven’t they been able to accomplish that basic goal?”

Gosseyn explained about the damaged nerve ends in his head. “They’ll be studying me carefully in connection with that,” he said, “What I’m afraid of is that, when they’re ready to leave, they’ll kill everybody they can reach—that probably includes all of us—unless we can establish that Enro’s fleet will hit back before they can get away.”