Brain World

Intermarriage between castes was forbidden—a deep religious matter. Below these three castes were the Sudras, which were composed of the original peoples and took over the laboring jobs. Beneath these were the outcastes, the untouchables, who were consigned to the most menial tasks. According to the academician, under the caste system the Indians had made many of the important breakthroughs of the human race, such as discovering the zero in mathematics, at a time when most Europeans were running about in animal skins.

He pointed out that under such a system a man who belonged to, say, the cobbler caste, would pass on his trade to his descendents. It would never occur to them to do anything but make shoes, any more than it would occur to a Brahmin not to get the best education available. After a few thousand years, the cobbler caste would be turning out some superlative shoes, and after a few megayears at it they would instinctively make shoes. It would become a matter of genetics. Over the megayears, the inadequate shoemakers, the throwbacks, would have been weeded out. It would be similar to the bees who need no training to collect honey, or the soldier ant to guard the ant community. In short, a ritual-taboo society.

After the Count had left, Baron Wyler had explained to Ronny why he had revealed all this information. He was ambitious to achieve in actuality what Section G had been working on for a century or more, that is a real United Planets, a strong progressive United Planets—under his banner, of course. To achieve this, he needed good men, such as Ronny, on his team.

Ronny pointed out that it would seem unlikely that even such a militarily inclined a world as Phrygia could take on all 2435 other worlds of United Planets. But the Baron had merely smiled and told him they had the star chart that revealed the location of the Dawnman worlds. Given one of those matter converters, nothing could stand in his way. His scientists could duplicate it in any size, and overnight he would have at his command a fleet of space cruisers that would dwarf the combined might of the whole confederation.

Taken aback, Ronny had said he’d think it over and returned to the quarters of Phil Birdman where he immediately got in touch with Metaxa and Sid Jakes. Metaxa, obviously hating to say it, told Ronny he must get hold of that star chart. They had to know the location of the Dawnworlds.

There was only one thing to do. Either he or Birdman had to go into pseudo-time and enter the palace. Undoubtedly, the chart would be near the Baron since he was obviously working night and day on his project. Birdman protested that he was already forty-five years of age and going into pseudo-time for any protracted period took at least fifteen years off your life. Ronny was only thirty-two so he took on the job.

They drove to the palace and parked before the main entry and Ronny slipped a syrette into his arm. Within moments, the world seemingly stopped. All movement stopped. Munching energypills as fast as he could, he dashed for the underground living quarters of the Baron. He found the Baron, stock-still as was everybody else, in conference with some of his military leaders, and, after difficulties, found the chart and dashed back with it, still desperately bolting energy pills which were having less and less effect on him.

They started back for town, the Baron’s security guards close behind, and knew that they wouldn’t make it. Luck intervened and on the way they met Rita Daniels and abducted her as a hostage, since she was the Baron’s favorite relative.

Knowing that the Baron would undoubtedly immediately head for the Dawnworlds, before the United Planets Space Fleet could intervene, Ronny and Birdman, under Metaxa’s orders, summoned a space cruiser and, still holding Rita Daniels as a hostage, set off for the nearest Dawnworld themselves.

Captain Gary Volos and his three officers of the Space Cruiser Pisa had at first given them trouble, thinking they were challenging Articles One and Two of the Charter, in abducting the niece of a head of state, but when the Dawnman planet was reached they had come around. They had soon detected Baron Wyler’s space yacht and Ronny landed to reconnoiter.

The planet was one large garden with nothing resembling a city to be seen. However, Ronny had soon stumbled upon a group of the Dawnmen, obviously having a picnic. They completely ignored him, as though he simply wasn’t there. With them, they had several coffee-grinder-looking devices which were, on the face of it, matter converters. They could pour even sand in the top and come up with fruit, wine, or whatever else they wanted.

Ronny had been tempted to steal one of them but some instinct prevented him and he refrained. He received a call from the Pisa and found that the Baron had got in touch with them and was requesting help.

He returned to the space cruiser and they landed next to the Baron’s yacht. Ronny went over and found that only Baron Wyler and Count Fitzjames occupied the spaceship.

The Baron, a broken man, revealed that all of his crew had been sent out with orders to obtain a matter converter, and anything else that seemed desirable. They had been captured and taken to the top of a pyramid-like ancient building, placed on an altar and one by one had their hearts cut from their chests in a religious ceremony similar to that of the Aztecs.

Count Fitzjames thought he had figured it out. Using the Indian caste system again, as an example, he contended that the Dawnmen had evolved a very high industrial level, bee-hive type culture. They’re a happy people, he said. Everybody is happy—or he’s a genetic defective and disposed of, because he is a genetic defective, or he’d be happy.

They were evidently not aggressive, but were insect-like in their manner of defense of their territories and their way of doing things. They weren’t aggressive since they were one hundred percent ritualistic and had no ritual for aggression. At first, he and the Baron had been amazed when they landed that the Dawnmen ignored them. But they couldn’t have done anything else since they had no rituals that applied to strangers. But they did have rituals that applied to stealing, and the Baron’s men had fallen victim to them. Undoubtedly the same thing had happened to the monkey-like aliens. The Dawnmen had ruthlessly destroyed their whole three star systems as a result.

A telepathic message had at that point entered the minds of the three of them. The Baron was informed that Phrygia had been destroyed. But Ronny was informed that he committed no wrong and was instructed to return to Earth and warn others away. They had scanned his body and found the result of his having gone into pseudo-time and thus shortened his life. However, so that he could spread the warning they had made rectifications on him so that he will live some two and a half centuries.

The voice-in-their-brains went on to explain that it represents the equivalent of the Brahmins on the Dawnworlds. It wound up saying, “We have no designs against you. So long as you have none against us, our cultures need never conflict. Farewell… ”

Upon return to Earth, Metaxa rejected the idea of warning all human planets to stay away. He pointed out that more than one of the United Planets might react hysterically and want to go to war. Others would have elements among them that would want to steal, as the Baron had, the advanced technology. There would possibly even be religious cranks who’d want to send missionaries.

Instead, the Baron, Rita Daniels, and both crews of the space cruisers were brainwashed, so that they’d forget all they knew about the Dawnworlds. Ronny and Birdman alone were deemed safe to have the information. And Ronny, in reward for his services, was raised to supervisor rank.

Chapter Twelve

Now Ronny was saying, “Where and what did you hear about the Dawnman Worlds?”

Fredric said, “You mentioned that the others who landed with you had been brainwashed. I don’t believe I know that term. What do you mean?”

“Memory wiped,” Ronny told him flatly. “All their memories about the Dawnworlds were erased.”

“What an intrusion!” Mattie protested.

Ronny looked over at her. “Yes,” he said. “But a necessary one. The human race is at stake.”

Fredric said, “But you are trusted with the secret of the existence of the Dawnworlds, and with their location?”

“Yes. The Commissioner of Section G decided that we should have someone knowledgeable about them.”

“And Phil Birdman?”

“Phil Birdman was killed not long ago on an assignment.”