death of the planet’s outstanding psychic leader of the time—an historical figure even on present-day Ulphi, known as Moyuscane the Immortal Illusionist.
“Corroborative evidence—”
The reading took some fifteen minutes in all.
“Well, that’s it, I think,” the general remarked at last. “How the old explorers used to wonder at the frequency with which such little lost side-branches of civilization appeared to have simply and suddenly ceased to exist!”
He became aware of the colonel’s sidelong glance.
“You agree with my interpretation, colonel?”
“Entirely, sir.”
The general hesitated. “The population on Ulphi hasn’t been too badly debased as yet,” he pointed out. “Various reports indicate an I.Q. average of around eleven points below A-Class—not too bad, considering the early elimination of the strains least acceptable to the controlling mentality, and the stultifying effect of life-long general compulsions on the others.
“They’re still eligible for limited membership—capable of self-government and, with help, of self-defense. It will be almost a century, of course, before they grow back to a point where they can be of any real use to us. Meanwhile, the location of the planet itself presents certain strategic advantages—”
He paused again. “I’m afraid, colonel,” he admitted, “that I’m evading the issue! The fact remains that a case of this kind simply does not permit of solution by this office. The identification of Moyuscane the Immortal as the controlling mentality is safe enough, of course. Beyond that we cannot take the responsibility for anything but the most general kind of recommendation. But now, colonel—since I’m an old man, a cowardly old man who really hates an argument—I’m going on vacation for the next hour or so.
“Would you kindly confront the Zone Agent with our findings? I understand she is still waiting on telepath for them.”
Zone Agent Pagadan, however, received the information with a degree of good nature which Colonel Dubois found almost disquieting.
“Well, if you can’t, you can’t,” she shrugged. “I rather expected it. The difficulty is to identify our Telep-Two physically without arousing t