GENELLAN: PLANETFALL(141)

"My world also has many problems," Buccari said.

"But look at-ah you!" Kateos said. "You—a tiny female—are officer and leader! Leader of warriors. And Huh . . . Hudd-sawn says that-ah you are space pilot. That can never, never happen among konish female."

"Perhaps I am not a good example."

"Good example or not-ah, you have reached status of which konish females cannot even dream," Kateos said with a forlorn tone. "And your race has traveled across space—a, uh.. .miraculous, yes? . . . a miraculous thing to travel the stars."

Buccari's head jerked upward at the unintended confession. "You mean your race does not travel outside of your own—er, to other stars?"

Kateos looked confused. "Ah, no.. .I should-ah not talk about it-ah. It-ah is great mystery with my people. Kon has been attack-ah from space. My government-ah feels threat-ah by attacks from space. We want-ah to know how you fly between stars. We be asking you about—"

"We did not attack you," Buccari said, her mind racing—the kones were not the Killers of Shaula. "You attacked us. We came in peace."

"We not-ah know that-ah. Kon has been attacked before," Kateos rumbled, looking about nervously. "Many kones killed. We assume you come to attack us again and you tricking us."

"We have never been here," Buccari said. "My race did not attack yours. Who attacked you? When?"

"It was m-many years ago," Kateos stuttered. "P-perhaps your generals keep it-ah hidden, for their own benefit."

"How many years, Kateos?"

"Over four hundred-ah years. Kone years."

Five hundred Earth years! Five hundred years ago earthlings had not even reached Mars, the hyperlight anomaly still a century from being discovered.

"Kateos, how long have kones been traveling to Genellan?"

"Many years, perhaps nine hundred," Kateos replied.

Buccari gulped. Kones had been flying in space for over twice the time humans had, but they had failed to break the hyperlight barrier. She was beginning to understand the game. She changed the subject.

"Why do you call yourselves evil? Your race has accomplished much," Buccari said. "Your system works well. You are intelligent. I perceive you to be gentle and good. An evil system would be incapable of producing such beings."

Kateos thought for several seconds. "In many ways our culture, our system, works well. Very well," she remarked. "You have met-ah only scientists and technicians. Most science is the artah and, uh...uh, application of gentle logic. Our social system controls personality. It controls our, uh...dispositions and our intellects. We are b-bred-ah to the task. If we gentle and good, it is b-because it makes us better at our jobs. We are b-bred-ah for job, with traits that-ah you describe."

"Bred to be scientists! How?"

Kateos sat back on her haunches and pondered an answer.

"It is old-ah system," she began. "Many generations have been...trained—yes? Of course, it begins with childs. All childs of common parent taken—sometime by force—at birth. Mothers and fathers never see childs. Only nobility allow the raising of childs."

"How can that be? Where do your childs, er—children go?"

"Ah, yes, it is children. First-ah go to government nurseries and then to schools. The schools—'training centers' is better translation—where they are sorted and trained and—if they, uh...genetically correct—molded into skill units. Skill units become scientists, technicians, officer, administrators, artisans, or farmers. The rest—most kones—are assigned to unskilled labor—trods. Trods sorted by size and emotion and assigned—when very young—to become soldier, worker, field hand, or common laborer. Trods not gentle—they not raised to be gentle—although most trods be good-ah and well meaning."

"Everywhere? On your whole planet?" Buccari asked.

"Oh, yes! It-ah be for whole planet. The system work-ah too well. No one think of changing it-ah. Our farmers good farmers, our workers good workers, our universities...filled with hard working students. Our soldiers be brave and aggressive—if not smart-ah. Unfortunately . . . uh, ambition and power be usual traits of our leaders, and strength be first important than smartness."

"It sounds orderly," Buccari said, amazed.

Kateos shook her head slowly. "Orderly? Yes." She dropped her eyes. "Sad! It-ah is a sad life. I had not thought of rreason before, but seeing your babies makes it-ah clear to me. We sad because there are no childs—children...no families."

"Why? Why no families?" Buccari asked.