finger at him. "The law is quite specific. It says that the presence of an intelligent species is the important factor. We are not allowed to colonize a planet already inhabited by an intelligent species."
"Wait a minute," Carbo said. "Let me ask this: Suppose the human race disappeared from Earth. Simply vanished, overnight. Everything else is left exactly the same, no ecological changes. The Earth as it is today, except that there are no more human beings on it. Would the chimps evolve into a truly intelligent species?"
"Evolve?" Foy bristled.
"Develop, change, learn more," Carbo corrected himself.
"That would be impossible," the Bishop snapped.
With a trace of a smile at the corners of his lips, Peterson said, "I'm not so sure. In your terms, Bishop Foy, the question is, would God bring about another race of intelligent creatures on Earth . . . perhaps altering the chimpanzees until they are as intelligent as we?"
Carbo nodded.
"I know that you secular humanists still believe in heresies such as Darwinian Evolution," Foy said slowly, his voice lowered to a menacing hiss. "But we Believers know that one kind of animal can never change into another kind. Chimpanzees were created chimpanzees and they can never change into anything else."
"Then the chimps could never become fully intelligent?" Carbo asked, looking skeptical.
"Never!" Foy answered before Peterson could. "And I don't want to hear anything more on that subject."
"But wait just a minute," Carbo insisted. "That means that if the apes are not fully intelligent now, today, they never will be. Is that what you believe?"
"Yes."
"Then, as far as you're concerned, if we don't have to worry about them becoming more intelligent, more human, then all we have to find out is whether or not they are intelligent right now."
Foy saw the point he was driving at. "Why, yes . . . that's correct," he said, smiling his ghastly smile.
"Now wait a minute," Peterson said. "The world government isn't going to stand for that approach. Messina doesn't make scientific judgments on the basis of the Church of Nirvan."
Carbo turned to Dr. Ferris. "Louisa, do you have a set of criteria that can tell us what we should look for? You've already mentioned tool use and language. Are there more?"
She looked alarmed. "Why, I suppose there are. There should be. I'll have to scan the references."
"You represent the world government here," Carbo said. "You'll have to tell us what the guidelines are."
Dr. Ferris glanced at Bishop Foy, a flash of guilt in her eyes.
"Whatever the rules tell us," Peterson said, "we should be examining those apes very closely."
"I agree," Carbo said. "We must send a team down to the surface and implant a few of them with probes."
Foy's bony face curdled again. "That is extremely dangerous."
"There's no way around it," Peterson said. "We must have more of the animals to work with."
"H'mm." Foy drummed his lean fingers on the tabletop, then turned toward Jeff, as if suddenly discovering him.
"Ah, young Mr. Holman," he said. "You seem to value that wolfcat of yours more highly than my instructions."
Carbo jumped in, "That wolfcat is the only experimental animal we have, remember."
"I'm quite aware of that," Foy answered, without taking his smoldering eyes from Jeff. "And you seem to be well aware of it too, Holman. You think you're indispensable, don't you?"
"No sir," Jeff said. "But Crown is."
"Crown?"
"The wolfcat," Carbo explained.
Foy snorted contemptuously. "Indispensable, eh? Well, he won't be for long. Peterson! Start preparations for landing another team on the surface. We'll implant enough animals to make both that wolfcat and this unruly young man superfluous to our needs."
CHAPTER 9
The following morning at the contact lab Jeff arrived before Dr. Carbo. Amanda sat alone in the control room, in front of the blank viewscreens and silent console panels, munching on a muffin. A mug of steaming coffee sat on the console desktop at her
"Wait a minute," Carbo said. "Let me ask this: Suppose the human race disappeared from Earth. Simply vanished, overnight. Everything else is left exactly the same, no ecological changes. The Earth as it is today, except that there are no more human beings on it. Would the chimps evolve into a truly intelligent species?"
"Evolve?" Foy bristled.
"Develop, change, learn more," Carbo corrected himself.
"That would be impossible," the Bishop snapped.
With a trace of a smile at the corners of his lips, Peterson said, "I'm not so sure. In your terms, Bishop Foy, the question is, would God bring about another race of intelligent creatures on Earth . . . perhaps altering the chimpanzees until they are as intelligent as we?"
Carbo nodded.
"I know that you secular humanists still believe in heresies such as Darwinian Evolution," Foy said slowly, his voice lowered to a menacing hiss. "But we Believers know that one kind of animal can never change into another kind. Chimpanzees were created chimpanzees and they can never change into anything else."
"Then the chimps could never become fully intelligent?" Carbo asked, looking skeptical.
"Never!" Foy answered before Peterson could. "And I don't want to hear anything more on that subject."
"But wait just a minute," Carbo insisted. "That means that if the apes are not fully intelligent now, today, they never will be. Is that what you believe?"
"Yes."
"Then, as far as you're concerned, if we don't have to worry about them becoming more intelligent, more human, then all we have to find out is whether or not they are intelligent right now."
Foy saw the point he was driving at. "Why, yes . . . that's correct," he said, smiling his ghastly smile.
"Now wait a minute," Peterson said. "The world government isn't going to stand for that approach. Messina doesn't make scientific judgments on the basis of the Church of Nirvan."
Carbo turned to Dr. Ferris. "Louisa, do you have a set of criteria that can tell us what we should look for? You've already mentioned tool use and language. Are there more?"
She looked alarmed. "Why, I suppose there are. There should be. I'll have to scan the references."
"You represent the world government here," Carbo said. "You'll have to tell us what the guidelines are."
Dr. Ferris glanced at Bishop Foy, a flash of guilt in her eyes.
"Whatever the rules tell us," Peterson said, "we should be examining those apes very closely."
"I agree," Carbo said. "We must send a team down to the surface and implant a few of them with probes."
Foy's bony face curdled again. "That is extremely dangerous."
"There's no way around it," Peterson said. "We must have more of the animals to work with."
"H'mm." Foy drummed his lean fingers on the tabletop, then turned toward Jeff, as if suddenly discovering him.
"Ah, young Mr. Holman," he said. "You seem to value that wolfcat of yours more highly than my instructions."
Carbo jumped in, "That wolfcat is the only experimental animal we have, remember."
"I'm quite aware of that," Foy answered, without taking his smoldering eyes from Jeff. "And you seem to be well aware of it too, Holman. You think you're indispensable, don't you?"
"No sir," Jeff said. "But Crown is."
"Crown?"
"The wolfcat," Carbo explained.
Foy snorted contemptuously. "Indispensable, eh? Well, he won't be for long. Peterson! Start preparations for landing another team on the surface. We'll implant enough animals to make both that wolfcat and this unruly young man superfluous to our needs."
CHAPTER 9
The following morning at the contact lab Jeff arrived before Dr. Carbo. Amanda sat alone in the control room, in front of the blank viewscreens and silent console panels, munching on a muffin. A mug of steaming coffee sat on the console desktop at her
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