Earth was so far away thatit wasn't visible. Even thesun was only a twinkle. But thisvast distance did not mean thatisolation could endure forever.Instruments within the ship interceptedradio broadcasts and,within the hour, early TV signals.Machines compiled dictionariesand grammars and begantranslating the major languages.The history of the planet wastabulated as facts became available.
The course of the ship changedslightly; it was not much out ofthe way to swing nearer Earth.For days the two within the shiplistened and watched with littlecomment. They had to decidesoon.
"We've got to make or break,"said the first alien.
"You know what I'm in favorof," said the second.
"I can guess," said Ethaniel,who had spoken first. "The placeis a complete mess. They've neverdone anything except fighteach other—and invent betterweapons."
"It's not what they've done,"said Bal, the second alien. "It'swhat they're going to do, withthat big bomb."
"The more reason for stopping,"said Ethaniel. "The bigbomb can destroy them. Withoutour help they may do just that."
"I may remind you that in twomonths twenty-nine days we'redue in Willafours," said Bal."Without looking at the chartsI can tell you we still have morethan a hundred light-years togo."
"A week," said Ethaniel. "Wecan spare a week and still getthere on time."
"A week?" said Bal. "To settletheir problems? They've had twoworld wars in one generationand that the third and final oneis coming up you can't help feelingin everything they do."
"It won't take much," saidEthaniel. "The wrong diplomaticmove, or a trigger-happy soldiercould set it off. And it wouldn'thave to be deliberate. A meteorshower could pass over and theirclumsy instruments could interpretit as an all-out enemyattack."
"Too bad," said Bal. "We'lljust have to forget there everwas such a planet as Earth."
"Could you? Forget so manypeople?"
"I'm doing it," said Bal. "Justgive them a little time and theywon't be here to remind me thatI have a conscience."
"My memory isn't convenient,"said Ethaniel. "I ask youto look at them."
Bal rustled, flicking the screenintently. "Very much like ourselves,"he said at last. "A bitshorter perhaps, and most certainlyincomplete. Except for theone thing they lack, and that'squite odd, they seem exactly likeus. Is that what you wanted meto say?"
"It is. The fact that they arean incomplete version of ourselvestouches me. They actuallyseem defenseless, though I supposethey're not."
"Tough," said Bal. "Nothingwe can do about it."
"There is. We can give thema week."
"In a week we can't negatetheir entire history. We can'tbegin to undo the effect of thebig bomb."
"You can't tell," said Ethaniel."We can look things over."
"And then what? How muchauthority do we have?"
"Very little," conceded Ethaniel."Two minor officials on theway to Willafours—and we rundirectly into a problem no oneknew existed."
"And when we get to Willafourswe'll be busy. It will be along time before anyone comesthis way again."
"A very long time. There'snothing in this region of spaceour people want," said Ethaniel."And how long can Earth last?Ten years? Even ten months?The tension is building by thehour."
"What can I say?" said Bal."I suppose we can stop and lookthem over. We're not committingourselves by looking."
They