The Colonists Page 3
anticipated. I suppose it soundsvery silly to you, but when I first put a foot on the Moon I felt likecrying. I picked up a handful of pumice and let it sift through myfingers. I looked out toward Mars and felt as if I could go anywhere,that I ought to go everywhere.
"The medicos told me later that it was a crazy sort of feeling thateveryone gets his first time out, but I didn't believe them. I didn'tbelieve it was quite the same with anyone else. When I got out to Marsfinally, and during my one tour on Pluto, it seemed to get worse insteadof decreasing as they told me it would. When I got out I took a job inmy profession, and I've been satisfied, but I've never been able to getrid of the feeling there's something I'm missing, something I ought tobe doing. It's connected with everything out there." He lifted a broadhand and gestured to the horizon beyond the windows.
"Perhaps your career should have been in the Service," suggested Ashby.
"No. That was good enough while it lasted, but they didn't have anythingI wanted permanently. When I heard about the proposed colonization onSerrengia that seemed to be it."
"Your application indicates you are not married."
"That's right," said Jorden. "I have no ties to hold me back."
"You understand, of course, that as a colonist you will be expected tomarry, either before leaving or soon after arrival. Colonial life isfamily life."
"I hadn't thought much about that, but it can't be too bad, I suppose. Ipresume my choice would be quite severely limited to a fellow colonist?"
"Correct."
"There is a story about my third or fourth grandfather who was given agirl to marry the night before he sailed from his homeland to settle ina new country. They had seventeen children and were said to beextraordinarily happy. My family still owns the homestead they cleared.I was born there."
"It can be done, but it doesn't conform closely with our currentlyaccepted social mores," said Ashby hopefully.
"I'm sure that won't stand in my way. If there's a woman who's willingto take a chance, I certainly will be."
"There's one more thing we have to know," said Ashby. "What are yourunning away from? Who or what are your enemies?"
Jorden laughed uncertainly. "I'm sorry, but I'm not running away fromanything. As far as I know I have no enemies."
"_All_ colonists are running from something," said Ashby. "Otherwisethey would stay where they are."
Jorden regarded him a moment in silence, then smiled slowly. "I thinkyou are going to have occasion to revise that thesis," he said.
"A great deal of history would also have to be revised if we did," saidAshby. "At any rate, let's go down to the test pits. I'll show youwhat's in store for you there, and you can further decide if you insiston going through with it."
* * * * *
The laboratories of the Institute of Social Science were spread over aforty acre area, consisting mostly of the test pits where experimentalexamination of proposed colonists was being conducted. Ashby led hisvisitor to the ground floor where they took a pair of the electriccycles used for transportation along the vast corridors of thelaboratory.
A quarter of a mile away they stopped and entered a glassed-in controlroom fitted with a number of desks and extensive banks of electronicequipment.
"This almost looks like a good sized computer setup," said Jordenadmiringly.
"We use computers extensively, but this equipment is merely therecording and control apparatus for the synthetic environmentestablished in the test pit. Please step this way."
The control room was empty now, but during a test it was occupied by adozen technicians. It was a highly unorthodox procedure to show aprospective colonist the test pit setup before examination, but Ashbystill had hopes of shunting Jorden aside without wasting the facilitieson a useless test.
They moved to an observation post and Ashby directed Jorden's attentionto the observation lenses. "We cleaned out here this afternoon," hesaid. "A Captain of the Service last occupied the pit."
Jorden looked up inquiringly. "Did he--?"
"No. He didn't make it. Tomorrow morning you will be given apreconditioning which will set up the basic situation that you havetraveled to Serrengia and are now established there in the colony. Wewill begin the test at a period of some length after establishmentthere, when difficulties begin to pile up. Other members of the partywill be laboratory staff people who will provide specific, guidingstimuli to determine your reaction to them."
"Are they there constantly, night and day?"
"No. When you are asleep their day's work is over and they go home."
"What if I wake up and find the whole setup is a phony?"
"You won't. We have control beams constantly focussed upon the personsbeing tested. These are used to keep him asleep when desirable, and tocontrol him to the extent of preventing him doing physical harm tohimself or others."
"Is that necessary?" said Jorden dubiously. "Why should anyone wish todo harm?"
"The Captain, whom we released today, was pushed to the point ofsuicide," said Ashby. "We find it _quite_ necessary to assure ourselvesof adequate control at all times."
"How can you set up the illusion of distance and a whole new world insuch a comparatively small area?"
"It _is_ illusion, a great deal of it. Some is induced along with theinitial preconditioning, other features are done mechanically, but whenyou are there you will have no doubt whatever that you are a colonist onthe planet Serrengia. You will act accordingly, and respond to thestimuli exactly as if you had been transported to the actual planet. Inthis way, we are sure of finding colonists who will not blow up whenthey face the real situation."
"How many have you found so far?"
"None."
Jorden was shaken for a moment, but he smiled then and said, "You havefound one. Put my name down on the books."
"We'll see," said Ashby grimly. "Your colony will be in the limited beltof the planet's northern hemisphere where considerable agriculture ispossible. You'll be in the midst of a group trying to beat a living froma world which is neither excessively hostile nor conducive to indolence.Some of the people will be bitter and wish they had never come. Theywill break up in groups and fight each other. They will challenge everyreason you have for your own coming. You will face your own personalimpoverishment, the death of your child--"
"Child?" said Jorden.
"Yes. You will be provided with a wife and three children. One of thesewill die, and you will react as if it were your own flesh. Your wifewill oppose your staying, and demand a return to Earth. We will throw atyou every force available to tear down your determination to build acolony. We shall test in every possible way the validity of yourdecision to go. Do you still wish to go through with it?"
Jorden's grin was somewhat fainter. He took a deep breath as he noddedslowly. "Yes, I'll go through with it. I think it's what I want."
* * * * *
When Ashby finally returned alone to the office, Miss Haslam had gonehome. He put in a call anyway for Dr. Bonnie Nathan. She usuallyremained somewhere in the laboratory until quite late, even when notassigned to a test.
In a few minutes her voice came over the phone. "John? What can I do foryou?"
"I thought I could let you off for a few days," said Ashby, "but we'vegot another one that's come up rather suddenly." He told her brieflyabout Mark Jorden. "It's useless, but I don't want him running to theCommission right now, so we'll put him through. You'll be the wife.We'll use Program Sixty Eight, except that we'll accelerate it."
"Accelerate--!"
"Yes. It won't hurt him any. Whatever happens we can wipe up afterwards.This is simply a nuisance and I want it out of the way as quickly aspossible. After that--perhaps I can give you those few days I promisedyou. O.K.?"
"It's all right with me," said Bonnie. "But an accelerated SixtyEight--"
* * * * *
They stood on a low hillock overlooking the ninety acres of botto
m landsalvaged from the creek grass. Mark Jorden shaded his eyes and squintedcritically over the even stand of green shoots emerging from the bronzedsoil. Germination had been good in spite of the poor planting time. Thechance of getting a crop out was fair. If they didn't they'd be eatingshoe plastic in another few months.
The ten year old boy beside him clutched his hand and edged closer as ifthere were something threatening him from the broad fields. "Isn't thereany way at all for Earth to send us food," he said,