First Lensman by E. E. Smith (epub e ink reader .TXT) 📕

airy wave of a multi-tentacled member. “That ideal, like any other, can only be approached asymptotically, never reached; and I, being somewhat foolish and silly, as well as weak and vacillant, am much less perfect than most.”

Flabbergasted, Samms tried a new tack. “I might be able to make my position clearer if I knew you better. I know your name, and that you are a woman of Palain Seven”⁠—it is a measure of Virgil Samms’ real size that he actually thought “woman,” and not merely “female”⁠—“but all I can understand of your occupation is the name you have given it. What does a Chief Dexitroboper do?”

“She⁠—or he⁠—or, perhaps, it⁠ ⁠… is a supervisor of the work of dexitroboping.” The thought, while perfectly clear, was completely meaningless to Samms, and the Palainian knew it. She tried again. “Dexitroboping has to do with⁠ ⁠… nourishment? No⁠—with nutrients.”

“Ah. Farming⁠—agriculture,” Samms thought; but this time it was the Palainian who could not grasp the concept. “Hunting? Fishing?” No better. “Show me, then, please.”

She tried; but demonstration, too, was useless; for to Samms the Palainian’s movements were pointless indeed. The peculiarly flowing subtly changing thing darted back and forth, rose and fell, appeared and disappeared; undergoing the while cyclic changes in shape and form and size, in aspect and texture. It was now spiny, now tentacular, now scaly, now covered with peculiarly repellent feather-like fronds, each oozing a crimson slime. But it apparently did not do anything whatever. The net result of all its activity was, apparently, zero.

“There, it is done.” Pilinipsi’s thought again came clear. “You observed and understood? You did not. That is strange⁠—baffling. Since the Lens did improve communication and understanding tremendously, I hoped that it might extend to the physical as well. But there must be some basic, fundamental difference, the nature of which is at present obscure. I wonder⁠ ⁠… if I had a Lens, too⁠—but no.⁠ ⁠…”

“But yes!” Samms broke in, eagerly. “Why don’t you go to Arisia and be tested for one? You have a magnificent, a really tremendous mind. It is of Lensman grade in every respect except one⁠—you simply don’t want to use it!”

“Me? Go to Arisia?” The thought would have been, in a Tellurian, a laugh of scorn. “How utterly silly⁠—how abysmally stupid! There would be personal discomfort, quite possibly personal danger, and two Lenses would be little or no better than one in resolving differences between our two continua, which are probably in fact incommensurable.”

“Well, then,” Samms thought, almost viciously, “can you introduce me to someone who is stupider, sillier, and more foolish than you are?”

“Not here on Pluto, no.” The Palainian took no offense. “That was why it was I who interviewed the earlier Tellurian visitors and why I am now conversing with you. The others avoided you.”

“I see.” Samms’ thought was grim. “How about the home planet, then?”

“Ah. Undoubtedly. In fact, there is a group, a club, of such persons. None of them is, of course, as insane⁠—as aberrant⁠—as you are, but they are all much more so than I am.”

“Who of this club would be most interested in becoming a Lensman?”

“Tallick was the least stable member of the New-Thought Club when I left Seven; Kragzex a close second. There may of course have been changes since then. But I cannot believe that even Tallick⁠—even Tallick at his outrageous worst⁠—would be crazy enough to join your Patrol.”

“Nevertheless, I must see him myself. Can you and will you give me a chart of a routing from here to Palain Seven?”

“I can and I will. Nothing you have thought will be of any use to me; that will be the easiest and quickest way of getting rid of you.” The Palainian spread a completely detailed chart in Samms’ mind, snapped the telepathic line, and went unconcernedly about her incomprehensible business.

Samms, mind reeling, made his way back to his boat and took off. And as the light-years and the parsecs screamed past, he sank deeper and deeper into a welter of unproductive speculation. What were⁠—really⁠—those Palainians? How could they⁠—really⁠—exist as they seemed to exist? And why had some of that dexitroboper’s⁠—whatever that meant!⁠—thoughts come in so beautifully sharp and clear and plain while others⁠ ⁠… ?

He knew that his Lens would receive and would convert into his own symbology any thought or message, however coded or garbled or however sent or transmitted. The Lens was not at fault; his symbology was. There were concepts⁠—things⁠—actualities⁠—occurrences⁠—so foreign to Tellurian experience that no referents existed. Hence the human mind lacked the channels, the mechanisms, to grasp them.

He and Roderick Kinnison had glibly discussed the possibility of encountering forms of intelligent life so alien that humanity would have no point whatever of contact with them. After what Samms had just gone through, that was more of a possibility than either he or his friend had believed; and he hoped grimly, as he considered how seriously this partial contact with the Palainian had upset him, that the possibility would never become a fact.

He found the Palainian system easily enough, and Palain Seven. That planet, of course, was almost as dark upon its sunward side as upon the other, and its inhabitants had no use for light. Pilinipsi’s instructions, however, had been minute and exact; hence Samms had very little trouble in locating the principal city⁠—or, rather, the principal village, since there were no real cities. He found the planet’s one spaceport. What a thing to call a port! He checked back; recalled exactly this part of his interview with Pluto’s Chief Dexitroboper.

“The place upon which spaceships land,” had been her thought, when she showed him exactly where it was in relationship to the town. Just that, and nothing else. It had been his mind, not hers, that had supplied the docks and cradles, the service cars, the officers, and all the other things taken for granted in space-fields everywhere as Samms knew them. Either the Palainian had not perceived the trappings with which Samms had invested her visualization, or she had not cared enough about his