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ask for what you want.
In fact please ask. It would make us feel so good to serve you, few though you
are at the moment here."
"Yes," said the voice of Moral, from the background.
"If you'll forgive me speaking up in this assemblage
they asked for nothing back on Tolfi, and I was forced to exercise my wits for
things to supply them with.
I'm afraid I may have botched the job."
"I sincerely hope not," said Arrjhanik, turning to look at the Tolfian. Moral
ducked his head, embar-
rassed ly.
"Mike," said Arrjhanik, turning back to the hu-
mans, "something about all this seems to bother you.
If you would just tell us what it is "
"All right," said Mike. "I will." He looked around at all of them. "You people
are all being very gener-
ous. In fact, you're being so generous it's hard to believe. Now, I accept the
fact that you may have had contact with other groups of humans before us.
There's been speculation back on our home world that our race might have
originated elsewhere in the
252 Gordon R. Dickson galaxy, and that would mean there might well be other
human groups in existence we don't even know of. But even assuming that you
may have reached all possible limits of love and admiration for the hu-
mans you once knew, it stiil doesn't make sense that you would be willing to
just make us a gift of all you possess, to bow down to a people who we're not
blind, you know possess only a science that is child-
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like compared with your own."
To Mike's surprise, the reaction to this little speech was a murmur of
admiration from the group.
"So analytical. So very human!" said the walrus-
like alien warmly in tones clearly pitched to carry to
Mike's ear.
"Indeed," said Arrjhanik, "we understand your doubts. You are concerned about
what, in our offer, is ... you have a term for it "
"The catch," said Mike grimly and bluntly. "What's the catch?"
"The catch. Yes," said Arrjhanik. "You have to excuse me. I've only been
speaking this language of yours for "
"Just the last day or so, I know," said Mike sourly.
"Well, no. Just for the last few hours, actually.
But " went on Arrjhanik, "while there's no actual way of putting your doubts
to rest, it really doesn't matter. More of your people are bound to come. They
will find our Confederation open and free to all of them. In time they will
come to believe. It would be
presumptuous of us to try to convince you by argu-
ment."
"Well, just suppose you try it anyway," said Mike, unaware that his jaw was
jutting out in a manner which could not be otherwise than belligerent.
"But we'd be only too happy to!" cried Arrjhanik, enthusiastically- "You
see" he placed a hand or paw.
depending on how you looked at it, gently on Mike's arm "all that we have
nowadays, we owe to our
THE CATCH ' 253
former humans. This science you make such a point of they developed it in a
few short thousand years.
The Confederation was organized by them. Since they've been gone "
"Oh, yes," interrupted Mike. "Just how did they go? Mind telling me that?"
"The strain the effort of invention and all was too much for them," said
Arrjhanik, sadly. He shook his head. "Ah." he said, "they were a great people
you are a great people, you humans. Always striving.
always pushing, never giving up. We others are but pale shadows of your kind.
I am afraid, Mike, that your cousins worked themselves to death, and for our
sake. So you see, when you think we are giving you something that is ours, we
are really just return-
ing what belongs to you, after all."
"Very pretty," said Mike. "I don't believe it. No race could survive who just
gave everything away for nothing. And somewhere behind all this is the catch I
spoke of. That's what you're not telling me what all of you will be getting
out of it, by turning your
Confederation over to us."
"But . . . now I understand!" cried Arrjhanik. "You didn't understand. We are
the ones who will be get-
ting. You humans will be doing ail the giving. Surely you should know that!
It's your very nature that ensures that, as our friend who just died said. You
humans can't help yourselves, you can't keep from it!"
"Keep from what?" yelled Mike, throwing up his hands in exasperation.
"Why," said Arrjhanik, "I was sure you under-
stood. Why from assuming all authority and respon-
sibility, from taking over the hard and dirty job of running our Confederation
and making it a happy, healthy place for us all to live, safe and protected
from any enemies. That is what all the rest of us have been saddled with these
thousands of years since
254 Gordon R Dickson that other group of your people died, and I
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can't tel!
you" Arrjhanik, his eyes shining, repeated his last words strongly and
emphatically "I can't tell you how badly things have gone to pot, and how
very, very glad we are to turn it all over to you humans, once again!"
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