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Which was a long time in the microscopic universe of a
black-hole.
He could feel the ship shuddering under him as its com-
puters tried to adjust to the moment by moment shift in grav-
itational (and magnetic) interflow. Tried to interrelate with a
singularity. With matter and energy madness. Impossible, of
course.
In those ten seconds, the balancing power of the gigantic
machinery of the ship was impelled through all its potential
gravity-moments. It failed to locate a point of equilibrium.
At once the great vessel began to fall.
Now, gravitation, Modyun reminded himself, is not a
force. In a way it was not even a field in the ordinary mag-
netic meaning of such a term. It was easier for two bodies in
space to have a relation-toward than a relation-away. That
was the only reason that so huge a vessel could come near a
planet's surface. Yes, it was easier to have a relation-
toward but such a relation didn't have to exist What the
ship's "motors" did was to set up a field whereby every parti-
cle in its bulk ignored the presence of a planetary body.
The force was controllable, adjustable to any percentage of
the whole. And so this vessel had been maneuvered into grav-
itational equilibrium about half a mile above the ground of
Gunya.
The use of black-hole gravitation upset that balance.
But still the ship fell only as an object free falls through an
atmosphere. On Earth, sixteen feet the first second, thirty-two
the second; on Gunya about the same. On such fine matters,
the difference between the two planets, measured in inches or
centimeters per second per second, came to a few.
No indication system existed that could deal with such
colossal forces directly.
Somebody is doing this, Modyun thought. And he or they
could be contacted.
But still he did not think of it as a battle. He simply put
into effect his previous decision to obtain information from
General Doer. His indication elicited confusion. Fear. The
entire brain and body of the Gunyan reflected conviction of
imminent disaster.
"All right, all right," the Gunyan leader yelled in the
darkness, "we'll get off. But for God's sake don't crash the
ship!"
He didn't know!
Startled, Modyun took the next step: indicated awareness
of the surrounding space.
And saw a face
Not human. Not Gunyan. Not Nunuli.
Intent face. A slightly triangular head. Two eyes, almost
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blood red in color, narrowed. Those slitted eyes seemed to
stare straight into Modyun's. But for a tiny accretion of time,
that was only true in a gross physical meaning. During that
infinitesimal period, the mind behind the eyes was not aware
that there was an observer.
During that period, Modyun indicated thought, and said,
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
The automatic answer began, "I am the committee mem-
ber the special agent who destroyed the human beings be-
hind the barrier. And now, by another method of equal
power, the knowledge of which is also exclusively reserved
for committee members, I "
At that split-instant, the being became aware of Modyun.
The automatic flow of his thought ceased.
Modyun was astounded by the cutoff.
In the darkness of the theater around him, there was a
confusion of Gunyan scrambling and Gunyan incoherent
throaty sounds. Beneath him, the ship was falling. His stom-
ach had the sensation that comes with a too-rapid descent of
an elevator.
For Modyun, these were background events. In that mo-
ment, he felt such a craving for information that he indicated
total enforced response from the distant committee mem-
ber without noticing what a complete violation it was of the
alien being's mental privacy.
As the indication reached its peak power, the strange, in-
tent face, instead of growing clearer faded. In its place, as
if seen hi a clear but troubled pool, was the head and shoul-
ders of somebody with golden hair. The vision shimmered,
and then steadied, and became
Soodleel.
Modyun had an impression of a vast distance between the
human woman and himself. But her blue eyes gazed directly
into his as if they were only inches away. And her thought
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