The Colors of Space - Page 6/108

Because men were still held, mostly, to the planets of their own

star-systems. Ships traveling between the stars by light-drive were rare

and ruinously expensive. But the Lhari had the warp-drive, and almost

overnight the whole picture changed. By warp-drive, hundreds of times

faster than light at peak, the years-long trip between Vega and Earth,

for instance, was reduced to about three months, at a price anyone could

pay. Mankind could trade and travel all over their galaxy, but they did

it on Lhari ships. The Lhari had an absolute, unbreakable monopoly on

star travel.

"That's what hurts," Tommy said. "It wouldn't do us any good to have the

star-drive. Humans can't stand faster-than-light travel, except in

cold-sleep."

Bart nodded. The Lhari ships traveled at normal speeds, like the regular

planetary ships, inside each star-system. Then, at the borders of the

vast gulf of emptiness between stars, they went into warp-drive; but

first, every human on board was given the cold-sleep treatment that

placed them in suspended animation, allowing their bodies to endure the

warp-drive.

He finished his drink. The increasing bustle in the crowds below them

told him that time must be getting short. A tall, impressive-looking

Lhari strode through the crowd, followed at a respectful distance by two

Mentorians, tall, redheaded humans wearing metallic cloaks like those of

the Lhari. Tommy nudged Bart, his face bitter.

"Look at those lousy Mentorians! How can they do it? Fawning upon the

Lhari that way, yet they're as human as we are! Slaves of the Lhari!"

Bart felt the involuntary surge of anger, instantly controlled. "It's

not that way at all. My mother was a Mentorian, remember. She made five

cruises on a Lhari ship before she married my father."

Tommy sighed. "I guess I'm just jealous--to think the Mentorians can

sign on the Lhari ship as crew, while you and I will never pilot a ship

between the stars. What did she do?"

"She was a mathematician. Before the Lhari met up with men, they used a

system of mathematics as clumsy as the old Roman numerals. You have to

admire them, when you realize that they learned stellar navigation with

their old system, though most ships use human math now. And of course,

you know their eyes aren't like ours. Among other things, they're

color-blind. They see everything in shades of black or white or gray.

"So they found out that humans aboard their ships were useful. You

remember how humans, in the early days in space, used certain birds, who

were more sensitive to impure air than they were. When the birds keeled

over, they could tell it was time for humans to start looking over the

air systems! The Lhari use Mentorians to identify colors for them. And,

since Mentor was the first planet of humans that the Lhari had contact

with, they've always been closer to them."