for an exceptionally tricky interview. He had to find out what Supreme knew about Kamm. Specifically, he had to find out why Supreme had listed Kamm as a potential trouble spot. Did Supreme already suspect the existence of a pazul on Kamm?
Darzek first requested reports on several worlds from Supreme’s crisis list. Kamm was the only Uncertified World on the list, and the information Supreme supplied was a precis of reports filed by Synthesis agents over the years. It concerned geography, geology, sociology, religion, technology, politics, culture—a thorough summary, and it took Darzek more than an hour to read it.
For another hour he simply sat and thought—the outwitting of a world-sized computer was not a venture to be undertaken casually—and then he composed a request for Supreme. He cited the reference number of Supreme’s listing of Potential Trouble Sources, added a heading, “World Listed in Error,” and then he wrote, “Kamm. There is no justification for this listing in the information supplied. Please explain.”
Supreme responded instantly: The reference number, Darzek’s subheading, “World Listed in Error,” and then a comment. “Kamm: Deleted because no justification for this listing appears in the information available.”
Darzek studied that for a long time. Supreme’s thought processes were forever a mystery, but he knew that Kamm wouldn’t have been listed as a Potential Trouble Source without an apparently good reason. Somewhere in Supreme’s infinite maze of cross references was the hint of a crisis on Kamm; but obviously Supreme could not produce that particular cross reference again unless someone posed the pertinent problem or asked the right question.
After a time Darzek gave up and went to see E-Wusk. The old trader sat amid the swirling turmoil of his business office, surrounded by clerks and seemingly carrying on a dozen transactions simultaneously. What Darzek had to say was too private for any office, even with the clerks banished to adjoining rooms, so he carried the protesting E-Wusk off to the structure Rok Wllon had fashioned. Kom Rmmon accompanied them to open the conference room, and then he left them there.
Darzek told E-Wusk what he had learned from Kom Rmmon.
“I’ve never heard of a pazul,” E-Wusk protested.
“Probably they don’t turn up very often in interstellar trade,” Darzek said. “I’m not even sure what one is. I wish I knew what Supreme thinks one is, but I agree with Rok Wllon that this isn’t the most propitious moment for mentioning pazuls to Supreme. Supreme has been known to draw conclusions from the questions we ask. Do you know of any way to override a Mandate?”
“No.”
“Nor do I. Have you ever heard of a Mandate with such a severe obligatory penalty?”
“No.”
“Nor have I. Now answer this. If it should prove true that the world of Kamm has an unlikely genius who has somehow managed to produce something Supreme considers a pazul, how is Supreme going to carry out the Mandate?”
E-Wusk opened his oversized mouth and then said nothing. He sat perplexedly elongating and then contracting one of his limbs.
“Precisely,” Darzek said. “In the days when that Mandate was formulated, the Galactic Synthesis no doubt had a well-armed space navy that was subject to Supreme’s orders. But that’s ancient history. Today we have space law and order and no navy. No armed force of any kind. Weapons capable of destroying a world have been suppressed. So how is Supreme going to carry out that Mandate?”
“It couldn’t,” E-Wusk said.
“Would you guarantee that?”
E-Wusk thought for a moment. “No. We don’t know what Supreme is capable of, and there’s no way to find out except—”
“Which would be much too late. I’ve already learned never to underestimate Supreme. Next question. In my opinion, empiricism has limits that don’t include pazuls. What could a world like Kamm have to offer that would justify the risk of contact for aliens?”
E-Wusk did not hesitate. “Nothing.”
“Here’s the report on Kamm. Here are the star charts. Let’s assume that there has to be something. Tell me what it is and who might want it.”
E-Wusk took more than an hour. He studied the report diligently. He studied the star charts. Then he said again, “Nothing. Some of these woods sound interesting, but why pay shipping costs to import a substitute for metal when you already have metal? And there are plenty of interesting woods available legally and at less distance. Kamm is perched out in the center of a sector of Uncertified Worlds where it would have very little trade even if it could be traded with legally. There’d be few trade routes through this sector even if all of the worlds were Synthesis members. No, my friend. If the pazul came from an alien world, you can take it from me that it wasn’t used to buy anything.”
“That’s what I thought, but I wanted your opinion.”
“You have it.” E-Wusk heaved a sigh. “Do you suppose there really is a pazul?”
“Undoubtedly there’s something strange there, and it took the agents by surprise. And we know how the loss of nine agents would affect Rok Wllon. He’d feel personally responsible. He came to that council meeting intending to ask our advice, and we ridiculed him.”
“He should have known better than to sing a song to the council,” E-Wusk said.
“He thought we would see the same sinister meaning in those words that he did. Either that, or he hoped we’d convince him it wasn’t there.”
“But this is terrible!” E-Wusk exclaimed. “A member of the Council of Supreme! Missing on an Uncertified World! We can’t permit that!”
“It’s already happened.”
E-Wusk subsided into his tangle of limbs. “Are you going to call a special meeting of the council?”
“No. This isn’t a matter to be settled by debate, and I agree with Rok Wllon that the word pazul shouldn’t be mentioned where Supreme is likely to overhear it. Not unless someone can figure out for certain how Supreme would handle that Mandate.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“One of Rok Wllon’s major character defects is that he doesn’t tell anyone what he’s doing,” Darzek said. “I’m telling you. I’m going to Kamm. I’m going to try to find Rok Wllon. I’m going to try to find out what happened to those nine missing agents. I’m going to see exactly what this wood, non-electrical device is that the Department of Uncertified Worlds calls a pazul. While I’m doing all that, I’ll send back reports—for your eyes only. They aren’t to be discussed with anyone, not even the other councilors, except in this room and under a pledge of secrecy. I don’t want Supreme suddenly deciding to destroy Kamm while I’m there working to solve this thing.”
He got to his feet. “You’re First Councilor in my absence. I have this advice for you. The best way to run an efficient council—especially a Council of Supreme—is to hold meetings as infrequently as possible.”
E-Wusk said emotionally, “If nine agents are missing, and now Rok Wllon is missing—take care, Gul Darr!”
“I always do,” Darzek said, “except when it interferes with my work. Now I have
