Birthright

“Why should that bother us, if we're after the material from the waterless worlds?”

“Good question,” said the Director. “Let me put it this way: How would you feel about an alien power's establishing itself on Deluros V?”

“I wouldn't like it much,” said Nelson. “Why?”

“It's a big galaxy. Let them look elsewhere for what they want. The Deluros system belongs to us.” “They might be peaceful,” said Landon.

“Then why are they expansionist?” said Nelson. “And why didn't they ask our permission?” “Precisely,” said Landon. “Well, it just so happens that we asked permission of the inhabitants of Gamma Leporis system.”

“What does that have to do with the Lemm?” “Lots,” said Landon. “You see, the ichthyoid population of Gamma Leporis IV is an ancient race, some four billion years old. Their intellects have reached a point to which Man can never aspire, even in the distant future. But nature played a dirty trick on them: She made them totally aquatic. No race advances without technology, and ninety-nine percent of all technology is based on fire. Can't have fire on a water world.”

“So the Lemm moved in and conquered them?” asked Nelson. “Conquer isn't the word,” said Landon. “The Lemm simply set up floating islands, dropped a few depth bombs that the ichthyoids couldn't cope with or respond to, and demanded that they begin mining their world and turning the various materials over to the Lemm.” “Sounds kind of like us,” said Nelson, not without a touch of approval. “To continue,” said Landon. “It took us the better part of a year to communicate on even a basic level with the ichthyoids. They wanted nothing to do with us or the Lemm. The Lemm are a bit more technological; I imagine we could communicate withthem in a matter of a couple of days.” “Why don't we?”

“No need to,” said the Director. “We've got a pretty good idea about their potentialities, their science, and their feeling toward outsiders.”

“For instance?” asked Nelson.

“There are no domes on the water worlds. That implies the Lemm are carbon-based oxygen-breathers. Their science is obviously based on somewhat different principles than ours, or else they'd be more interested in Gamma Leporis IX and X, instead of water worlds. And we know they're an aggressive race that has nothing against an occasional conquest.”