Birthright

“Nope.”

“I'll bet the Big Brain does, though,” said Bowman disgustedly. “There goes our other million. There's more to this computer business than meets the eye.” “While you're at it,” said Nelson, “you'd better ask it how to chart the field as it travels through space. We don't want any ships running into it, and we don't want it to collide with any stars or planets on way. And you might also have the Big Brain figure out just how we're supposed to tap and utilize all this energy once it gets where it's going.”

“Let the Republic pay for that last answer,” said Bowman. “Before you tie in again, Milt,” said Nelson, “we've got a little ethical problem that we're going to have to solve first.”

“You mean the energy-eaters?”

Nelson nodded. “They'll starve, you know.” “Not right away,” said Bowman.

“I didn't know slow starvation was any better than fast starvation,” said Nelson. “It's not,” said Bowman. “But there's the other side of the coin to consider.” “Our money?”

“That, too,” agreed Bowman. “But I was thinking of the life expectancy of the race. After all, at the rate it's blowing itself up, the planet can't last another five thousand years before there's nothing left of it. And these creatures aren't ever going to migrate to anywhere else. Hell, thereis nowhere else for a race that can live here.”

“How about a star?”

“Not a chance. Any star the size of Zeta Cancri would sizzle them before they got close, and even if it didn't, it's still a totally different environment. Besides, they're never going to come upon space travel. The only fuel they've got is their food, and as long as they've got food, why leave?” “Because you're not the only guy in the galaxy who knows the planet's dying.” “Maybe,” said Bowman. “But we're presupposing that they're intelligent. I think it's far more likely that they're not.”

“Why?”

“Because this is obviously a young planet. It's going to die in its adolescence, so to speak. That's barely enough time to develop life of any sort, let alone intelligent life. Besides, no creature could adapt so greatly that it can become an energy-eater if it was something else to begin with. And, assuming that these beings have always eaten energy, why should they have developed intelligence? There was no environmental need for it.”