And of the Entoverse itself?

The Thurien position all along had been that it had to be kept running-which nobody else really objected to once the Thurien viewpoint was explained. For all anyone outside knew, many of the Ents might want to stay there, and nobody was going to disagree with their right to do so.

But what of the many who wished to leave, which was another of the principles that the Thuriens had defended vigorously? Obviously they couldn’t be permitted to take over the persons of any more Jevlenese, or anyone else who might be coupled into the system for whatever reason in times to come. And, as Danchekker had pointed out, that was just as well in any case, since there were evidently compatibility problems between Ent minds and human nervous systems, which he was beginning to suspect had caused most of the aberrant behavior exhibited by “possessed” individuals all through recorded history.

But then, why should any future emergent Ents be limited to unsuitable human hosts at all? The Ganymeans had always excelled as genetic engineers. Ecsvan had suggested that maybe they could create a purpose-devised organism that would be an ideal vehicle for Ents wishing to transfer to the Exoverse-in effect, what VISAR had improvised in the form of its Ent-being surrogates, but working the other way around. Even more bizarre, perhaps, one day a regular traffic of visitors and immigrants going in both directions would develop out of it, and be thought as natural as holidaying in Australia or one of the lunar resorts.

In any case, the Thuriens had already commenced an intensive program of research into the matter, and whatever the precise form of the final answer, there seemed every chance that the Ents would come to put their unique abilities and nature to good use, and take their place in the Omniverse, alongside Terrans, Jevlenese, and Ganymeans.

EPILOGUE

“Hello, Nick. Still mixing drinks behind bars in starships?”

“Say! Hi, there! It’s a living, I guess. So how was Jevlen?”

Hunt bunched his mouth for an instant. “Different, anyhow.”

“It sounds like there was a bit of excitement there since the last time. But maybe you wouldn’t have gotten to see too much of it. You’re a scientist, right?”

“You remembered.”

Nick inclined his head to indicate the group over at the table by the wall, where Hunt had come from. What’ll it be? Same as before?”

“Please.”

“I’ll bring them over.”

“Thanks.”

Hunt turned away from the few still clustered around the mess-area bar in the Terran section of the ship at that late hour, and crossed back to rejoin the others. Bob, the schoolteacher from Florida, had been recalled with his flock by an embarrassed Board of Governors under pressure from concerned State officials and panicking parents.

“Hell, how was anybody supposed to know they’d pick this time to have a revolution?” he was saying to the others as Hunt sat down.

“Were the kids worried?” Gina asked him.

“The kids? Not on your life. They never had such a good time.

And when that Ganymian spaceship came through the roof of the

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Lick isoi in ii i,idc ~t ~ouni like ~s g~ulJct1e war hreakuiig OtiS. We’ve got lawsuit problems from irate parents who think their darlings were attacked by space monsters.”

Alan and Keith, the two marketing executives from Disney World, were also on their way back. Their preliminary survey of possibilities on Jevlen had revealed some potential; but more exciting was the revolutionary Jevlenese approach to getting away from it all that they had learned about, which could transform the whole industry back home.

“Did you know, that was really the whole of the Jevs’ problem,” Keith told the company. “That computer they had could manufacture totally illusory worlds inside your head, so convincing that nobody could tell the difference. But it got to be an addiction, everywhere, which was why the place was in such a mess. That was why the Ganymeans had to switch it off.”

“Really?” Danchekker said, sipping his fruit juice.

“Yes, truly. But imagine what it would do if they can figure out how to get the bugs out of it.”

Al took up the theme, looking at Nixie. They were all wearing Thurien translator disks, so VISAR was able to translate for her. “Suppose you could live in a world where anything’s possible, just by wanting it to be. You can make magic things happen. How would that be for a vacation? I mean, we’re not talking about something that you look at on a screen, or that’s being faked somehow. This is real.”

Nixie made a play of looking befuddled. “I think I’d have a hard time imagining anything like that,” she replied. “I guess I’d have to think about it.” She glanced at Murray. He shrugged and nodded in a way that said it was as good an answer as any.

“How about you? What are you going to Earth for?” Keith asked her. He waved a hand to indicate Hunt, Danchekker, and Gina, whom he knew from their talk on the trip out to have been engaged on a scientific mission. “You’re working with them now, right?”

“That’s right,” Nixie said. “I’m going back to help the Thuriens with some of their research.”

Al looked impressed. “Say, that’s interesting. What did you do back on Jevlen, exactly?”

Nixie looked at Murray perplexedly.

“Er, free enterprise in a small-business environment,” Murray said. “We both did. The Thuriens are interested in ways of encouraging Jevlenese private initiative.”

“Oh, you’re economists,” Al said.

“Yeah… right,” Murray agreed.

Nick appeared with a tray from the bar and began setting down drinks and collecting empties.

“So, how did the look at Ganymean science work out, Professor?” Bob asked Danchekker. “Did it turn up anything interesting?”

“Yes, I think you could say that,” Danchekker replied.

“I remember on the way out, you said something about a crazy kind of Jevlenese animal, something like a bat, except it can pass on what it learns. What was it, an ‘ag,’ ‘ank’… something?”

“Anquiloc,” Gina supplied.

“That’s right. Did you come across anything more like that?”

“Ah, yes, well, we already knew that it exemplified a whole class of creatures that possess an ability to encode acquired knowledge genetically.”

“Right,” Bob said, sipping his drink and nodding for Danchekker to continue.

That was all the encouragement that Danchekker needed. He shifted to take in Al and Keith, who were also listening, and settled himself more comfortably. “What’s remarkable is the genetic mechanism-no more. I’ve always maintained that the popularized dictum of the noninheritability of acquired characteristics is unfortunate, because it tends to close people’s minds to considering how we really function. Of course the information that we accumulate over generations is passed on to our offspring. But Nature accomplishes it in two ways: through genetic encoding, and through externally coded learning. The only difference as we progress up the evolutionary tree is in the relative ratio between the two. This brings up an interesting question concerning the inorganic, computer-derived intelligences, such as…

To one side, Hunt moved his chair back surreptitiously and gave Gina a resigned look. She smiled and moved closer so that they could talk more between themselves. “He’s enjoying himself,” she murmured. “And they’re interested. He’s earned it. Besides, I’ve got a feeling we’ll be hearing it all again.”

“But I already have,” Hunt replied in a strained whisper.

“Well, think about your own plans,” she said. “What’s next when you get back? Any idea yet?”

“Oh, I’m sure it won’t take Gregg very long to come up with something.” He looked at her and rested his elbow on the backrest of her chair. “How about you? Back to Seattle?”