"Unfortunately no."

"What did it degenerate from?" Horowitz asked wonderingly. "A long step from the intelligent Mode to-to that. Is there a Motie caste you have not shown me? Something similar to that?"

"No, of course not," Sally said.

"No one would breed selectively for those things," Horowitz mused. "It must have been natural selection-"

He smiled in satisfaction, "More proof, if it were needed. One of their wars almost depopulated their planet. And for a very long time, too."

"Yah," Renner said quickly. "So while these things took over Mote Prime the civilized Moties were out in the asteroids. They must have bred out there for generations, Whites and Browns and Watchmakers and maybe some things we didn't see because we didn't get to the asteroid civilization."

"But a long time ago, again," said Horvath. "Very long- Dr. Buckman's work on asteroid orbits-well. Perhaps the Mediators were evolved in space before they resettled the planet. You can see they were needed."

"Which makes the Whites as warlike now as then," Senator Fowler pointed out.

"Now they have Mediators, Uncle Ben," Sally reminded him.

"Yeah. And maybe they've solved their population pressure- Doctor, get that goddamn thing off the screen! It gives me the willies. Why the hell would anyone put a ruined city in a zoo anyway?"

The feral image vanished and everyone seemed relieved, "They explained that." Horvath seemed almost cheerful again. ."Some of their forms evolved for cities. A thorough zoo would have to include them."

"Ruined cities?"

"Maybe to remind them of what happens when they don't listen to the Mediators," Sally said quietly. "A horrible example to keep them scared of war."

"It'd do it, too," Renner said. He shuddered slightly. "Let's sum this up. The Moties are due in a few minutes," Senator Fowler said. "One. The potential reproductive rate is enormous, and the Moties are willing to have kids in places we wouldn't.

"Two. The Moties lied in a way that concealed their high birth-rate potential.

"Three. Moties have had wars. At least three big ones. Maybe more.

"Four. They've been around a long time. Really long. That argues that they've got their population under control. We don't know how they do it, but it might tie in to why they have kids on dangerous missions. We have to ask. OK so far?"

There was a chorus of muttered assents. "Now to options. First, we could take Dr. Horvath's advice and negotiate trade agreements. The Moties have asked for permanent stations, and the right to look for and settle on uncolonized worlds inside the Empire and beyond. They don't insist on the interior space, but they'd like stuff we don't use, such as asteroids and terraformable rocks. They offer a lot in exchange."

He paused for comments, but there weren't any. Everyone was content to let the Senator do the summation for the record.

"Now that course of action means turning the Modes loose. Once they have bases where we don't control access to them, outies and rebels are certain to dicker with the Moties. We have to outdicker, and it's possible that being generous now will get their gratitude later. Immediate agreement has the support of Commissioner Sandra Bright Fowler. We still OK so far?"

There were more nods and yeses. A few of the scientists looked curiously at Sally. Dr. Horvath gave her an encouraging smile.

"Second option. We take the Moties into the Empire. Install a governor general, at least on any Mote colony, possibly on Mote Prime itself. This would be expensive, and we don't know what happens if the Moties resist. Their military potential is damn high."

"I think that would be terribly unwise," Anthony Horvath said. "I can't believe the Moties would submit and-"

"Yeah. I'm trying to lay out the possibilities, Doter. Now that you've entered your objection I may as well state that this plan has the tentative approval of the War Ministry and most of the Colonial Office people. No Commissioners yet, but I intend to put it to the Moties as a possibility. Hell, they might want in."

"Well, if they voluntarily enter the Empire, I'd support the action," Horvath said.

"So would I," Sally added.

Ben Fowler screwed his heavy features into a mask of contemplation. "Me, I don't think it would work," he mused. "We generally govern through locals. Now just what reward can we promise for cooperation with us against a conspiracy by their whole race? But we'll ask them."

Fowler straightened in his chair. The amused, thoughtful smile vanished. "Possibility three. The hoof-and-mouth disease remedy."

There were gasps. Horvath's lips were tightly drawn and he took a deep breath. "Does that mean what I think, Senator?"

"Yeah. If there isn't any hoof-and-mouth disease, there won't be any. If there aren't any Moties, there won't be a Mode problem."

David Hardy's voice was low but very firm. "The Church would object to that very strongly, Senator. With every means we have."

"I am aware of that, Father. I'm aware of the Humanity League's feeling too. As a matter of fact, unprovoked extermination isn't a real alternative. Not that we can't physically do it, but politically, no. Unless the Moties are a direct and immediate threat to the Empire."

"Which they aren't," Horvath said positively. "They're an opportunity. I wish I could make you see that."

"Doctor, I may see things as well as you do. Ever think of that? Now those are the possibilities. Are we ready for the Moties, or has anybody got something else to bring up?"

Rod took a deep breath and glanced at Sally. She's not going to like this- "Senator, have we forgotten Sally's dig? Where she found a primitive civilization not more than a thousand years old? How were the Moties primitive so recently?"

More silence. "Had to be wars, didn't it?" Rod asked.

"No!" Sally said. "I've thought about that-the Moties have zoos, right? Couldn't I have found-well, a reservation for primitives? We have them all over the Empire, cultural preserves for people who don't want to be part of technological civilization-"

"After a million years of civilization?" Renner asked. "Lady Sally, do you really believe that?"

She shrugged. "They're aliens."

"I hadn't forgotten it," Ben Fowler said. "OK, let's discuss it. Sally, your notion's silly. You know what happened, they moved the asteroids around so long ago the pits are cold. Then, about the time of the CoDominium, they blasted themselves into a new Stone Age. Doesn't argue too strong they've learned not to fight, does it?"

"We did the same thing then," Sally said. "Or would have, if we'd been trapped in a single system,"

"Yeah," Fowler answered. "And if I was a Commissioner for a Motie Empire, I wouldn't let humans wander around space without a keeper. Anything else?"

"Yes, sir," Rod told him. "Sally, I don't like this, but-"

"Get on with it," Fowler growled.

"Yes, sir." Am I losing her because of Moties? But I can't just forget it. "Dr. Horvath, you seemed very uncomfortable after we agreed that the Modes have been civilized for millennia. Why?"

"Well-no reason, actually-except-well, I need to do more checking, that's all."

"As Science Minister, you're responsible for technological forecasts, aren't you?" Rod asked.

"Yes," Horvath admitted unhappily.

"Where do we stand with respect to the First Empire?"

"We haven't caught up with them yet. We'll get there in another century."

"And where would we be if there hadn't been the Secession Wars? If the old Empire'd been going along without interruption?"

Horvath shrugged. "You're probably right, my lord. Yes. It bothered me also. Senator, what Blaine implies is that the Moties aren't advanced enough to have had civilization for a million years. Or even ten thousand. Possibly not for a thousand."