,pictures ,don't ,lie ,by ,,katherine ,mac,l,e,a,n ,illustrated by ,,martin ,,schneider ,transcriber's ,note3 ,this etext was produced from ,galaxy ,science ,fiction ,august #aiea4 ,extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the ,u4,s4 copyright on this publication was renewed4 444 ,pictures1 that is1 that one can test and measure4 ,and these pictures positively1 absolutely could not lie6 ,the man from the ,news asked1 ,what do you think of the aliens1 ,mister ,nathen8 ,are they friendly8 ,do they look human8 ,very human1 said the thin young man4 ,outside1 rain sleeted across the big windows with a steady faint drumming1 blurring and dimming the view of the airfield where they would arrive4 ,on the concrete runways1 the puddles were pockmarked with rain1 and the grass growing untouched between the runways of the unused field glistened wetly1 bending before gusts of wind4 ,back at a respectful distance from where the huge spaceship would land were the gray shapes of trucks1 where ,,tv camera crews huddled inside their mobile units1 waiting4 ,farther back in the deserted sandy landscape1 behind distant sandy hills1 artillery was ringed in a great circle1 and in the distance across the horizon1 bombers stood ready at airfields1 guarding the world against possible treachery from the first alien ship ever to land from space4 ,do you know anything about their home planet8 asked the man from ,herald4 ,the ,times man stood with the others1 listening absently1 thinking of questions1 but reserving them4 ,joseph ,r4 ,nathen1 the thin young man with the straight black hair and the tired lines on his face1 was being treated with respect by his interviewers4 ,he was obviously on edge1 and they did not want to harry him with too many questions to answer at once4 ,they wanted to keep his good will4 ,tomorrow he would be one of the biggest celebrities ever to appear in headlines4 ,no1 nothing directly4 ,any ideas or deductions8 ,herald persisted4 ,their world must be ,earth-like to them1 the weary-looking young man answered uncertainly4 ,the environment evolves the animal4 ,but only in relative terms1 of course4 ,he looked at them with a quick glance and then looked away evasively1 his lank black hair beginning to cling to his forehead with sweat4 ,that doesn't necessarily mean anything4 ,earth-like1 muttered a reporter1 writing it down as if he had noticed nothing more in the reply4 ,the ,times man glanced at the ,herald1 wondering if he had noticed1 and received a quick glance in exchange4 ,the ,herald asked ,nathen1 ,you think they are dangerous1 then8 ,it was the kind of question1 assuming much1 which usually broke reticence and brought forth quick facts--when it hit the mark4 ,they all knew of the military precautions1 although they were not supposed to know4 ,the question missed4 ,nathen glanced out the window vaguely4 ,no1 ,i wouldn't say so4 ,you think they are friendly1 then8 said the ,herald1 equally positive on the opposite tack4 ,a fleeting smile touched ,nathen's lips4 ,those ,i know are4 ,there was no lead in this direction1 and they had to get the basic facts of the story before the ship came4 ,the ,times asked1 ,what led up to your contacting them8 ,nathen answered after a hesitation4 ,static4 ,radio static4 ,the ,army told you my job1 didn't they8 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,army had told them nothing at all4 ,the officer who had conducted them in for the interview stood glowering watchfully1 as if he objected by instinct to telling anything to the public4 ,nathen glanced at him doubtfully4 ,my job is radio decoder for the ,department of ,military ,intelligence4 ,i use a directional pickup1 tune in on foreign bands1 record any scrambled or coded messages ,i hear1 and build automatic decoders and descramblers for all the basic scramble patterns4 ,the officer cleared his throat1 but said nothing4 ,the reporters smiled1 noting that down4 ,security regulations had changed since arms inspection had been legalized by the ,u4,n4 ,complete information being the only public security against secret rearmament1 spying and prying had come to seem a public service4 ,its aura had changed4 ,it was good public relations to admit to it4 ,nathen continued1 ,i started directing the pickup at stars in my spare time4 ,there's radio noise from stars1 you know4 ,just stuff that sounds like spatter static1 and an occasional squawk4 ,people have been listening to it for a long time1 and researching1 trying to work out why stellar radiation on those bands comes in such jagged bursts4 ,it didn't seem natural4 ,he paused and smiled uncertainly1 aware that the next thing he would say was the thing that would make him famous--an idea that had come to him while he listened--an idea as simple and as perfect as the one that came to ,newton when he saw the apple fall4 ,i decided it wasn't natural4 ,i tried decoding it4 ,hurriedly he tried to explain it away and make it seem obvious4 ,you see1 there's an old intelligence trick1 speeding up a message on a record until it sounds just like that1 a short squawk of static1 and then broadcasting it4 ,undergrounds use it4 ,i'd heard that kind of screech before4 ,you mean they broadcast at us in code8 asked the ,news4 ,it's not exactly code4 ,all you need to do is record it and slow it down4 ,they're not broadcasting at us4 ,if a star has planets1 inhabited planets1 and there is broadcasting between them1 they would send it on a tight beam to save power4 ,he looked for comprehension4 ,you know1 like a spotlight4 ,theoretically1 a tight beam can go on forever without losing power4 ,but aiming would be difficult from planet to planet4 ,you can't expect a beam to stay on target1 over such distances1 more than a few seconds at a time4 ,so they'd naturally compress each message into a short half-second or one-second-length package and send it a few hundred times in one long blast to make sure it is picked up during the instant the beam swings across the target4 ,he was talking slowly and carefully1 remembering that this explanation was for the newspapers4 ,when a stray beam swings through our section of space1 there's a sharp peak in noise level from that direction4 ,the beams are swinging to follow their own planets at home1 and the distance between there and here exaggerates the speed of swing tremendously1 so we wouldn't pick up more than a bip as it passes4 ,how do you account for the number of squawks coming in8 the ,times asked4 ,do stellar systems rotate on the plane of the ,galaxy8 ,it was a private question2 he spoke impulsively from interest and excitement4 ,the radio decoder grinned1 the lines of strain vanishing from his face for a moment4 ,maybe we're intercepting everybody's telephone calls1 and the whole ,galaxy is swarming with races that spend all day yacking at each other over the radio4 ,maybe the human type is standard model4 ,it would take something like that1 the ,times agreed4 ,they smiled at each other4 ,the ,news asked1 ,how did you happen to pick up television instead of voices8 ,not by accident1 ,nathen explained patiently4 ,i'd recognized a scanning pattern1 and ,i wanted pictures4 ,pictures are understandable in any language4 99 99 99 99 99 ,near the interviewers1 a ,senator paced back and forth1 muttering his memorized speech of welcome and nervously glancing out the wide streaming windows into the gray sleeting rain4 ,opposite the windows of the long room was a small raised platform flanked by the tall shapes of ,,tv cameras and sound pickups on booms1 and darkened floodlights1 arranged and ready for the ,senator to make his speech of welcome to the aliens and the world4 ,a shabby radio sending set stood beside it without a case to conceal its parts1 two cathode television tubes flickering nakedly on one side and the speaker humming on the other4 ,a vertical panel of dials and knobs jutted up before them and a small hand-mike sat ready on the table before the panel4 ,it was connected to a boxlike1 expensively cased piece of equipment with ,radio ,lab1 ,u4,s4 ,property stenciled on it4 ,i recorded a couple of package screeches from ,sagittarius and began working on them1 ,nathen added4 ,it took a couple of months to find the synchronizing signals and set the scanners close enough to the right time to even get a pattern4 ,when ,i showed the pattern to the ,department1 they gave me full time to work on it1 and an assistant to help4 ,it took eight months to pick out the color bands1 and assign them the right colors1 to get anything intelligible on the screen4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the shabby-looking mess of exposed parts was the original receiver that they had labored over for ten months1 adjusting and readjusting to reduce the maddening rippling plaids of unsynchronized color scanners to some kind of sane picture4 ,trial and error1 said ,nathen1 but it came out all right4 ,the wide band-spread of the squawks had suggested color ,,tv from the beginning4 ,he walked over and touched the set4 ,the speaker bipped slightly and the gray screen flickered with a flash of color at the touch4 ,the set was awake and sensitive1 tuned to receive from the great interstellar spaceship which now circled the atmosphere4 ,we wondered why there were so many bands1 but when we got the set working1 and started recording and playing everything that came in1 we found we'd tapped something like a lending library line4 ,it was all fiction1 plays4 ,between the pauses in ,nathen's voice1 the ,times found himself unconsciously listening for the sound of roaring1 swiftly approaching rocket jets4 ,the ,post asked1 ,how did you contact the spaceship8 ,i scanned and recorded a film copy of ,rite of ,spring1 the ,disney-,stravinsky combination1 and sent it back along the same line we were receiving from4 ,just testing4 ,it wouldn't get there for a good number of years1 if it got there at all1 but ,i thought it would please the library to get a new record in4 ,two weeks later1 when we caught and slowed a new batch of recordings1 we found an answer4 ,it was obviously meant for us4 ,it was a flash of the ,disney being played to a large audience1 and then the audience sitting and waiting before a blank screen4 ,the signal was very clear and loud4 ,we'd intercepted a spaceship4 ,they were asking for an encore1 you see4 ,they liked the film and wanted more4444 ,he smiled at them in sudden thought4 ,you can see them for yourself4 ,it's all right down the hall where the linguists are working on the automatic translator4 ,the listening officer frowned and cleared his throat1 and the thin young man turned to him quickly4 ,no security reason why they should not see the broadcasts1 is there8 ,perhaps you should show them4 ,he said to the reporters reassuringly1 ,it's right down the hall4 ,you will be informed the moment the spaceship approaches4 ,the interview was very definitely over4 ,the lank-haired1 nervous young man turned away and seated himself at the radio set while the officer swallowed his objections and showed them dourly down the hall to a closed door4 ,they opened it and fumbled into a darkened room crowded with empty folding chairs1 dominated by a glowing bright screen4 ,the door closed behind them1 bringing total darkness4 ,there was the sound of reporters fumbling their way into seats around him1 but the ,times man remained standing1 aware of an enormous surprise1 as if he had been asleep and wakened to find himself in the wrong country4 ,the bright colors of the double image seemed the only real thing in the darkened room4 ,even blurred as they were1 he could see that the action was subtly different1 the shapes subtly not right4 ,he was looking at aliens4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the impression was of two humans disguised1 humans moving oddly1 half-dancing1 half-crippled4 ,carefully1 afraid the images would go away1 he reached up to his breast pocket1 took out his polarized glasses1 rotated one lens at right angles to the other and put them on4 ,immediately1 the two beings came into sharp focus1 real and solid1 and the screen became a wide1 illusively near window through which he watched them4 ,they were conversing with each other in a gray-walled room1 discussing something with restrained excitement4 ,the large man in the green tunic closed his purple eyes for an instant at something the other said1 and grimaced1 making a motion with his fingers as if shoving something away from him4 ,mellerdrammer4 ,the second1 smaller1 with yellowish-green eyes1 stepped closer1 talking more rapidly in a lower voice4 ,the first stood very still1 not trying to interrupt4 ,obviously1 the proposal was some advantageous treachery1 and he wanted to be persuaded4 ,the ,times groped for a chair and sat down4 ,perhaps gesture is universal2 desire and aversion1 a leaning forward or a leaning back1 tension1 relaxation4 ,perhaps these actors were masters4 ,the scenes changed1 a corridor1 a parklike place in what he began to realize was a spaceship1 a lecture room4 ,there were others talking and working1 speaking to the man in the green tunic1 and never was it unclear what was happening or how they felt4 ,they talked a flowing language with many short vowels and shifts of pitch1 and they gestured in the heat of talk1 their hands moving with an odd lagging difference of motion1 not slow1 but somehow drifting4 ,he ignored the language1 but after a time the difference in motion began to arouse his interest4 ,something in the way they walked4444 ,with an effort he pulled his mind from the plot and forced his attention to the physical difference4 ,brown hair in short silky crew cuts1 varied eye colors1 the colors showing clearly because their irises were very large1 their round eyes set very widely apart in tapering light-brown faces4 ,their necks and shoulders were thick in a way that would indicate unusual strength for a human1 but their wrists were narrow and their fingers long and thin and delicate4 ,there seemed to be more than the usual number of fingers4 ,since he came in1 a machine had been whirring and a voice muttering beside him4 ,he called his attention from counting their fingers and looked around4 ,beside him sat an alert-looking man wearing earphones1 watching and listening with hawklike concentration4 ,beside him was a tall streamlined box4 ,from the screen came the sound of the alien language4 ,the man abruptly flipped a switch on the box1 muttered a word into a small hand-microphone and flipped the switch back with nervous rapidity4 ,he reminded the ,times man of the earphoned interpreters at the ,,un4 ,the machine was probably a vocal translator and the mutterer a linguist adding to its vocabulary4 ,near the screen were two other linguists taking notes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,times remembered the ,senator pacing in the observatory room1 rehearsing his speech of welcome4 ,the speech would not be just the empty pompous gesture he had expected4 ,it would be translated mechanically and understood by the aliens4 ,on the other side of the glowing window that was the stereo screen1 the large protagonist in the green tunic was speaking to a pilot in a gray uniform4 ,they stood in a brightly lit canary-yellow control room in a spaceship4 ,the ,times tried to pick up the thread of the plot4 ,already he was interested in the fate of the hero1 and liked him4 ,that was the effect of good acting1 probably1 for part of the art of acting is to win affection from the audience1 and this actor might be the matinee idol of whole solar systems4 ,controlled tension1 betraying itself by a jerk of the hands1 a too-quick answer to a question4 ,the uniformed one1 not suspicious1 turned his back1 busying himself at some task involving a map lit with glowing red points1 his motions sharing the same fluid dragging grace of the others1 as if they were underwater1 or on a slow motion film4 ,the other was watching a switch1 a switch set into a panel1 moving closer to it1 talking casually--background music coming and rising in thin chords of tension4 ,there was a closeup of the alien's face watching the switch1 and the ,times noted that his ears were symmetrically half-circles1 almost perfect with no earholes visible4 ,the voice of the uniformed one answered1 a brief word in a preoccupied deep voice4 ,his back was still turned4 ,the other glanced at the switch1 moving closer to it1 talking casually1 the switch coming closer and closer stereoscopically4 ,it was in reach1 filling the screen4 ,his hand came into view1 darting out1 closed over the switch-- ,there was a sharp clap of sound and his hand opened in a frozen shape of pain4 ,beyond him1 as his gaze swung up1 stood the figure of the uniformed officer1 unmoving1 a weapon rigid in his hand1 in the startled position in which he had turned and fired1 watching with widening eyes as the man in the green tunic swayed and fell4 ,the tableau held1 the uniformed one drooping1 looking down at his hand holding the weapon which had killed1 and music began to build in from the background4 ,just for an instant1 the room and the things within it flashed into one of those bewildering color changes which were the bane of color television1 and switched to a color negative of itself1 a green man standing in a violet control room1 looking down at the body of a green man in a red tunic4 ,it held for less than a second2 then the color band alternator fell back into phase and the colors reversed to normal4 ,another uniformed man came and took the weapon from the limp hand of the other1 who began to explain dejectedly in a low voice while the music mounted and covered his words and the screen slowly went blank1 like a window that slowly filmed over with gray fog4 ,the music faded4 ,in the dark1 someone clapped appreciatively4 ,the earphoned man beside the ,times shifted his earphones back from his ears and spoke briskly4 ,i can't get any more4 ,either of you want a replay8 ,there was a short silence until the linguist nearest the set said1 ,i guess we've squeezed that one dry4 ,let's run the tape where ,nathen and that ship radio boy are kidding around ,c,qing and tuning their beams in closer4 ,i have a hunch the boy is talking routine ham talk and giving the old radio count--one-two-three-testing4 ,there was some fumbling in the semi-dark and then the screen came to life again4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it showed a flash of an audience sitting before a screen and gave a clipped chord of some familiar symphony4 ,crazy about ,stravinsky and ,mozart1 remarked the earphoned linguist to the ,times1 resettling his earphones4 ,can't stand ,gershwin4 ,can you beat that8 ,he turned his attention back to the screen as the right sequence came on4 ,the ,post1 who was sitting just in front of him1 turned to the ,times and said1 ,funny how much they look like people4 ,he was writing1 making notes to telephone his report4 ,what color hair did that character have8 ,i didn't notice4 ,he wondered if he should remind the reporter that ,nathen had said he assigned the color bands on guess1 choosing the colors that gave the most plausible images4 ,the guests1 when they arrived1 could turn out to be bright green with blue hair4 ,only the gradations of color in the picture were sure1 only the similarities and contrasts1 the relationship of one color to another4 ,from the screen came the sound of the alien language again4 ,this race averaged deeper voices than human4 ,he liked deep voices4 ,could he write that8 ,no1 there was something wrong with that1 too4 ,how had ,nathen established the right sound-track pitch8 ,was it a matter of taking the modulation as it came in1 or some sort of hetrodyning up and down by trial and error8 ,probably4 ,it might be safer to assume that ,nathen had simply preferred deep voices4 ,as he sat there1 doubting1 an uneasiness he had seen in ,nathen came back to add to his own uncertainty1 and he remembered just how close that uneasiness had come to something that looked like restrained fear4 ,what ,i don't get is why he went to all the trouble of picking up ,,tv shows instead of just contacting them1 the ,news complained4 ,they're good shows1 but what's the point8 ,maybe so we'd get to learn their language too1 said the ,herald4 ,on the screen now was the obviously unstaged and genuine scene of a young alien working over a bank of apparatus4 ,he turned and waved and opened his mouth in the comical ,o shape which the ,times was beginning to recognize as their equivalent of a smile1 then went back to trying to explain something about the equipment1 in elaborate awkward gestures and carefully mouthed words4 ,the ,times got up quietly1 went out into the bright white stone corridor and walked back the way he had come1 thoughtfully folding his stereo glasses and putting them away4 ,no one stopped him4 ,secrecy restrictions were ambiguous here4 ,the reticence of the ,army seemed more a matter of habit1 mere reflex1 from the fact that it had all originated in the ,intelligence ,department1 than any reasoned policy of keeping the landing a secret4 ,the main room was more crowded than he had left it4 ,the ,,tv camera and sound crew stood near their apparatus1 the ,senator had found a chair and was reading1 and at the far end of the room eight men were grouped in a circle of chairs1 arguing something with impassioned concentration4 ,the ,times recognized a few he knew personally1 eminent names in science1 workers in field theory4 ,a stray phrase reached him3 --reference to the universal constants as ratio-- ,it was probably a discussion of ways of converting formulas from one mathematics to another for a rapid exchange of information4 ,they had reason to be intent1 aware of the flood of insights that novel viewpoints could bring1 if they could grasp them4 ,he would have liked to go over and listen1 but there was too little time left before the spaceship was due1 and he had a question to ask4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the hand-rigged transceiver was still humming1 tuned to the sending band of the circling ship1 and the young man who had started it all was sitting on the edge of the ,,tv platform with his chin resting in one hand4 ,he did not look up as the ,times approached1 but it was the indifference of preoccupation1 not discourtesy4 ,the ,times sat down on the edge of the platform beside him and took out a pack of cigarettes1 then remembered the coming ,,tv broadcast and the ban on smoking4 ,he put them away1 thoughtfully watching the diminishing rain spray against the streaming windows4 ,what's wrong8 he asked4 ,nathen showed that he was aware and friendly by a slight motion of his head4 ,you tell me4 ,hunch1 said the ,times man4 ,sheer hunch4 ,everything sailing along too smoothly1 everyone taking too much for granted4 ,nathen relaxed slightly4 ,i'm still listening4 ,something about the way they move4444 ,nathen shifted to glance at him4 ,that's bothered me1 too4 ,are you sure they're adjusted to the right speed8 ,nathen clenched his hands out in front of him and looked at them consideringly4 ,i don't know4 ,when ,i turn the tape faster1 they're all rushing1 and you begin to wonder why their clothes don't stream behind them1 why the doors close so quickly and yet you can't hear them slam1 why things fall so fast4 ,if ,i turn it slower1 they all seem to be swimming4 ,he gave the ,times a considering sidewise glance4 ,didn't catch the name4 ,country-bred guy1 thought the ,times4 ,jacob ,luke1 ,times1 he said1 extending his hand4 ,nathen gave the hand a quick1 hard grip1 identifying the name4 ,sunday ,science ,section editor4 ,i read it4 ,surprised to meet you here4 ,likewise4 ,the ,times smiled4 ,look1 have you gone into this rationally1 with formulas8 ,he found a pencil in his pocket4 ,obviously there's something wrong with our judgment of their weight-to-speed-to-momentum ratio4 ,maybe it's something simple like low gravity aboard ship1 with magnetic shoes4 ,maybe they are floating slightly4 ,why worry8 ,nathen cut in4 ,i don't see any reason to try to figure it out now4 ,he laughed and shoved back his black hair nervously4 ,we'll see them in twenty minutes4 ,will we8 asked the ,times slowly4 ,there was a silence while the ,senator turned a page of his magazine with a slight crackling of paper1 and the scientists argued at the other end of the room4 ,nathen pushed at his lank black hair again1 as if it were trying to fall forward in front of his eyes and keep him from seeing4 ,sure4 ,the young man laughed suddenly1 talked rapidly4 ,sure we'll see them4 ,why shouldn't we1 with all the government ready with welcome speeches1 the whole ,army turned out and hiding over the hill1 reporters all around1 newsreel cameras--everything set up to broadcast the landing to the world4 ,the ,president himself shaking hands with me and waiting in ,washington-- ,he came to the truth without pausing for breath4 ,he said1 ,hell1 no1 they won't get here4 ,there's some mistake somewhere4 ,something's wrong4 ,i should have told the brasshats yesterday when ,i started adding it up4 ,don't know why ,i didn't say anything4 ,scared1 ,i guess4 ,too much top rank around here4 ,lost my nerve4 ,he clutched the ,times man's sleeve4 ,look4 ,i don't know what-- ,a green light flashed on the sending-receiving set4 ,nathen didn't look at it1 but he stopped talking4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the loudspeaker on the set broke into a voice speaking in the alien's language4 ,the ,senator started and looked nervously at it1 straightening his tie4 ,the voice stopped4 ,nathen turned and looked at the loudspeaker4 ,his worry seemed to be gone4 ,what is it8 the ,times asked anxiously4 ,he says they've slowed enough to enter the atmosphere now4 ,they'll be here in five to ten minutes1 ,i guess4 ,that's ,bud4 ,he's all excited4 ,he says holy smoke1 what a murky-looking planet we live on4 ,nathen smiled4 ,kidding4 ,the ,times was puzzled4 ,what does he mean1 murky8 ,it can't be raining over much territory on ,earth4 ,outside1 the rain was slowing and bright blue patches of sky were shining through breaks in the cloud blanket1 glittering blue light from the drops that ran down the windows4 ,he tried to think of an explanation4 ,maybe they're trying to land on ,venus4 ,the thought was ridiculous1 he knew4 ,the spaceship was following ,nathen's sending beam4 ,it couldn't miss ,earth4 ,bud had to be kidding4 ,the green light glowed on the set again1 and they stopped speaking1 waiting for the message to be recorded1 slowed and replayed4 ,the cathode screen came to life suddenly with a picture of the young man sitting at his sending-set1 his back turned1 watching a screen at one side which showed a glimpse of a huge dark plain approaching4 ,as the ship plunged down toward it1 the illusion of solidity melted into a boiling turbulence of black clouds4 ,they expanded in an inky swirl1 looked huge for an instant1 and then blackness swallowed the screen4 ,the young alien swung around to face the camera1 speaking a few words as he moved1 made the ,o of a smile again1 then flipped the switch and the screen went gray4 ,nathen's voice was suddenly toneless and strained4 ,he said something like break out the drinks1 here they come4 ,the atmosphere doesn't look like that1 the ,times said at random1 knowing he was saying something too obvious even to think about4 ,not ,earth's atmosphere4 ,some people drifted up4 ,what did they say8 ,entering the atmosphere1 ought to be landing in five or ten minutes1 ,nathen told them4 ,a ripple of heightened excitement ran through the room4 ,cameramen began adjusting the lens angles again1 turning on the mike and checking it1 turning on the floodlights4 ,the scientists rose and stood near the window1 still talking4 ,the reporters trooped in from the hall and went to the windows to watch for the great event4 ,the three linguists came in1 trundling a large wheeled box that was the mechanical translator1 supervising while it was hitched into the sound broadcasting system4 ,landing where8 the ,times asked ,nathen brutally4 ,why don't you do something8 ,tell me what to do and ,i'll do it1 ,nathen said quietly1 not moving4 ,it was not sarcasm4 ,jacob ,luke of the ,times looked sidewise at the strained whiteness of his face1 and moderated his tone4 ,can't you contact them8 ,not while they're landing4 ,what now8 ,the ,times took out a pack of cigarettes1 remembered the rule against smoking1 and put it back4 ,we just wait4 ,nathen leaned his elbow on one knee and his chin in his hand4 ,they waited4 99 99 99 99 99 ,all the people in the room were waiting4 ,there was no more conversation4 ,a bald man of the scientist group was automatically buffing his fingernails over and over and inspecting them without seeing them1 another absently polished his glasses1 held them up to the light1 put them on1 and then a moment later took them off and began polishing again4 ,the television crew concentrated on their jobs1 moving quietly and efficiently1 with perfectionist care1 minutely arranging things which did not need to be arranged1 checking things that had already been checked4 ,this was to be one of the great moments of human history1 and they were all trying to forget that fact and remain impassive and wrapped up in the problems of their jobs as good specialists should4 ,after an interminable age the ,times consulted his watch4 ,three minutes had passed4 ,he tried holding his breath a moment1 listening for a distant approaching thunder of jets4 ,there was no sound4 ,the sun came out from behind the clouds and lit up the field like a great spotlight on an empty stage4 ,abruptly the green light shone on the set again1 indicating that a squawk message had been received4 ,the recorder recorded it1 slowed it and fed it back to the speaker4 ,it clicked and the sound was very loud in the still1 tense room4 ,the screen remained gray1 but ,bud's voice spoke a few words in the alien language4 ,he stopped1 the speaker clicked and the light went out4 ,when it was plain that nothing more would occur and no announcement was to be made of what was said1 the people in the room turned back to the windows1 talk picked up again4 ,somebody told a joke and laughed alone4 ,one of the linguists remained turned toward the loudspeaker1 then looked at the widening patches of blue sky showing out the window1 his expression puzzled4 ,he had understood4 ,it's dark1 the thin ,intelligence ,department decoder translated1 low-voiced1 to the man from the ,times4 ,your atmosphere is thick4 ,that's precisely what ,bud said4 ,another three minutes4 ,the ,times caught himself about to light a cigarette and swore silently1 blowing the match out and putting the cigarette back into its package4 ,he listened for the sound of the rocket jets4 ,it was time for the landing1 yet he heard no blasts4 ,the green light came on in the transceiver4 ,message in4 ,instinctively he came to his feet4 ,nathen abruptly was standing beside him4 ,then the message came in the voice he was coming to think of as ,bud4 ,it spoke and paused4 ,suddenly the ,times knew4 ,we've landed4 ,nathen whispered the words4 ,the wind blew across the open spaces of white concrete and damp soil that was the empty airfield1 swaying the wet1 shiny grass4 ,the people in the room looked out1 listening for the roar of jets1 looking for the silver bulk of a spaceship in the sky4 ,nathen moved1 seating himself at the transmitter1 switching it on to warm up1 checking and balancing dials4 ,jacob ,luke of the ,times moved softly to stand behind his right shoulder1 hoping he could be useful4 ,nathen made a half motion of his head1 as if to glance back at him1 unhooked two of the earphone sets hanging on the side of the tall streamlined box that was the automatic translator1 plugged them in and handed one back over his shoulder to the ,times man4 ,the voice began to come from the speaker again4 ,hastily1 ,jacob ,luke fitted the earphones over his ears4 ,he fancied he could hear ,bud's voice tremble4 ,for a moment it was just ,bud's voice speaking the alien language1 and then1 very distant and clear in his earphones1 he heard the recorded voice of the linguist say an ,english word1 then a mechanical click and another clear word in the voice of one of the other translators1 then another as the alien's voice flowed from the loudspeaker1 the cool single words barely audible1 overlapping and blending with it like translating thought1 skipping unfamiliar words1 yet quite astonishingly clear4 ,radar shows no buildings or civilization near4 ,the atmosphere around us registers as thick as glue4 ,tremendous gas pressure1 low gravity1 no light at all4 ,you didn't describe it like this4 ,where are you1 ,joe8 ,this isn't some kind of trick1 is it8 ,bud hesitated1 was prompted by a deeper official voice and jerked out the words4 ,if it is a trick1 we are ready to repel attack4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the linguist stood listening4 ,he whitened slowly and beckoned the other linguists over to him and whispered to them4 ,joseph ,nathen looked at them with unwarranted bitter hostility while he picked up the hand-mike1 plugging it into the translator4 ,joe calling1 he said quietly into it in clear1 slow ,english4 ,no trick4 ,we don't know where you are4 ,i am trying to get a direction fix from your signal4 ,describe your surroundings to us if at all possible4 ,nearby1 the floodlights blazed steadily on the television platform1 ready for the official welcome of the aliens to ,earth4 ,the television channels of the world had been alerted to set aside their scheduled programs for an unscheduled great event4 ,in the long room the people waited1 listening for the swelling sound of rocket jets4 ,this time1 after the light came on1 there was a long delay4 ,the speaker sputtered1 and sputtered again1 building to a steady scratching they could barely sense as a dim voice4 ,it came through in a few tinny words and then wavered back to inaudibility4 ,the machine translated in their earphones4 ,tried 444 seemed 444 repair4444 ,suddenly it came in clearly4 ,can't tell if the auxiliary blew1 too4 ,will try it4 ,we might pick you up clearly on the next try4 ,i have the volume down4 ,where is the landing port8 ,repeat4 ,where is the landing port8 ,where are you8 ,nathen put down the hand-mike and carefully set a dial on the recording box1 and flipped a switch1 speaking over his shoulder4 ,this sets it to repeat what ,i said the last time4 ,it keeps repeating4 ,then he sat with unnatural stillness1 his head still half turned1 as if he had suddenly caught a glimpse of answer and was trying with no success whatever to grasp it4 ,the green warning light cut in1 the recording clicked and the playback of ,bud's face and voice appeared on the screen4 ,we heard a few words1 ,joe1 and then the receiver blew again4 ,we're adjusting a viewing screen to pick up the long waves that go through the murk and convert them to visible light4 ,we'll be able to see out soon4 ,the engineer says that something is wrong with the stern jets1 and the captain has had me broadcast a help call to our nearest space base4 ,he made the mouth ,o of a grin4 ,the message won't reach it for some years4 ,i trust you1 ,joe1 but get us out of here1 will you8--,they're buzzing that the screen is finally ready4 ,hold everything4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the screen went gray1 and the green light went off4 ,the ,times considered the lag required for the help call1 the speaking and recording of the message just received1 the time needed to reconvert a viewing screen4 ,they work fast4 ,he shifted uneasily1 and added at random1 ,something wrong with the time factor4 ,all wrong4 ,they work too fast4 ,the green light came on again immediately4 ,nathen half turned to him1 sliding his words hastily into the gap of time as the message was recorded and slowed4 ,they're close enough for our transmission power to blow their receiver4 ,if it was on ,earth1 why the darkness around the ship8 ,maybe they see in the high ultra-violet--the atmosphere is opaque to that band1 the ,times suggested hastily as the speaker began to talk in the young extraterrestrial's voice4 ,it was shaking now4 ,stand by for the description4 ,they tensed1 waiting4 ,the ,times brought a map of the state before his mind's eye4 ,a half circle of cliffs around the horizon4 ,a wide muddy lake swarming with swimming things4 ,huge1 strange white foliage all around the ship and incredibly huge pulpy monsters attacking and eating each other on all sides4 ,we almost landed in the lake1 right on the soft edge4 ,the mud can't hold the ship's weight1 and we're sinking4 ,the engineer says we might be able to blast free1 but the tubes are mud-clogged and might blow up the ship4 ,when can you reach us8 ,the ,times thought vaguely of the ,carboniferous ,era4 ,nathen obviously had seen something he had not4 ,where are they8 the ,times asked him quietly4 ,nathen pointed to the antenna position indicators4 ,the ,times let his eyes follow the converging imaginary lines of focus out the window to the sunlit airfield1 the empty airfield1 the drying concrete and green waving grass where the lines met4 ,where the lines met4 ,the spaceship was there6 ,the fear of something unknown gripped him suddenly4 ,the spaceship was broadcasting again4 ,where are you8 ,answer if possible6 ,we are sinking6 ,where are you8 ,he saw that ,nathen knew4 ,what is it8 the ,times asked hoarsely4 ,are they in another dimension or the past or on another world or what8 ,nathen was smiling bitterly1 and ,jacob ,luke remembered that the young man had a friend in that spaceship4 ,my guess is that they evolved on a high-gravity planet1 with a thin atmosphere1 near a blue-white star4 ,sure they see in the ultra-violet range4 ,our sun is abnormally small and dim and yellow4 ,our atmosphere is so thick1 it screens out ultra-violet4 ,he laughed harshly4 ,a good joke on us1 the weird place we evolved in1 the thing it did to us6 ,where are you8 called the alien spaceship4 ,hurry1 please6 ,we're sinking6 99 99 99 99 99 ,the decoder slowed his tumbled1 frightened words and looked up into the ,times' face for understanding4 ,we'll rescue them1 he said quietly4 ,you were right about the time factor1 right about them moving at a different speed4 ,i misunderstood4 ,this business about squawk coding1 speeding for better transmission to counteract beam waver--,i was wrong4 ,what do you mean8 ,they don't speed up their broadcasts4 ,they don't--8 ,suddenly1 in his mind's eye1 the ,times began to see again the play he had just seen--but the actors were moving at blurring speed1 the words jerking out in a fluting1 dizzying stream1 thoughts and decisions passing with unfollowable rapidity1 rippling faces in a twisting blur of expressions1 doors slamming wildly1 shatteringly1 as the actors leaped in and out of rooms4 ,no--faster1 faster--he wasn't visualizing it as rapidly as it was1 an hour of talk and action in one almost instantaneous squawk1 a narrow peak of noise interfering with a single word in an ,earth broadcast6 ,faster--faster--it was impossible4 ,matter could not stand such stress--inertia--momentum--abrupt weight4 ,it was insane4 ,why8 he asked4 ,how8 ,nathen laughed again harshly1 reaching for the mike4 ,get them out8 ,there isn't a lake or river within hundreds of miles from here6 ,a shiver of unreality went down the ,times' spine4 ,automatically and inanely1 he found himself delving in his pocket for a cigarette while he tried to grasp what had happened4 ,where are they1 then8 ,why can't we see their spaceship8 ,nathen switched the microphone on in a gesture that showed the bitterness of his disappointment4 ,we'll need a magnifying glass for that4