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〃A　Thuvian　never　knows　when　he's　going　to　get　an　order　from　his　Presidium；〃　Pae　said；　for　of　course　it　was　Pae　who　told　Shevek。　〃He　just　knows　that　when　it　es　he'd　better　hop。　And　not　stop　for　any　leavetakings　on　the　way。　Poor　old　Chifl　I　wonder　what　he　did　wrong？〃

Shevek　went　once　or　twice　a　week　to　see　Atro　in　the　pleasant　little　house　on　the　edge　of　the　campus　where　he　lived　with　a　couple　of　servants；　as　old　as　himself；　to　look　after　him。　At　nearly　eighty　he　was；　as　he　put　it　himself；　a　monument　to　a　firstclass　physicist。　Though　he　had　not　seen　his　life　work　go　unrecognized　as　Gvarab　had；　through　sheer　age　he　had　attained　something　of　her　disinterestedness。　His　interest　in　Shevek；　at　least；　appeared　to　be　entirely　personal　—　a　radeship。　He　had　been　the　first　Sequency　physicist　to　be　converted　to　Shevek's　approach　to　the　understanding　of　time。　He　had　fought；　with　Shevek's　weapons；　for　Shevek's　theories；　against　the　whole　establishment　of　scientific　respectability；　and　the　battle　had　gone　on　for　several　years　before　the　publication　of　the　uncut　Principles　of　Simultaneity　and　the　promptly　ensuing　victory　of　the　Simultaneists。　That　battle　had　been　the　high　point　of　Atro's　life。　He　would　not　have　fought　for　less　than　the　truth；　but　it　was　the　fighting　he　had　loved；　better　than　the　truth。

Atro　could　trace　his　genealogy　back　for　eleven　hundred　years；　through　generals；　princes；　great　landowners。　The　family　still　owned　an　estate　of　seven　thousand　acres　and　fourteen　villages　in　Sie　Province；　the　most　rural　region　of　AIo。　He　had　provincial　turns　of　speech；　archaisms　to　which　he　clung　with　pride。　Wealth　impressed　him　not　at　all；　and　he　referred　to　the　entire　government　of　his　country　as　〃demagogues　and　crawling　politicians。〃　His　respect　was　not　to　be　bought。　Yet　he　gave　it；　freely；　to　any　fool　with　what　he　called　〃the　right　name。〃　In　some　ways　he　was　totally　inprehensible　to　Shevek　—　an　enigma：　the　aristocrat。　And　yet　his　genuine　contempt　for　both　money　and　power　made　Shevek　feel　closer　to　him　than　to　anyone　else　he　had　met　on　Unas。

Once；　as　they　sat　together　on　the　glassedin　porch　where　he　raised　all　kinds　of　rare　and　outofseason　flowers；　he　chanced　to　use　the　phrase；　〃we　Cetians。〃　Shevek　caught　him　up　on　it：　〃'Cetians'　—　isn't　that　a　birdseed　word？〃　〃Birdseed〃　was　slang　for　the　popular　press；　the　newspapers；　broadcasts；　and　fiction　manufactured　for　the　urban　working　people。

〃Birdseed！〃　Atro　repeated。　〃My　dear　fellow；　where　the　devil　do　you　pick　up　these　vulgarisms？　I　mean　by　'Cetians'　precisely　what　the　dailypaper　writers　and　their　lipmoving　readers　understand　by　the　term。　Urras　and　Anarres！〃

〃I　was　surprised　that　you　used　a　foreign　word　—　a　nonCetian　word；　in　fact。〃

〃Definition　by　exclusion；〃　the　old　man　parried　gleefully。　〃A　hundred　years　ago　we　didn't　need　the　word。　'Mankind'　would　do。　But　sixtysome　years　ago　that　changed。　I　was　seventeen；　it　was　a　nice　sunny　day　in　early　summer；　I　remember　it　quite　vividly。　I　was　exercising　my　horse；　and　my　elder　sister　called　out　the　window；　'They're　talking　to　Somebody　from　Outer　Space　on　the　radio！'　My　poor　dear　mother　thought　we　were　all　doomed；　foreign　devils；　you　know。　But　it　was　only　the　Hainish；　quacking　about　peace　and　brotherhood。　Well；　nowadays　'mankind'　is　a　bit　overinclusive。　What　defines　brotherhood　but　nonbrotherhood？　Definition　by　exclusion；　my　dear！　You　and　I　are　kinsmen。　Your　people　were　probably　herding　goats　in　the　mountains　while　mine　were　oppressing　serfs　in　Sie；　a　few　centuries　ago；　but　we're　members　of　the　same　family。　To　know　it；　one　only　has　to　meet　—　to　hear　of　—　an　alien。　A　being　from　another　solar　system。　A　man；　socalled；　who　has　nothing　in　mon　with　us　except　the　practical　arrangement　of　two　legs；　two　arms；　and　a　head　with　some　kind　of　brain　in　it！〃

〃But　haven't　the　Hainish　proved　that　we　are—〃　

〃All　of　alien　origin；　offspring　of　Hainish　interstellar　colonists；　half　a　million　years　ago；　or　a　million；　or　two　or　three　million；　yes；　I　know。　Proved！　By　the　Primal　Number；　Shevek；　you　sound　like　a　firstyear　seminarian！　How　can　you　speak　seriously　of　historical　proof；　over　such　a　span　of　time？　Those　Hainish　toss　millennia　about　like　handballs；　but　it's　all　juggling。　Proof；　indeed！　The　religion　of　my　fathers　informs　me；　with　equal　authority；　that　I'm　a　descendant　of　Pinra　Od；　whom　God　exiled　from　the　Garden　because　he　had　the　audacity　to　count　his　fingers　and　toes；　add　them　up　to　twenty；　and　thus　let　Time　loose　upon　the　universe。　I　prefer　that　story　to　the　aliens'；　if　I　must　choose！〃

Shevek　laughed；　Atro's　humors　gave　him　pleasure。　But　the　old　man　was　serious。　He　tapped　Shevek　on　the　arm；　and；　twitching　his　eyebrows　and　munching　with　his　lips　as　he　did　when　he　was　moved；　said；　〃I　hope　you　feel　the　same；　my　dear。　I　earnestly　hope　it。　There's　a　great　deal　that's　admirable；　I'm　sure；　in　your　society；　but　it　doesn't　teach　you　to　discriminate　—　which　is　after　all　the　best　thing　civilization　teaches。　I　don't　want　those　damned　aliens　getting　at　you　through　your　notions　about　brotherhood　and　mutualism　and　all　that。　They'll　spout　you　whole　rivers　of　'mon　humanity'　and　'leagues　of　all　the　worlds'　and　so　on；　and　I'd　hate　to　see　you　swallow　it。　The　law　of　existence　is　struggle　—　petition　—　elimination　of　the　weak　—　a　ruthless　war　for　survival。　And　I　want　to　see　the　best　survive。　The　kind　of　humanity　I　know。　The　Cetians。　You　and　I：　Urras　and　Anarres。　We're　ahead　of　them　now；　all　those　Hainish　and　Terrans　and　whatever　else　they　call　themselves；　and　we've　got　to　stay　ahead　of　them。　They　brought　us　the　interstellar　drive；　but　we're　making　better　interstellar　ships　now　than　they　are。　When　you　e　to　release　your　theory；　I　earnestly　hope　you'll　think　of　your　duty　to　your　own　people；　your　own　kind。　Of　what　loyalty　means；　and　to　whom　it's　due。〃　The　easy　tears　of　old　age　had　sprung　into　Atro's　halfblind　eyes。　Shevek　put　his　hand　on　the　old　man's　arm；　reassuring；　but　he　said　nothing。

〃They'll　get　it；　of　course。　Eventually。　And　they　ought　to。　Scientific　truth　will　out；　you　can't　hide　the　sun　under　a　stone。　But　before　they　get　it；　I　want　them　to　pay　for　it！　I　want　us　to　take　our　rightful　place。　I　want　respect：　and　that's　what　you　can　win　us。　Transilience　—　if　we've　mastered　transilience；　their　interstellar　drive　won't　amount　to　a　hill　of　beans。　It's　not　money　I　want；　you　know。　I　want　the　superiority　of　Cetian　science　recognized；　the　superiority　of　the　Cetian　mind。　If　there　has　to　be　an　interstellar　civilization；　then　by　God　I　don't　want　my　people　to　be　lowcaste　members　of　it！　　We　should　e　in　like　noblemen；　with　a　great　gift　in　our　hands　—　that's　how　it　should　be。　Well；　well；　I　get　hot　about　it　sometimes。　By　the　way；　how's　it　going；　your　book？〃

〃I've　been　working　on　Skask's　gravitational　hypothesis。　I　have　a　feeling　he's　wrong　in　using　partial　differential　equations　only。〃

〃But　your　last　paper　was　on　gravity。　When　are　you　going　to　get　to　the　real　thing？〃

〃You　know　that　the　means　are　the　end；　to　us　Odonians；〃　Shevek　said　lightly。　〃Besides；　I　can't　very　well　present　a　theory　of　time　that　omits　gravity；　can　I？〃

〃You　mean　you're　giving　it　to　us　in　bits　and　dribbles？〃　Atro　asked；　suspiciously。　〃That　hadn't　occurred　to　me。　I'd　better　look　over　that　last　paper。　Some　of　it　didn't　make　much　sense　to　me。　My　eyes　get　so　tired　these　days。　I　think　that　damnable　magnifierprojectorthingy　I　have　to　use　for　reading　has　something　wrong　with　it。　It　doesn't　seem　to　project　the　words　clearly　any　more。〃

Shevek　looked　at　the　old　man　with　punction　and　affection；　but　he　did　not　tell　him　any　more　about　the　state　of　his　theory。

Invitations　to　receptions；　dedications；　openings；　and　so　forth　were　delivered　to　Shevek　daily。　He　went　to　some；　because　he　had　e　to　Urras　on　a　mission　and　must　try　to　fulfill　it：　he　must　urge　the　idea　of　brotherhood；　he　must　represent；　in　his　own　person；　the　solidarity　of　the　Two　Worlds。　He　spoke；　and　people　listened　to　him　and　said；　〃How　true。〃

He　wondered　why　the　government　did　not　stop　him　from　speaking。　Chifoilisk　must　have　exaggerated；　for　his　own　purposes；　the　extent　of　the　control　and　censorship　they　could　exert。　He　talked　pure　anarchism；　and　they　did　not　stop　him。　But　did　they　need　to　stop　him？　It　seemed　that　he　talked　to　the　same　people　ev