Prestor

III)Some would entreat the natives to leave their habitats, as a great flood was under way and to flee in a certain direction.IV) Another message would tell them that a fire was approaching and to flee in a contrary direction. V)The experiment was designed to show how, in the event of an invasion by technological inferiors, a small band of troops could prevail.

Pale blue eyes glaze over in consternation. Overhead, through the great pane of Perspex, the great star glowed. A dirigible passed in between, blocking the view and causing the dimming mechanism to reverse itself throwing large shadows upon the red plastic flooring.

"Yes," he muttered as he strained to remember long ago history lessons, loath to look up the required information or to partake in a verbal tussle with the robot. "Yes that’s it, that is the reason for the departure from Earth. Sound equipment was installed on board space station Irene. The commander, an original Jute (the original Jute) had secretly installed ion propulsion engines using the experiments with the sound scrambling machines as a cover. His mind wandered to that drafty lecture hall. A girl had asked to look at his notes; he had complied. They had gone to the restaurant together after the lecture. One thing led to another and then they were in bed.Initially he had been nervous. Natural selection, even in those far of days, was frowned upon. Although the contraception was good it was the principle of the thing that bothered the authorities. What would happen if people became to adept at sex? Why it would call into question the whole process of cloning.

One day several months after they had met she had stopped him in a hallway.

"You are going to give me a baby."

He had jumped back. "You crazy, it’s against the law."

"I don’t care what they say, its my right, I don’t want a child that is born in a test tube, one who is told who he is and what he should think, I want a natural child."

He had placed a hand over her mouth and hissed, "you don’t know what you are saying, and, hey some one could be listening, I don’t want to be kicked out, or undergo psychological implantation my self."

He had broken of with her and then reported her to authorities. She has never been heard from since.