She didn't know which room he was in; the entrance to the structure was on the other side, and she was unable to locate any door. All she could do was look for lighted windows.
There were several on the ground floor, but the rooms revealed were occupied entirely by Earthmen. Finally, Sindi found an outcropping of rock that would permit her to get close to the one lighted room on the second floor. The window was open, and the breeze of the chill evening air fluttered the papers on the desk in the room.
There were four men in the room—three Earthmen and Rahn. Sindi peered close—and then got a shock even greater than the last. For one of the Earthmen was Jones!
Jones—who had gone to the Great Light—was here!
He was saying, "I'm sorry you came here, Rahn peDorvis." Jones looked old and very tired. "It was never intended that any Nidorian should find this base." His jutting little beard waggled as he spoke, but his voice was as kindly as ever.
Rahn was staring curiously at the Earthman. When he spoke, his voice was tight and strange. "You're dead, Jones. Am I dead too?"
Jones shook his head slowly. "I am not dead, my son. I never said I was going to die. I said I was going back to the sky. And I am. But when I go, I will be alive. As alive as I am now. As alive as you are."
Sindi stared in amazement. It seemed to her that Jones was trying hard to convince Rahn that his words were true and honest.
Rahn's hands gripped the arm-rests of his chair. "But what does it all mean? I mean—well, that sounds silly, but—well—"
Jones held up one hand, palm outward. "I know how you feel, Rahn peDorvis. And I'll explain everything to you, believe me. You're capable of understanding most of it, and I think you deserve a full explanation. Do you want some water?"
Rahn had been licking his lips, but it was obviously fear and not thirst that motivated the action .Still, he did not appear to be overly afraid of the Earthmen. Sindi clenched her fists and prayed silently.
"Yes, Jones," Rahn said. "Please. Some water."
One of the other Earthmen poured a glass of water for him. Jones went on talking.
"I won't ask you how you came up here, nor why. That isn't important. What you want to know is why we are here and why we are doing whatever we're doing.
"The answer is very simple. We have come, as we told you, to help Nidor. Look—let me show you something."
He pressed a button on the desk near him. Behind him, a screen lit up. It depicted a scene in full color: a very odd-looking Earthman was dancing gracefully in miniature across the screen.
"Is that an Earthman?"
"Earthwoman," Jones corrected.
Yes, Sindi thought, gasping. It was an Earthwoman! Her head hair was long and golden and reached nearly to her waist. It swirled around her as she danced.
"This is an entertainment screen," Jones explained. "With this, we can see to any point within range. We can talk with each other and see each other."
He pressed another button. The Earthgirl in the screen vanished.
"As of now,'' Jones went on, "the average Nidorian must work very hard—many hours a day—to stay alive. We of Earth have machines that will relieve Nidor of this back-breaking work. We have machines that will cook food, plow the ground, build buildings, or solve complex mathematical formulas.
"We are trying to give these things to Nidor,'' Jones said. "The Great Light has brought us to you to guide you onward. But it is not yet time. You must become acclimated. You'll have to get used to the idea of leisure and a better life. You'll have to understand what it means to go to the stars before you can go there."
"Stars?" Rahn asked.
"You'll find out about them too," the Earthman said. "We intend to help you reach space; to see the Great Light Himself, as we do—but we cannot help you there yet. The people of Nidor have too much to learn yet, and it is up to us to teach you.
"That's why we have to be careful. If you were given full knowledge now, your culture would come smashing down around your ears like a house of bricks built without mortar. And we don't want to wreck your culture that way. We want you to be happy with these things, not miserable with them."
Rahn nodded, though it was obvious to the watching Sindi that he did not completely understand. Jones signalled suddenly to the other three men in the room. As they grouped around Rahn, Jones said: "I'm afraid we can't let you remember these things, now that we've told you. We'll have to blank out a part of your memory. We'll have to remove all knowledge of this base.''
"But—"
"Believe me, Rahn, it's the best thing for Nidor." Rahn nodded resignedly. "If you say so, Jones. Will it hurt?"
Jones smiled, shaking his head. "Not at all. But tell me, now: how did you get up here?"
Rahn told how he had ridden his deest high into the mountains and then had gone on on foot. Sindi listened to him begin to explain why he had ridden out of Bel-rogas, but Jones cut it short.
"You call these mountains, but you haven't seen the really big mountains. The rain here, falling every night, keeps these mountains bare, and wears them low. Rahn, my son, you may not believe this, but I have seen mountains seven and eight miles high. The Mountains of the the Morning are less than half a mile at their highest peaks."
Jones frowned then, and thought a moment. Finally he said: "It's time now. We'll remove your memories of the past few hours. The machine is in the next room."
Sindi watched as Rahn, obviously reluctant, rose and nervously followed Jones and the other Earthmen into the room adjoining. Sindi craned her neck to see into the room, failed, and edged around the building, looking for a window that would give her a clear view into the inner room. There was none.
What seemed like ages passed while she waited for some sign from within. Then, without warning, the door of the building slid open and the Earthmen appeared, bearing the unconscious body of Rahn.
Sindi shrank back against the wall, not wanting to be seen. She didn't know what it was the Earthmen had done to Rahn, but she was not at all in favor of having it done to herself as well.
To her amazement she saw the Earthmen rise into the air, carrying Rahn, and drifting down the cliff and out of sight—and there was no blue-white aura!
Sindi watched, astonished. All was silent, except for the constant hum and buzz of the base generators.
A few moments later the Earthmen reappeared, without Rahn. They floated gently up the side of the hill, entered their building, and vanished. The door closed behind them. Sindi edged out across the clearing and started the slow descent. As she lowered herself over the edge, she caught sight of Rahn, sitting at the base of the cliff. His deest was nuzzling nearby.
So they had removed his memories. And, effectively, they had silenced Sindi as well, whether they knew it or not. For who would back up her story? Not Rahn, certainly. Any tales she brought back would be discounted as mere wild imaginings.
But, more important, she had no desire to tell anyone of what she had overheard of the Earthmen's secret activities. What was it they had said—that Nidor was not yet ready? They were wise, and probably were right; Sindi did not want to say or do anything that might hurt the Earthmen's plans.
They held out the promise of a bright future. They beckoned to Nidor, keeping in reserve for them the wonders they had shown to Rahn. Someday, these things would belong to Nidor. If not to Sindi, then to her children. She would wait.
It was her duty to say nothing. The Earthmen were agents of the Great Light, and the Great Light would lead them to the promised land in his own good time.
In his own good time. It was promised. "Those beloved of the Great Light shall hold tomorrow in their hands." It was there, in the Eighteenth Section of the Scripture.