Free A Saucer of Loneliness by Theodore Sturgeon Page B

reason, is better left out of the racial ‘pool’—as, for example, a physical or psychological experiment within the culture, of long duration, which general knowledge might alter. In such cases, a highly specialized hypnotic technique is used on the investigators, which has the effect of cloaking thought on this particular matter.
    “And if you began to fear that I was never coming to Osser’s unhappy history, you must understand, my dear, I have just given it to you. Osser was just such an experiment.
    “It became desirable to study the probable habit patterns of a species like us in every respect except for our unique attribute. The problem was attacked from many angles, but I must confess that using a live specimen was my idea.
    “By deep hypnosis, the telepathic receptors in Osser were severed from the rest of his mind. He was then allowed to grow up among us in real and complete freedom.
    “You saw the result. Since few people recognize the nature of this unique talent, and even fewer regard it as worth discussion, this strong, proud, highly intelligent boy grew up feeling a hopeless inferior, and never knowing exactly why. Others did things, made things, solved problems, as easily as thinking about them, while Osser had to study and sweat and piece and try out. He had to assert his superiority in some way. He did, but in as slipshod a fashion as he did everything else.
    “So he was led to the pictures you saw. He was permitted to make what conclusions he wished—they were that we are a backward people, incapable of building a city. He suddenly saw in the dreams of a mechanized, star-reaching species a justification of himself. He could not understand our lack of desire for possessions, not knowing that our whole cultural existence is based on sharing—that it is not only undesirable, but impossible for us to hoard an advanced idea, a new comfort. He would master us through strength.
    “He was just starting when you came to me about him. You could get no key to his problem because we know nothing about sick minds, and there was no expert you could tap. I couldn’t help you—you, of all people—because you loved him, and because we dared not risk having him know what he was, especially when he was just about to take action.
    “Why he chose this particular site for his tower I do not know. And why he chose the method of the tower I don’t know either, though I can deduce an excellent reason. First, he had to use his strength once he became convinced that in it lay his superiority. Second, he had to
try out
this build-with-hate idea—the bugaboo of all other man-species, the trial-and-error, the inability to know what will work and what will not.
    “And so we learned through Osser precisely what we had learned in other approaches—that a man without our particular ability must not live among us, for, if he does, he will destroy us.
    “It is a small step from that to a conclusion about a whole race of them coexisting with us. And now you know what happened here this afternoon.”
    Jubilith raised her head slowly. “A whole ship full of … of what Osser was?”
    “Yes. We did the only thing we could. Quick, quite painless. We have been watching them for a long time—years. We saw them start. We computed their orbit—even to the deceleration spiral. We chose a spot to launch our interceptor.” He glanced at Osser, who was almost quiet, quite exhausted. “What sheer hell he must have gone through, to see us build like that. How could he know that not one of us needed training, explanation, or any but the simplest orders? How could he rationalize to himself our possession of machines and devices surpassing the wildest dreams of the godlike men he admired so? How could he understand that, having such things, we use them only when we must, and that otherwise we live in ways which will not violate the walking, working animal we are?”
    She turned to him a mask so cold, so beautiful, he forgot for a