Then he settled his long frame into the seat placed conveniently in front of the panels of dials and the computing machines which filled one entire side of the room. Checking to make sure that everything he might need was in place, he reached out and snapped the switch marked—INSTRUCTIONS.
"You are ready, Student Hovah?" The voice came gently from a hidden loudspeaker.
"Yes, Instructor."
"Then listen to your orders. You have been alloted sector 2645 of space in parsec three.
"In the next ten minutes we shall transmit a detailed study of a star system to you. Using only the raw materials of space and the mental techniques taught you in your studies, you will reproduce a reasonable facsimile of the system in the space sector you have been assigned. Have you any questions?"
"How complete a facsimile must it be, Instructor?"
"It must be reasonably correct as to physical makeup. All life forms must also be reproduced."
"I am ready."
For the next ten minutes he sat tensed in his chair as the impulses from the psychoscope washed through his mind and body. He gradually absorbed a three dimensional mental picture of the system he was to reproduce. When the image faded, he relaxed a moment, then laid his fingers on the keyboard and went to work.
Gradually his confidence grew. Under the direction of his flashing fingers, the energy machines created a warp in the space of his sector. At exactly the correct moment he adjusted the wavelength of his Thought Augmentor until it matched the thought matrix of his own mind. The full impact of his tremendous mental abilities jolted into the space warp. And as the sweat of concentration gathered on his forehead, he hopefully watched the viewing screen on one of the panels before him. At first there was only a mere flicker in the center of the warp. Then swiftly, so swiftly that he barely had time to lower his eyes protectively, the entire screen flared into the light of raw uncontained energy.