"What other kinds are there?" Spartan snorted. "Intelligence is knowing what is true and what isn't. A thing can either be true or false. There's not much difference between intelligences."
I'd learned you couldn't argue with Spartan, who refused to recognize that truth is relative and that there are at least two sides to any question; that, more often, there are an infinite number of points of view, all true in a sense, none altogether false.
"Anyhow, we've got signals," I said meekly, seeing the utter futility of arguing.
"Signals. Bah!" He was almost snarling now, unwilling to admit any possibility which might interfere with his preconceived notions.
"Doc, there are millions of stars and even if only a fraction of one per cent of them has conditions suitable to life, we might find intelligent beings there."
"Granted. But Mars isn't a planet with the right conditions. Why, you're even inferring that these Martians might be more intelligent than we are. We on earth couldn't pick out an object the size of this ship so far away from our planet. Let me check these signals—"
Spartan began twisting the dials controlling the directional antennae at the front and rear of the craft. "Might be something else; different from radar—"
Axel's voice cut in. "Doctor! Look at our radarscope!"
I turned my head quickly toward the screen. There was just the flimsy outline of something there; something barely perceptible to the waves that scanned the path ahead of the ship. But whatever it was, it was in our path and it was very large. A cloud, maybe—only clouds don't show on radar.
"Meteors!" screamed Spartan. "Heaven help us! It's a meteor cloud!"