“I don’t mean that. I mean, what use is this telepathy to me, that I should come a thousand parsecs just to gain the knack of it?”
“Why… well, you’re a soldier, I’m told, and I suppose that esper skills must have some place in warfare—” The Terran’s voice trailed off in silence. For generations war had been unknown on Terra, and the mental frame of reference that was needed had all but faded from the planet’s culture.
“On the contrary.” Indeed, Duke Harald thought with sudden insight, the broad intimacy of telepathic contact might prove unhandy to a soldier. Efficiency demanded an abstract, an impersonal attitude towards the enemy of the moment. Was that, perhaps, why Terra didn’t make war too readily these days?
“Of course,” the Arkadian went on, “for military intelligence—finding out what the other side’s planning to do, so you can do it sooner and better—it might be useful. But even so, wars have been won before, and will be won again, without the esper skill.”
“What then?” asked Melton. “If the skill is of no use—”
“No use,” said Duke Harald, “only if we of Arkady were faced with the usual war against the usual human enemy. But we’re not. We’re up against that galactic rarity, an alien species that’s as ready and willing to fight, almost, as any of human stock.”
“Terrans don’t fight.” Melton’s tone held a shade of self-satisfied condescension.
“No. I suppose not. But out there”—Duke Harald made a sweeping ges-ture that took in the far reaches of the universe—“we haven’t the time or the leisure to grow soft! Particularly on the newer worlds, like Arkady. On and off, we’ve had to trade blasters and bombs with aliens ever since my grandfather brought the first starship in from Old Altair.”
Looking down at the papers on his desk, the Terran murmured dryly, “That would be, I presume, at the time of the revolution on Altair?”
“Aye,” said Duke Harald, curtly. And paused to regain composure. Even after two generations, any mention of the fall of the old dynasty of Altair could prick the touchy pride of an Arkadian nobleman. But he had learned that it was futile to argue the point with a Terran. Their histories taught such a queerly twisted version of the Great Exile.