The Mind Creative
Martian
civilization
had
developed in a quite different
direction from that of Earth.
It
had
developed
no
important knowledge of the
physical
sciences,
no
technology. But it had
developed social sciences to
the point where there had
not been a single crime, let
alone a war, on Mars for fifty
thousand years. And it had
developed
fully
the
parapsychological sciences of
the mind, which Earth was
just beginning to discover.
Mars could teach Earth much. How to avoid crime and war to begin
with. Beyond those simple things lay telepathy, telekinesis,
empathy....
And Earth would, Mars hoped, teach them something even more
valuable to Mars: how, by science and technology — which it was
too late for Mars to develop now, even if they had the type of
minds which would enable them to develop these things — to
restore and rehabilitate a dying planet, so that an otherwise dying
race might live and multiply again.
Each planet would gain greatly, and neither would lose.
And tonight was the night when Earth would make its first sighting
shot. Its next shot, a rocket containing Earthmen, or at least an
Earthman, would be at the next opposition, two Earth years, or
roughly four Martian years, hence. The Martians knew this,
because their teams of telepaths were able to catch at least some
of the thoughts of Earthmen, enough to know their plans.
Unfortunately, at that distance, the connection was one-way. Mars
could not ask Earth to hurry its program. Or tell Earth scientists
the facts about Mars’ composition and atmosphere which would
have made this preliminary shot unnecessary.
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