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of the universe as we now know it, the entire universe was relatively compact,
exceedingly hot, and entirely symmetrical. Henrietta's dissertation quoted at
length from an old Cambridge mathematician named
Tong B. Tang and others; the point they made was that after that time, after
what Henrietta called
`Point X', the symmetry became `frozen'. All the constants we now observe
became fixed at that point. All the gosh numbers. They did not exist before
`Point X'. They have existed, and are unchangeable, ever since.
"So at Point X in time, three seconds after the beginning of the Big Bang,
something happened. It may have been some quite random event-some turbulence
in the exploding cloud.
"Or it may have been deliberate."
He stopped and smoked for a while, watching me. When I did not react he sighed
and held up four fingers. "Four, Robin, and the last. I do apologize for this
long preamble. The final point in Henrietta's conjecture had to do with
`missing mass'. There simply does not appear to be enough mass in the universe
to fit the otherwise very successful theories of the Big Bang. Here Henrietta
made an immense leap in her doctoral dissertation. She suggested that the
Heechee had learned how to create mass and destroy it-and in this, as we now
know, she was correct, although it was only a guess on her part, and the
seniors before whom she conducted the defense of her dissertation were very
quick to challenge it. She then made a further leap. She suggested that the
Heechee had, in fact, caused some mass to disappear. Not on a ship, although
if she had guessed that she would have been correct. On a very large scale. On
a universe-wide scale, in fact. She conjectured that they had studied the
`gosh numbers' as we have, and come to certain conclusions which seem to be
true. Here, Robin, it gets a little tricky, so pay close attention-but we are
almost home.
"You see, these fundamental constants like the `gosh numbers' determine
whether or not life can exist in the universe. Among very many other things,
to be sure. But if some of them were a little higher or a little lower, life
could not exist. Do you see the logical consequence of that statement? Yes, I
think you do. It is a simple syllogism. Major premise, the `gosh numbers'
are not fixed by natural law but could have been different if certain
different events had taken place at `Point X'. Minor premise, if they were
different in certain directions, the universe would be less hospitable to
life. Conclusion? Ah, that's the heart of it. Conclusion: If they were
different in certain other directions, the universe might be more hospitable
to life."
And he stopped talking, and sat regarding me, reaching down into a carpet
slipper with one hand to scratch the sole of his foot.
I don't know which of us would have out-waited the other then. I was trying to
digest a lot of very indigestible ideas, and old Albert, he was determined to
give me time to digest them.
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Before either of those could happen Paul Hall came trotting into the cubicle I
had made my own yelling, "Company! Hey, Robin! We've got visitors!"
Well, my first thought was Essie, of course; we'd talked; I knew she was on
her way to the
Kennedy launchport at least, even if not actually waiting there for our orbit
to settle down and get off. I stared at Paul and then at my watch. "There
hasn't been time," I said, because there hadn't.
He was grinning. "Come and see the poor bastards," he chortled.
And that's what they were, all right. Six of them, crammed into a Five.
Launched from
Gateway less than twenty-four hours after I had taken off from the Moon,
carrying enough armament to wipe out a whole division of Oldest Ones, ready to
save and profit. They had flown all the way out after Heechee Heaven, reversed
course and flown all the way back. Somewhere en route we must have passed them
without knowing it. Poor bastards! But they were pretty decent guys,
volunteers, taking off on a mission that must have seemed insecure even by
Gateway standards. I promised them
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