THE UNWANTED OTTO BINDER’S ADAPTED BY ROBERT L. REINER • ART BY ANGELO TORRES & STEFAN KOIDL
Kiln and Mada had conducted dozens, maybe hundreds of such surveys. Some worlds hosted modern, highly intelligent and welcoming inhabitants. Others suffered from primitive, stubborn and even hostile citizenry. Each were dealt with accordingly.
This seemed to be a relatively enlightened society with a gov erning body, a network for trade, an educational system, ad equately functioning infrastructure, laws. Perhaps they could qualify for admittance.
The goal was not to count every individual. That could be done with a simple life scanner from the mother ship. No, in the span of a single day Mada and Kiln could estimate the IQ of the entire population by walking among the inhabitants, scanning individuals at random and tallying the results. If sufficiently high, the dream of Realm citizenship might become a reality.
It was a census year, as were all years divided by 100. Everyone throughout the galaxy was to be counted down to the last nose, proboscis or tentacle.
This census was different, however. This world was to be judged for full membership into the Realm, an honor that would confer unimaginable benefits and riches.
VISITORS
Years earlier, advance teams arrived with sophisticated machinery to evaluate the air, water, minerals and other natural resources that might have value to the home world and to the rest of the Realm. These visitors were initially viewed by the planet as invaders, but because they said that they came in peace and offered to share their findings to benefit this world, they were allowed to do their work while closely monitored. After all, there was little choice in the matter.
The visitors had superior technology and frightening weaponry awesome firepower that they had used on other worlds to shocking effect. They could have easily taken what they wanted, but as a self-proclaimed civilized society they refrained.
