"The belt is fifty thousand miles deep," Gross added. "It solves another problem for them, repair and maintenance. The damn things reproduce, fill up the spaces by spawning into them. I wonder what they feed on?" "Probably the remains of our first-line. The big cruisers must be a delicacy. It's a game of wits, between a living creature and a ship piloted by automatic relays. The ship always loses." Kramer opened a folder. "I'll tell you what I suggest." "Go on," Gross said. "I've already heard ten solutions today. What's yours?" "Mine is very simple. These creatures are superior to any mechanical system, but only because they're alive. Almost any other life-form could compete with them, any higher life-form. If the yuks can put out living mines to protect their planets, we ought to be able to harness some of our own life-forms in a similar way. Let's make use of the same weapon ourselves." "Which life-form do you propose to use?" "I think the human brain is the most agile of known living forms. Do you know of any better?" "But no human being can withstand outspace travel. A human pilot would be dead of heart failure long before the ship got anywhere near Proxima." "But we don't need the whole body," Kramer said. "We need only the brain." "What?" "The problem is to find a person of high intelligence who would contribute, in the same manner that eyes and arms are volunteered." "But a brain...." "Technically, it could be done. Brains have been transferred several times, when body destruction made it necessary. Of course, to a spaceship, to a heavy outspace cruiser, instead of an artificial body, that's new." The room was silent. "It's quite an idea," Gross said slowly. His heavy square face twisted. "But even supposing it might work, the big question is _whose_ brain?" * * * * * It was all very confusing, the reasons for the war, the nature of the enemy. The Yucconae had been contacted on one of the outlying planets of Proxima Centauri. At the approach of the Terran ship, a host of dark slim pencils had lifted abruptly and shot off into the distance. The first real encounter came between three of the yuk pencils and a single exploration ship from Terra. No Terrans survived. After that it was all out war, with no holds barred. Both sides feverishly constructed defense rings around their systems. Of the two, the Yucconae belt was the better. The ring around Proxima was a living ring, superior to anything Terra could throw against it. The standard equipment by which Terran ships were guided in outspace, the Johnson Control, was not adequate. Something more was needed. Automatic relays were not good enough.