"As for their new find--Mephisto. Mephisto might have received good friendship. The Mephistans were absolutely alien to Terrans. Mephisto has nothing that Terra really needs, that Terra couldn't exchange for. Terra has items that Mephisto could have had, too, thus completing the cycle. Mephisto's atmosphere is unsuited for Terrans and vice versa. Their body chemistry would have been poisonous to each other. Here, then, we have a condition whereby two alien races could have lived in peace together. Yet Mephisto, not knowing the entire story, thought Terra a rapacious, vampire race. They, the utter fools, sought Martian assistance." "That's what I'd have done." "Not smart," smiled Charalas. "Never, never get between traditional enemies, Elanane. You become an innocent bystander that goes down before the steam roller of a spite battle. That, plus the traditional system of both planets." "What's that?" "Never fight your battles on the home ground--it spoils it badly. Fight your battles all over some poor innocent's land and leave the homeland unscarred. Also dirty, Elanane, but Nature is a dirty fighter." "So you think Terra is all right fundamentally?" "Obviously. Nature will not permit any unsuitable system to obtain. Given a few hundred years and Terra will see eye to eye with Mars against some other system." "Perhaps against Ertene--?" "I hope not," said Charalas fervently. "Yet they have some attributes we need." "Have they anything we need?" "They have the verve, the ambition, and unbeatability of youth. We, Elanane, are stodgy and slow and old." "That doesn't please me too much." "That's too bad. It's true. Look, Elanane, how long is our history compared to theirs?" "Several hundred times as long, I believe." "Not quite several hundred, Elanane. But long enough--far long enough to prove my statement. How does their scientific culture compare?" "Somewhat less--" "Equal! Or better perhaps!" "Oh no." "Oh yes. The two are divergent to the nth power, but their development is as high as ours is. Now, Elanane, they've come up alone, driven only by Mars and other exigencies. Mars came with them. We, Elanane, came up by slyly taking bits of culture from this system and that system as we came along. "Be that as it may," added Charalas. "The question I ponder is this: _How do we know we're so right?_" XVIII. Guy didn't answer. And Charalas smiled. "I've said my piece," he told Maynard. "Take it as from an old, old, bothersome man who may be bitter because of his age." "Charalas, you are Ertene's foremost neuro-surgeon, and also one of the most popular philosophers. I'll accept your arguments. But I am still convinced that Ertene will suffer if any alliance is formed between Terra and Ertene."