"You can call that a fact. But I want you and Jim to do some math. We know that we're making mighty long jumps. Assuming that they're at perfect random, and of approximately the same length, the probability is greater than one-half that we're getting farther and farther away from Tellus. Is there a jump number, N, at which the probability is one-half that we land nearer Tellus instead of farther away? My jump-at-conclusions guess is that there isn't. That the first jump set up a bias." "Ouch. _That_ isn't in any of the books," James said. "In other words, do we or do we not attain a maximum? You're making some bum assumptions; among others that space isn't curved and that the dimensions of the universe are very large compared to the length of our jumps. I'll see if I can put it into shape to feed to Compy. You've always held that these generators work at random--the rest of those assumptions are based on your theory?" "Check. I'm not getting anywhere studying my alleged Xenology, so I'm going to work full time on designing a generator that will steer." "You tried to before. So did everybody else." "I know it, but I've got a lot more data now. And I'm not promising, just trying. Okay? Worth a try?" "Sure--I'm in favor of anything that has any chance at all of working." Jumping went on; and Garlock, instead of going abroad on the planets, stayed in the _Pleiades_ and worked. * * * At Number Forty-three, their reception was of a new kind. They were compatible with the people of this world, but the Inspector advised them against landing. "I do not forbid you," he explained, carefully. "Our humans are about to destroy themselves with fission and fusion bombs. They send missiles, without warning, against visitors. Thus, the last starship to visit us here disregarded my warning and sent down a sensing device as usual--Engineers do not land on non-telepathic worlds, you know--and it was destroyed." "You're a Guardian of Humanity," Garlock said. "Can't you straighten people out?" "Of course not!" The Arpalone was outraged. "We guard humanity against incompatibles and non-humans; but it is not our business to interfere with humanity if it wishes to destroy itself. That is its privilege and its own business!" Garlock probed down. "No telepathy, even--not even a Seven. This planet _is_ backward--back to Year One. And nothing but firecrackers--we're going down, aren't we?" "I'll say we are!" Belle said. "This will break the monotony, at least," and the others agreed. "You won't object, I take it," Garlock said to the Inspector, "if we try to straighten them out. We can postpone the blow-up a few years, at least." "No objections, of course. In fact, I can say that we Guardians of Humanity would approve such action." Down the _Pleiades_ went, into the air of the nation known as the "Allied Republican Democracies of the World," and an atomic-warheaded rocket came flaming up.