r for destruction
and he trusted no one and nothing.

And in return he hoped to find welcome and friendship and
co-operation....

"_There_," the Varn said, "_is your true barrier--your own distrust and
suspicion. You, yourselves, create it on each new world. Now you are
going to erect it between my race and yours by killing me and advising
the Exploration Board to quarantine my world and never let another ship
land there._"

Again there was a silence as he thought of what the Varn had said and
of what it had said earlier: "_We are a very old race...._" There was
wisdom in the Varn's analysis of the cause of the Plan's failure and
with the Varn to vanquish the communication stalemate, the new approach
could be tried. They could go a long way together, men and Varn, a long,
long way....

Or they could create the Varn Empire ... and how could he know which it
would be?

How could anyone know--except the telepathic Varn?

The muzzle of the blaster had dropped and he brought it back up. He
forced the dangerous indecision aside, knowing he would have to kill the
Varn at once or he might weaken again, and said harshly to it:

"The risk is too great. I want to believe you--but all your talk of
trust and good intentions is only talk and my race would be the only one
that had to trust."

He touched the firing stud as the last thought of the Varn came:

"_Let me speak once more._"

He waited, the firing stud cold and metallic under his finger.

"_You are wrong. We have already set the example of faith in you by
asking to go with you. I told you we did not intend to hurt your brother
and I told you we saw the stars only as the little wild animals saw
them. The years in the dark caves--you do not understand--_"

The eyes of the Varn looked into his and beyond him; beautiful,
expressionless, like polished gold.

"_The Varn are blind._"

THE END

Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from _Amazing Science Fiction Stories_
September 1958. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling
and typographical errors have been corrected without note.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Cry from a Far Planet, by Tom Godwin

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