eft their
caves and struck out across the plains and seas, and took up the whole
Earth and made it what it is--because they had courage.

"But to go to space, courage is not enough. We need a new kind of man
that we've never seen before. He's a man of iron, who's forgotten he was
ever flesh and blood. He's a machine, who can perform over and over the
same kind of complicated procedure and never make an error. He's more
reliable and endurable than the best machines we've ever made.

"I don't know where we'll find him, but he can be found, and you _will_
do it, because you believe, as I do, that Man's frontier must not be
closed. And because, in spite of your cynicism, you still understand the
meaning of duty to your society and your race. There is no possibility
of your refusal, so I have taken steps already to make your appointment
official."

"You must also have prepared yourself," said Paul, "to accept me with
the basic philosophy that must guide me in this matter. And my
philosophy is that this Project _must_ fail. It has no possibility of
success. The man you seek does not exist. An errorless man would be a
dead man.

"Any living man is going to make errors. That's the process of learning:
make an approach, correct for error, approach again, correct once more.
It's the only way there is to learn."

The General inhaled deeply and hesitated. "I know nothing about that,"
he said finally. "You know what I want. Even if what you say were
partially true, there remains no reason why that which has been learned
cannot be performed without error. I may have to put up with it, but
you'll save yourself and all of us a lot of time if you don't spend
three months digging up reasons why the Project can't succeed."

He stood up as if everything had been said that could possibly be said.
"Let's go and have a look at your laboratory quarters."

* * * * *

In the hot sunlight of the Southwest desert, they walked across the yard
from the administration building to a large laboratory which had been
cleared to the bare floor and walls. Paul felt a sense of instability
returning. But only for an instant. He'd all but insulted the General
and told him he had no intention of producing the iron superman the
Space Command contemplated. And still he had not been thrown out. They
must want him very badly, indeed!

He had no qualms of conscience about taking the post now. General
Oglethorpe had been for