alaxy altogether, maybe
it's got other undreamed of business other undreamed of places.
Anyway, it wants out. But it's got an eon-old storehouse of culture
and maybe it figures someone ought to have access to that and keep the
galaxy in running order. But who? That's the problem. Who gets all
this information, a million million generations of scientific
problems, all carefully worked out? Who, among all the parallel races
on all the worlds of the Universe? That's quite a problem, even for
our Super Race boys.

"You'd think they'd have ways to solve it, though. With calculating
machines or whatever will follow calculating machines after Earthmen
and all the others find the next faltering step after a few thousand
years. Or with plain horse sense and logic, developed to a
point--after millions of years at it--where it never fails. Or solve
the problem with something we've never heard of, but solve it anyway."

"What's all this got to do with--? I mean, it's an interesting story
and when I get a chance to digest it I'll probably start gasping, but
what about Nowhere and...."

"I'm coming to that. Kit, what would you say if I told you that the
most intelligent race the Universe has ever produced solves the
biggest problem ever handed anyone--by playing games?"

* * * * *

"I'd say you better continue."

"That's the purpose of Nowhere, Kit. Every planet, every race has its
Nowhere. We all come here and we play games. Planet with the highest
score at the end of God knows how long wins the Universe, with all the
science and the wisdom needed to fashion that universe into a dozen
different kinds of heaven. And to decide all this, we play games.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not complaining. If the Superboys say
we play, then we play. I'd take their word for it if they told me I
had fifteen heads. But it's the sort of thing which doesn't let you
get much sleep. Oh, Earth has a right to be proud of its record.
United North America is in second place on a competition that's as
wide as the Universe. But we're not first. Second. And I have a hunch
from what's been going on around here that the games are drawing to a
close.

"Fantastic, isn't it? Out of thousands of entrants, we're good enough
to place second. But some planet out near the star Deneb has us
hopelessly outclassed. We might as well get the booby prize. They'll
win and own the Universe--us included."

Jason had leaned forward