“About?” the Minister of Culture demanded. “Can’t you measure it accurately?” His tone reeked of contempt.

“No. He’s a primitive—like some here. Can’t even read. Runs about naked. Has green skin. But he’s smart—very smart.”

“Lovely!” the Minister of Culture said sarcastically. “A smart naked ignoramus!”

The Minister of Population shook his head. “This savage has a Kirlian intensity of just over two hundred—the highest we have ever measured.”

“Two hundred!” the Minister of Culture gasped. “Two hundred times human normal?”

“That’s right,” the Minister of Population said smugly. “The next prospect, apart from the liability of being female, is only ninety-eight on the Kirlian scale. The barbarian is something special.”

“We’re stuck with the Jolly Green Giant,” the Minister of Culture muttered.

“Disaster,” the Minister of Population agreed.

“On the contrary,” the Regent said briskly. The alien envoy had evidently viewed these men with a certain condescension; the alien had been a sharp judge of character! “Ideal. This innocent will hardly realize what he is getting into. What better choice for our first experimental transfer of a human being to an alien Sphere? We can have no notion of the risks this entails! If the advanced entities of the Inner Galaxy won’t even try the Spheres of our region…”

The Ministers exchanged glances. A smile passed among them.

1. Flint of Outworld

The old man and the young man lay in the cool of predawn, looking up at the stars. The old man wore a ragged tunic; under it his skin was an off-shade of white. The young man was naked, and was a delicate green all over. He was large and muscular, even for Outworld.

“Can you see Arcturus, boy?” the old man asked.