"Go on," he said. "Please go on."
"I find in your Odysseus a figure common to the mythology of most self-conscious races. As I interpret it, Odysseus wanders as an individual, aware of himself as such. This is the idea of separation, of separation from family and country. The process of individuation."
"But Odysseus returns to his home." Peterson looked out the port window, at the stars, endless stars, burning intently in the empty universe.
"Finally he goes home."
"As must all creatures. The moment of separation is a temporary period, a brief journey of the soul. It begins, it ends. The wanderer returns to land and race...."
The door opened. The wub stopped, turning its great head.
Captain Franco came into the room, the men behind him. They hesitated at the door.
"Are you all right?" French said.
"Do you mean me?" Peterson said, surprised. "Why me?"
Franco lowered his gun. "Come over here," he said to Peterson. "Get up and come here."
There was silence.
"Go ahead," the wub said. "It doesn"t matter."
Peterson stood up. "What for?"
"It"s an order."
Peterson walked to the door. French caught his arm.
"What"s going on?" Peterson wrenched loose. "What"s the matter with you?"
Captain Franco moved toward the wub. The wub looked up from where it lay in the corner, pressed against the wall.
"It is interesting," the wub said, "that you are obsessed with the idea of eating me. I wonder why."
"Get up," Franco said.
"If you wish." The wub rose, grunting. "Be patient. It is difficult for me." It stood, gasping, its tongue lolling foolishly.
"Shoot it now," French said.
"For G.o.d"s sake!" Peterson exclaimed. Jones turned to him quickly, his eyes gray with fear.
"You didn"t see him--like a statue, standing there, his mouth open. If we hadn"t come down, he"d still be there."
"Who? The Captain?" Peterson stared around. "But he"s all right now."
They looked at the wub, standing in the middle of the room, its great chest rising and falling.
"Come on," Franco said. "Out of the way."
The men pulled aside toward the door.
"You are quite afraid, aren"t you?" the wub said. "Have I done anything to you? I am against the idea of hurting. All I have done is try to protect myself. Can you expect me to rush eagerly to my death? I am a sensible being like yourselves. I was curious to see your ship, learn about you. I suggested to the native--"
The gun jerked.
"See," Franco said. "I thought so."
The wub settled down, panting. It put its paw out, pulling its tail around it.
"It is very warm," the wub said. "I understand that we are close to the jets. Atomic power. You have done many wonderful things with it--technically. Apparently, your scientific hierarchy is not equipped to solve moral, ethical--"
Franco turned to the men, crowding behind him, wide-eyed, silent.
"I"ll do it. You can watch."
French nodded. "Try to hit the brain. It"s no good for eating. Don"t hit the chest. If the rib cage shatters, we"ll have to pick bones out."
"Listen," Peterson said, licking his lips. "Has it done anything? What harm has it done? I"m asking you. And anyhow, it"s still mine. You have no right to shoot it. It doesn"t belong to you."
Franco raised his gun.
"I"m going out," Jones said, his face white and sick. "I don"t want to see it."
"Me, too," French said. The men straggled out, murmuring. Peterson lingered at the door.
"It was talking to me about myths," he said. "It wouldn"t hurt anyone."
He went outside.
Franco walked toward the wub. The wub looked up slowly. It swallowed.
"A very foolish thing," it said. "I am sorry that you want to do it.
There was a parable that your Saviour related--"
It stopped, staring at the gun.
"Can you look me in the eye and do it?" the wub said. "Can you do that?"
The Captain gazed down. "I can look you in the eye," he said. "Back on the farm we had hogs, dirty razor-back hogs. I can do it."
Staring down at the wub, into the gleaming, moist eyes, he pressed the trigger.
The taste was excellent.
They sat glumly around the table, some of them hardly eating at all. The only one who seemed to be enjoying himself was Captain Franco.