Foundation and Earth - Isaac Asimov [155]
“Even if we were to admit that,” said Trevize, “it would do us no good. There’s no way life in the sea can develop a technology. Technology is always based on fire, and fire is impossible in the sea. A life-bearing planet without technology is not what we’re looking for.”
“I realize that, but I’m only considering ideas. After all, as far as we know, technology only developed once—on Earth. Everywhere else, the Settlers brought it with them. You can’t say technology is ‘always’ anything, if you only have one case to study.”
“Travel through the sea requires streamlining. Sea life cannot have irregular outlines and appendages such as hands.”
“Squids have tentacles.”
Trevize said, “I admit we are allowed to speculate, but if you’re thinking of intelligent squid-like creatures evolving independently somewhere in the Galaxy, and developing a technology not based on fire, you’re supposing something not at all likely, in my opinion.”
“In your opinion,” said Pelorat gently.
Suddenly, Trevize laughed. “Very well, Janov. I see you’re logic-chopping in order to get even with me for speaking harshly to Bliss, and you’re doing a good job. I promise you that if we find no land, we will examine the sea as best we can to see if we can find your civilized squids.”
As he spoke, the ship plunged into the night-shadow again, and the view-screen turned black.
Pelorat winced. “I keep wondering,” he said. “Is this safe?”
“Is what safe, Janov?”
“Racing through the dark like this. We might dip, and dive into the ocean, and be destroyed instantly.”
“Quite impossible, Janov. Really! The computer keeps us traveling along a gravitational line of force. In other words, it remains always at a constant intensity of the planetary gravitational force which means it keeps us at a nearly constant height above sea level.”
“But how high?”
“Nearly five kilometers.”
“That doesn’t really console me, Golan. Might we not reach land and smash into a mountain we don’t see?”
“We don’t see, but ship’s radar will see it, and the computer will guide the ship around or over the mountain.”
“What if there’s level land, then? We’ll miss it in the dark.”
“No, Janov, we won’t. Radar reflected from water is not at all like radar reflected from land. Water is essentially flat; land is rough. For that reason, reflection from land is substantially more chaotic than reflection from water. The computer will know the difference and it will let me know if there’s land in view. Even if it were day and the planet were sun-lit, the computer might well detect land before I would.”
They fell silent and, in a couple of hours, they were back in daylight, with an empty ocean again rolling beneath them monotonously, but occasionally invisible when they passed through one of the numerous storms. In one storm, the wind drove the Far Star out of its path. The computer gave way, Trevize explained, in order to prevent an unnecessary waste of energy and to minimize the chance of physical damage. Then, when the turbulence had passed, the computer eased the ship back into its path.
“Probably the edge of a hurricane,” said Trevize.
Pelorat said, “See here, old chap, we’re just traveling west to east—or east to west. All we’re examining is the equator.”
Trevize said, “That would be foolish, wouldn’t it? We’re following a great-circle route northwest-southeast. That takes us through the tropics and both temperate zones and each time we repeat the circle, the path moves westward, as the planet rotates on its axis beneath us. We’re methodically criss-crossing the world. By now, since we haven’t hit land, the chances of a sizable continent are less than one in ten, according to the computer, and of a sizable island less than one in four, with the chances going down each circle we make.”
“You know what I would have done,” said Pelorat slowly, as the night hemisphere