Unspecialist - Murray F Yaco

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: Stories - Science Fiction
Host: Sol Good Network
Episode: “Unspecialist” by Murray F. Yaco
Date: May 10, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode presents “Unspecialist” by Murray F. Yaco, a compelling science fiction tale that satirizes over-specialization and the value of versatility. Listeners are transported into a future where Federation officers Banner and Harcraft—seasoned, highly specialized space patrolmen—are given what seems like a mundane freight mission, only to find themselves in a high-stakes interstellar dilemma. The story explores themes of bureaucracy, xenophobia, complacency, and, above all, the hidden talents of the unspecialized individual.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Progression

1. Setting the Scene: Disillusionment with Orders

• [01:29]: Banner and co-pilot Harcraft, elite space patrollers, receive orders for what they view as menial cargo delivery (“potato fertilizer and tractor fuel”), sparking immediate frustration and gallows humor.
• Banner ironically laments, “We are heroes of the Spaceways...We gird our young strong loins.”
• Harcraft’s skepticism: “We train for 10 years...and now they do this. It's unbelievable. Potato fertilizer and tractor fuel.”

2. Introduction of the “Beanbrain” (Arnold)

• [04:37]: Arnold, derogatorily called a “Beanbrain,” joins the crew—a passenger of unclear purpose, rumored to be an untrained, useless civilian assigned randomly to patrol ships.
• [06:54]: Arnold, candid and humble, refutes misconceptions, stating, “I took the job because I didn't like what I was doing before...They tested me for a lot of things. Then they gave me my orders and told me to come along.”
• Both officers develop conflicting feelings—annoyance and curiosity—regarding Arnold’s assignment.

3. The Tedium of Space and Rise of Speculation

• [07:55]: For weeks, Arnold quietly keeps to himself, reading tapes from the ship’s library. Banner and Harcraft mentally wrangle with the mystery of Arnold’s role, postulating wild theories about his presence.

4. The Encounter with the Anchorbadians

• [09:09]: The monotony breaks when the ship detects a vessel belonging to the Anchorbadians—humans’ only alien “sibling” species, technologically advanced and culturally disinterested in human norms.
• The officers mock human paranoia about alien invasion:
  • Harcraft: “Since you can't reconcile the naked Anchorbades and their superior technology, and since they are alien to the point of showing no interest in our art institutions, rituals...” [10:42]
  • Arnold, unexpectedly insightful, interjects: “…the human unconscious can't help but equate nakedness with savagery.” [11:04]
• Paranoia surfaces around supposed missing patrol ships and rumors of a hidden Anchorbadian fleet.

5. The Freight Mission Turns Critical

• [15:01]: Mission proceeds—crew links up with cargo. Alien religious rituals—explained as mass migration for a breeding festival—keep the anchorbadian threat seemingly at bay.
• [16:20]: Midway home, a cargo malfunction and a nearby asteroid coincide. During an EVA, Arnold is terrified by what he discovers in the asteroid—later revealed to be the hidden Anchorbadian fleet.

6. The Revelation and Escalating Stakes

• [20:19]: Using the ship’s sensors, Harcraft and Banner confirm the fleet’s presence—over 1,700 hidden enemy ships. They realize the fate of humanity may hinge on their actions.
• The officers despair:
  • Harcraft: “Ideas? You mean for saving Homo sapiens? I'm afraid not. I simply do not feel up to saving 6 billion sentient organisms today.” [23:27]

7. Arnold’s Solution—and Takeover

• [23:45]: Arnold proposes a plan using the ship’s mundane cargo as a massive explosive to destroy the fleet. His rough, working-class know-how finally comes to the forefront.
• Banner and Harcraft are dismissive:
  • Banner: “You said yourself you never had any training, so you're guessing and hoping...What do you know about geology, chemistry, mining?” [24:38]
• Arnold forcibly takes command at gunpoint: “Look, I told you guys that I know rock. I know plenty of gardening, too...Have it your way, but we'll do it my way.” [25:07]

8. The Improvised Salvation

• [26:43]: After ten days of intensive labor and improvisation, Arnold detonates the asteroid, obliterating the hidden fleet and, presumably, saving human civilization.

9. Reflections on Specialization vs. Versatility

• In the aftermath, Harcraft muses:
  • “What kind of person can be so unspecialized and at the same time so miserably competent?...There are still a hundred places on our primitive homeland that provide the answer. Places where men spend half the year working with vegetables and fertilizer and the other half breaking rock with a sledgehammer...there's probably no better place than a cell to train for the isolation of space.” [28:08-29:39]
• The irony is complete—Arnold’s criminal, unspecialized past was the key to survival, contrasting sharply with the officers’ academic expertise and helplessness in crisis.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Banner (01:59): “We are heroes of the Spaceways. Yes, indeed. We train for 10 years, acquire great skill in the art of the patrol. We dedicate ourselves to the protection of the Federation. We ready ourselves for war. We gird our young strong loins.”
• Harcraft (04:03): “They'll give us medals. That's what they'll do. For the safe delivery of 1 million tons of tractor fuel...You are also awarded the Shield of — Never mind...It could be worse. They could have saddled us with a bean brain.”
• Arnold (07:04-07:50): “I've never had any real training, and this seemed like a chance to do something that sounded like fun…If you're wondering, I flunked the ESP tests, so there's nothing there. You want to consider me dead weight? Okay, your privilege.”
• Arnold (11:04): “The human unconscious can't help but equate nakedness with savagery. We have armed our mighty planet to the teeth, convinced that Armageddon is around the corner.”
• Harcraft (23:27): “Ideas? You mean for saving Homo sapiens? I'm afraid not. I simply do not feel up to saving 6 billion sentient organisms today.”
• Arnold’s Rebellion (25:07): “I told you guys that I know rock. I know plenty of gardening, too...Have it your way, but we'll do it my way.”
• Harcraft (28:08-29:39): “What kind of person can be so unspecialized and at the same time so miserably competent?...there's probably no better place than a cell to train for the isolation of space...And brother Beanbrain, what better place in the universe to find asylum from specialization.”

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Key Timestamps

• [01:29] Orders received; Banner and Harcraft’s initial frustration
• [04:37] Introduction of Arnold (“Beanbrain”)
• [06:54] Arnold’s candid background and outsider status explained
• [09:09] First encounter with Anchorbadian ship
• [16:20] Cargo problem; asteroid discovery; Arnold’s panic
• [20:19] Confirmation of hidden fleet
• [23:45] Arnold proposes his “explosive” plan
• [25:07] Arnold takes command at gunpoint
• [26:43] Asteroid detonated, enemy fleet destroyed
• [28:08-29:39] Final reflection on specialization vs. the unspecialist

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Tone and Language

The episode is laced with sarcasm and frustration from the specialized officers, who deride their situation and Arnold’s presence, contrasting with the laconic humility and earthy practicality of Arnold. The narrative’s wit and pointed critique remain at the forefront, blending speculative fiction tropes with sharp commentary on the pitfalls of modern, specialized societies.

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In summary: This audio adaptation of “Unspecialist” is as much a character study and darkly humorous social commentary as it is a classic science fiction adventure. It serves as a reminder that, when crisis hits, the skills most valued may not always be those that society ranks highest.

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Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Banner]

Unspecialist By Murray F. Yocko Banner ripped open his orders, read them, stared in disbelief for a quick moment, then cursed wildly while reaching for the telephone. Hello, Gastonia? Yes, I got him.

[Harcraft]

What kind of way to waste our

[Banner]

time, you lunkheads think? Oh, it's you, Colonel. Banner dropped the receiver and let it dangle.

[Arnold]

He sank into the only soft chair

[Banner]

in the apartment and watched hypnotically as the phone's receiver limply coiled and uncoiled at the end of the wire. Somebody knocked on and then opened the door.

[Harcraft]

Hi, pretty boy. You got your orders.

[Banner]

Come on in and hear about it, banner said. He got up from the chair, ran his hands compulsively through his recently short, cropped red hair, hung up the phone and shoved the orders into his co pilot's hands. Harcraft read them over three times and then sank into the chair just vacated by Banner. Finally, while Banner poured them both a drink, he managed to blurt, potato fertilizer and tractor fuel.

[Harcraft]

Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

[Banner]

Oh yes, yes, yes, banner said bitterly. We are heroes of the Spaceways. Yes, indeed. We train for 10 years, acquire great skill in the art of the patrol. We dedicate ourselves to the protection of the Federation. We ready ourselves for war. We gird our young strong loins.

[Harcraft]

We Are you gettin hysterical?

[Banner]

Said Harcraft, who poured himself another drink, began pacing the floor, and took up where Banner had left off.

[Harcraft]

We've never even been lost on patrol, and now they do this. It's unbelievable. Potato fertilizer and tractor fuel. We're supposed to travel 36 light years,

[Banner]

pick up 1,000 sleds of the stuff,

[Harcraft]

deliver it to some godforsaken farm planet another 30 years out and return to base. You know what they'll do then?

[Banner]

He turned to Banner, pointed his finger

[Harcraft]

accusingly, and repeated, you know what they'll do then?

[Banner]

How would I know? Said Banner glumly, staring into his drink.

[Harcraft]

Well, I can tell you what they'll do.

[Banner]

Yes, sir, I can tell you. Harcraft's pudgy face and oversized brown eyes seemed to melt into each other, giving him the appearance of an angry, if not very bright chimpanzee. Okay, what'll they do? Banner said.

[Harcraft]

They'll give us medals. That's what they'll do. For the safe delivery of 1 million tons of tractor fuel, you two fine specimens of manhood are hereby presented with the Order of the Oil. And for your courageous service in delivering 2 million tons of potato fertilizer, you

[Banner]

are also awarded the Shield of Never mind, banner said. It could be worse. They could have saddled us with a bean brain. Come on, let's go to some bar and get sober. We're leaving for freight duty at 17:00'.

[Harcraft]

Clock.

[Banner]

The beanbrain met them at the airlock.

[Harcraft]

My name is Arnold.

[Arnold]

Here's my orders.

[Banner]

Banner stared at Harcraft. Harcraft stared at Arnold. Get inside, said Banner. The bean brain smiled.

[Harcraft]

Could you sort of lead the way? I've never been inside a ship before. If you got some kind of can, it would save a mess.

[Banner]

I'll probably vomit a while. They stopped calling him Beanbrain. Three days later he was still sick, miserably space sick, and neither Banner nor Harcraft had the heart to keep needling him. On the fourth day he managed to get up and around. They ate their first meal together that day. Let's get something straight right off the bat, banner said. Neither Harcraft nor I got anything against you except prejudice. That right, Harcraft? Right, harcraft said. In short, continued Banner between puffs on a cigarette, all we know is what we've heard, and that's not good, said Harcraft. Item one, said Banner, blowing smoke at the ceiling ventilator. Patrol Command came up with the bean brain idea about six months ago. Patrol Command, in its infinite wisdom, has never seen fit to explain why beam brains are sometimes assigned, evidently at random, to small patrol vessels such as this. The orders always state that the passenger will accompany pilot and co pilot throughout the entire trip, will obey orders, yet is equal in rank to the ship's commanding officer. The bean brain has no duties aboard. This seems to make sense, at least, since Bean Brains aren't trained for anything and can't do anything. Item two, said Banner, taking his eyes off the ceiling and pointing a finger at Arnold, I have, or had two good friends, both patrol captains, who had the honor of taxiing Bean Brains around the universe. One never came back. The other, Captain Slatkin, came back and got a big medal for reasons he'll never talk about. And Slack can like to brag, said Harcraft knowingly. Arnold stood up slowly. He was a small man, but as he looked up at the ship's pilot and co pilot, he gave both the impression of height and strength.

[Harcraft]

I'll tell you something, too, he said,

[Banner]

speaking slowly, as if in pain.

[Harcraft]

I don't know why Bean Brains are assigned to ships like this either.

[Banner]

I've never been told.

[Harcraft]

I took the job because I didn't

[Banner]

like what I was doing before.

[Harcraft]

I've never had any real training, and this seemed like a chance to do

[Banner]

something that sounded like fun.

[Harcraft]

Like I said, I've never been told anything. They tested me for a lot of things.

[Banner]

Then they gave me my orders and told me to come along.

[Harcraft]

And if you're wondering, I flunked the

[Banner]

ESP tests, so there's nothing there. You want to consider me dead weight? Okay, your privilege.

[Harcraft]

Leave me alone if you want to. I'll do the same. Be friendly.

[Banner]

I'll be friendly.

[Harcraft]

Ask me to help. I'll do my best.

[Banner]

Then he got up and went back to his bunk. During the next six weeks, Arnold spent most of the time in his bunk scanning tapes from the ship's micro library on an overhead viewer. At meal times he was polite, offering no further information about himself, yet entering into any conversation that centered around such trivia as terrestrial sports, taxes, money, liquor, food, government agencies. By mutual if silent agreement, neither women nor work were discussed. Working in the ship's control room, sometimes together, sometimes spelling each other, Banner and Harcraft speculated bitterly and endlessly about their passenger theories to explain his presence. Most of them, propounded by Harcraft, were created, torn apart, modified, exploded in giant sequences of effort, which left both men finally exhausted and tired of the whole business. On the second day of the seventh week out there, ennui vanished. A ship was picked up by the Spec spanner, and at their delight at the break in routine, they summoned Arnold up to the cabin. Take a good look, said Banner. It's an anchor Badian ship. Probably the first and the last you'll ever see. Arnold watched as Banner's finger tracked a slowly moving point of light across a recessed ceiling screen. Yes, sir, said Harcraft.

[Harcraft]

You are looking at the representatives of

[Banner]

mankind's only sibling, the noble Anchorbades. Then he recited in a sing song

[Harcraft]

voice, a simple race, the Anchor Bates.

[Banner]

They wear no clothes and live in

[Harcraft]

caves, but out in space they do

[Banner]

in minutes what our ships do at speeds infinite. Cultural paranoia, added Warcraft. Huh?

[Harcraft]

I mean, just what I said. You and a million others recite that ditty or variations of it every day of the week. It all adds up to the fact

[Banner]

that the world is full of small

[Harcraft]

egged animals who for 10 years have done nothing but just scream that we're about to be attacked by the savage anchor bays.

[Banner]

Tsk, tsk, said Banner. Treason, my lieutenant. Treason of you. I had expected at least a show of chauvinism. Stop tsk tsking me, harcraft said irritably. You've known how I felt about this mess for a long time. Yes, indeed, said Banner, yawning. Ever since you took that micro course in culturology, you have insights into the situation. Denied to the rest of the race anyway, harcraft said, making a small adjustment on the screen.

[Harcraft]

You and countless other atavisms are reacting in a very predictable way. Since you can't reconcile the naked anchor baits and their superior technology, and since they are alien to point of showing no interest whatsoever in our elaborate art institutions, rituals, and since, piped up Arnold,

[Banner]

startling both men, the human unconscious can't

[Harcraft]

help but equate nakedness with savagery. We have armed our mighty planet to the teeth, convinced that Armageddon is around the corner.

[Banner]

Well, said the surprised Harcraft, where'd you pick that up? Asked Banner. From Captain Slatkin, said Arnold, smiling.

[Harcraft]

I met him when I was indoctrinated. He took the same micro course in culturology. Course he only believed that stuff when he was scared.

[Banner]

Oh, you don't say, said Banner. Tell us, my little friend, are you too convinced that Armageddon is around the corner? Not that I really think you're capable of having an opinion.

[Harcraft]

I got plenty of opinions.

[Banner]

All right, said Arnold quietly, staring at his shoes. Opinion no one is.

[Harcraft]

We're not really at war yet. But within the past two years, 56 patrol ships have disappeared in the vicinity of our friendly neighbor.

[Banner]

That's not an opinion, banner said, and disappeared can mean a lot of things. Opinion number two, continued Arnold, scratching himself

[Harcraft]

under an arm, about the only diplomatic relations we got with them animals is when they write a note complaining about some patrol ship getting too close to some piece of dirt in their system.

[Banner]

Speaking of that, you'll have to excuse me for a moment, harcraft said. Stop clowning, snapped Banner. Listen to him. Here's your chance to get some insight into the nature of the thorn in your side. Go on, beam brain. Any more opinions?

[Harcraft]

Yeah. If you're such a wise guy, tell

[Banner]

me why you're here right now. Why? Arnold's mouth screwed itself into a knowing, bitter smile.

[Harcraft]

When both of you were children, you heard the story about the big fleet, so you made it into the Patrol. Spent the rest of your life training, looking, thinking that some day Harcraft broke in. That tale about Anchorbadian fleet build up has been discredited a full thousand times. When they pried that crazy scout out of his ship, he was an hour away from the crematorium. You try spending 46 days in space without food or water sometime you'll see hidden arsenals of alien ships till hell won't have it.

[Banner]

And, added Banner, where is this fleet

[Harcraft]

build up supposed to take place? The patrol has had every planet in

[Banner]

reachable space under scheduled surveillance for the past 20 years.

[Harcraft]

You don't hide a thousand S type cruisers in somebody's pocket so nobody's scared, huh?

[Banner]

Said Arnold.

[Harcraft]

So the entire Space Command has been playing footsie all over the galaxy for 20 years, looking for 1,000 ships that aren't there in the first place, huh?

[Banner]

Routine surveillance, said Harcraft. A thousand ships, said Arnold, slapping his sweaty forehead.

[Harcraft]

They'll burn through our defense system like

[Banner]

you're a paranoid rabble rouser, said Banner lightly. We've got work to do up here. How about getting back to your bunk? Two days later they made scheduled contact with the caravan of potato fertilizer and tractor fuel. 1000 sleds in tandem were in proper orbit 200 miles above Sidor 2. Their orders provided for a landing on the planet and a short ship leave at the discretion of the ship's pilot. To refresh personnel, Banner and Harcraft decided against landing. All necessary contact, now that they were out of hyperdrive, could be accomplished with a ship's radio. Short planetfalls were psychologically more trouble than they were worth, often destroying the hard earned dedicated space orientation, which was their only defense against the abysmal boredom. It's a dull place anyway, explained Harcraft to Arnold, who had come up from the control room.

[Harcraft]

It's a mining and processing settlement. Maybe 500 families altogether. Got a funny religion, too, huh?

[Banner]

What kind well, began Harcraft, breezily. Sort of sacrificial, you might say. They believe in killing strangers who annoy their women. A dull place, arnold agreed, wiping his nose with his sleeve. Speaking of religion, said Banner, I just talked to their monitor on the radio. They've picked up 12 big ships on their scanner during the past two days.

[Harcraft]

Anchor baits?

[Banner]

Asked Arnold quickly. Uh huh. But not what you think. It's Easter time or some such thing. At home they all return to the home planet and stay there for about 30 days in the spring religious festival.

[Harcraft]

Oh, yeah. They paint themselves blue and howl at both of their moons for a month. I read about it once.

[Banner]

We'll be home too, pretty soon, ventured Harcraft, for whom the return journey was subjectively always short. Let's hitch up to those sleds, venner said. It's time to get going. Four weeks later, two of the fertilizer sleds went out of phase and automatically cut the ship out of hyperdrive. A welcome diversion, Banner said to Harcraft. You are now about to meet your mortal enemy face to face.

[Harcraft]

Manual labor?

[Banner]

Never, said Harcraft, assuming the pose of a man bravely facing the firing squad.

[Harcraft]

Patrol duty is my lifeblood. Even freight duty such as this I can stomach. But manual labor? Please, Captain, let the air out of the ship if you will, but never shall these hands. Did somebody call me?

[Banner]

Asked Arnold, appearing silently. Yeah, said Banner. How'd you like to help?

[Harcraft]

Sure. What do you got?

[Banner]

Couple sleds are out of phase. You and Harcraft are going to slip into suits and go out and find the trouble. Arnold shrugged.

[Harcraft]

Okay with me. When do we start?

[Banner]

Pretty quick, said Banner, who had turned to look at the ship's spec scanner. Looks like we're in a belt of meteorites. We'll be able to match velocities, but we could still be creamed if the path gets too eccentric. Show him the way, Harcraft. I don't want to take any longer than necessary, either. Understand? Fifteen minutes later both Arnold and Harcraft were out of the airlock and each clutching a new phase unit. Harcraft called instructions to Arnold over his suit's intercom, but within minutes the smaller man was, if anything, more adept at the business of maneuvering himself through the void than his teacher. They replaced the phase unit in the first sled, the 50th from the ship, with Harcraft doing the work and Arnold watching.

[Harcraft]

Can you do the next one alone?

[Banner]

Harcraft asked.

[Harcraft]

Easy as pie, arnold said. Where is it?

[Banner]

About 200 sleds farther back. Numbers on the side.

[Harcraft]

Number 263. Can you remember? I ain't dumb.

[Banner]

Where you gonna be? Back in the ship. We'll be waiting for you. Back again in the control cabin with Banner, Harcraft was about to congratulate himself on inventing the apprentice system when a piercing scream brought both men to their feet. It's Arnold Baynard, said. Arnold, are you all right? Harcraft pushed Banner away from the speaker.

[Harcraft]

Arnold, what's wrong? You okay?

[Banner]

The speaker remained silent. You better suit up, banner said quietly. Yeah, Har. Crash said, staring dumbly at the speaker. Yeah, I better suit up. Wait. Better take a look on the viewscreen.

[Harcraft]

Hey, he's coming this way.

[Banner]

Quick.

[Harcraft]

Get ready at the airlock.

[Banner]

It was 15 minutes before they could get anything out of him, and then he wasn't too coherent. They gave him an injection of herodyne to quiet him down, but his eyes still rolled wildly and all he could manage was big hunk of rock. Big hunk of rock.

[Harcraft]

Rock. Quick, Monkey ships. Any idea what he's talking about?

[Banner]

No, banner said thoughtfully. There was a sizable meteorite that came pretty close while you were on your way back to the ship, but I'd already tracked it before either one of you went outside.

[Harcraft]

How close?

[Banner]

Hmm. Visually? A dozen kilometers, I guess. I could run the tape if you

[Harcraft]

velocities are almost the same?

[Banner]

Asked Harcraft, who was now fiddling with the view screen controls. Yeah, shouldn't be too hard to find. How about lugging Beanbrain back to his bunk? I'll run the tape, then you can plot it on the screen. When Harkraft returned to the control cabin, Boehner had already plotted it on the screen.

[Harcraft]

I'll say it's a big piece of rock, about 4 km in diameter.

[Banner]

Yeah, but nothing out of order. Uh huh.

[Harcraft]

Let me turn up the magnification a little and see if.

[Banner]

Banner watched as Harcraft turned the control buttons, skillfully increasing magnification without losing hold of the view. Suddenly the object exploded into iridescence. Wha.

[Harcraft]

Watch.

[Banner]

Harcraft said. He bumped the magnification as much as he dared. The anchor. Badian fleet, said Banner between clenched teeth. They spent the next hour scanning the ship's micro library for anything at all on Anchorbadian religious practices. There was nothing. Arnold awoke in another hour and seemed remarkably free of hysteria. What do you know about our friend's religious holiday? Asked Banner. We Checked the library without any luck. Arnold scratched the side of his face.

[Harcraft]

Let me think. Yeah, I remember. They go home to celebrate spring, like you said.

[Banner]

They all go home?

[Harcraft]

Uh huh. They got to only time they can mate. Only place, too.

[Banner]

How long they stay? I've heard it's about one of our months, but we have to know exactly.

[Harcraft]

That's all I know. Read it someplace.

[Banner]

A long time ago.

[Harcraft]

Can I go back to sleep now?

[Banner]

Go back to sleep, said Banner. They spent the next three hours maneuvering carefully around the asteroid. They took 6,000ft of movies and stared at the projections for another three hours. One thousand, seven hundred and thirty silvery needles flashed reflected starlight into astonished wild eyes. At least, whispered Banner, there's nobody there. A lot of good that does us. They'll be back from their home planet in a few weeks, just as soon as the breeding season is over. Why should they leave anybody here?

[Harcraft]

There's not a map in the galaxy

[Banner]

that indicates the position of this piece of rock.

[Harcraft]

And we haven't any weapons.

[Banner]

I don't suppose the computer? You can't compute an orbit without at

[Harcraft]

least one more reference point. Besides, we're four weeks from any kind of fleet contact.

[Banner]

Great. In other words, they'll be back here ready to roll before we can even tell anybody that we don't know how to find it again. Right.

[Harcraft]

And since there's not any room left to park another ship of that size,

[Banner]

it's a pretty safe assumption that they're ready to roll. Armageddon, muttered Harcraft. You sure we don't have anything to weapons?

[Harcraft]

Yeah, we have a pistol and three

[Banner]

small nitro packs in a locker someplace.

[Harcraft]

You couldn't even blow your way inside

[Banner]

one of those ships.

[Harcraft]

And if you could, you'd spend two weeks and then blow yourself to hell

[Banner]

before you'd know anything about the armament. Okay, let's land and look around. Go get Arnold. They cut off the sleds and plunged down, landing between two of the ships before putting on suits. Banner sent Arnold to the locker to get the three nitro packs. He hoped it would help him overcome the terrible feeling of nakedness and impotence. They spent only a little time out of the ship. There was nothing to see that hadn't been seen before, and the heavy artificial gravity generated by the alien ships, coupled with a maze of deep crevices, made walking difficult and dangerous. Back in the control cabin, Banner turned to Harcraft. Any ideas?

[Harcraft]

Ideas? You mean for saving Homo sapiens? I'm afraid not. I simply do not feel up to

[Banner]

saving 6 billion sentient organisms today. I feel you're getting hysterical, said Banner, whose own tight, small voice was fairly audible. I got an opinion, said Arnold.

[Harcraft]

You guys stop crying for a minute and I'll tell you.

[Banner]

It took him five minutes to explain the whole thing. When he was through, both Banner and Harcraft turned him down flat. Not a chance, said Banner. It would take a week to set the thing up, and then it wouldn't work. Our best chance is a long one, but maybe we'll make it. We're four weeks away from any fleet contact, but it's the only sensible course of action, and that makes it a

[Harcraft]

total of eight weeks.

[Banner]

With four weeks to get back here, that's two months, said Arnold.

[Harcraft]

You think they're going to wait two months before they shove out of here?

[Banner]

Maybe not, banner said. But that's the only thing to do. And the sooner we get started, the better the chances.

[Harcraft]

You look here, arnold began.

[Arnold]

No more opinions, beanbrain. You're not entitled to an opinion.

[Banner]

You think we should take your word

[Arnold]

for everything you told us? Tell me why. You said yourself you never had any training, so you're guessing and hoping. It would take a staff of two dozen highly specialized technicians to even evaluate your idea, much less put it into action. Hell, man, face it. What do you know about geology, chemistry, mining? What do you know about anything? Arnold pointed a trembling finger at Banner. Look, I told you guys that I know rock. I know plenty of gardening, too. I gave you guys a chance to say okay, but you still say no. Have it your way, but we'll do it my way. Both Banner and Harcraft found themselves staring into the barrel of the ship's only weapon. Harcraft recovered from his astonishment quicker than Banner.

[Harcraft]

Okay, beanbrain, have it your way.

[Arnold]

Quickly, casually, he started for the cabin door. Then, with such speed that Banner hardly saw the movement, he chopped down viciously toward Arnold's wrist with the edge of his hand. Harcraft recovered consciousness a half an hour later. Don't try that again, little boy, said Arnold with unconcealed hatred. I'll give you another 30 minutes to catch your breath. Then we all go to work. It took 10 days instead of seven. Under Arnold's close supervision, they made the ship perform like a tractor, an air hammer, a foundation borer, and an angle dozer. Once, when they told him that some particular maneuver couldn't be done, he took the controls himself and came so close to killing them all that Banner, out of sheer terror, took over and made it do the things Arnold decreed necessary. Finally, it was finished. 2 million tons of potato fertilizer, 1 million tons of tractor fuel combined into a slimy pulp lay jammed into the largest crevice on the asteroid. A few hours later, they were a thousand miles out in space.

[Banner]

Now? Asked Banner. Now, said Arnold.

[Arnold]

With the viewscreen at maximum magnification, they watched as the asteroid blew itself into a thousand million pieces. In the control cabin, a short week away from fleet contact, Banner was still gloating over the movies. Look at these. Before and after. How many medals do you think we can carry on our strong manly chests? I really couldn't care less, answered Harcraft. While you've been sitting there enriching your fantasy life, I've solved the mystery of mysteries. Out with it. Ok. While our little friend has been lying in his bunk ruining his beady eyes on the micro viewer, I've been asking myself significant questions. What kind of person does it take to survive the inactivity and boredom of three, four, maybe six months in a space can like this? It takes a highly trained and conditioned person such as yours truly or yourself. Arnold is obviously not such a person. Obviously. Question 2. Under what circumstances can a person as obviously intelligent as Arnold manage not to become a highly specialized member of society? And last, what kind of person can be so revoltingly unspecialized as to know with fanatical certainty that the main ingredient of a good potato fertilizer is ammonium nitrate? That such a substance is rather ineffective as an explosive unless you mix it with a good oxidizable material such as diesel fuel? That a 4 square mile chunk of rock is brittle. And don't forget to add another nice facet that he's a lot cleverer in the manly art of self defense than you'll ever be? I acknowledge my humiliation and at the same time repeat my question. What kind of person can be so unspecialized and at the same time so miserably competent? I give up. Do you really know the answer? I know this. I know that whoever he is, it makes good sense to send somebody like him along with two over specialized robots like us. Look at us. You couldn't pull a cotter pin with a pair of pliers if you knew what a cotter pin was. As for myself, if I'd gotten that gun away from Arnold, I'm not even sure I'd have known how to fire it. Which still doesn't answer any questions. There are still a hundred places on our primitive homeland that provide the answer, said Harcraft thoughtfully. Places where men spend half the year working with vegetables and fertilizer and the other half breaking rock with a sledgehammer. Yes, and there's probably no better place than a cell to train for the isolation of space.

[Banner]

Uh huh.

[Arnold]

It also explains a certain familiarity with

[Banner]

makeshift explosives and weapons.

[Arnold]

And brother Beanbrain, summed up Harcraft wistfully, what better place in the universe to find asylum from? Specialization. Ebook of unspecialist by murray f. Ya.