THE PILOT AND THE BUSHMAN
By SYLVIA JACOBS
Illustrated by DAVID STONE
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Galaxy Science Fiction August 1951.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Technological upheavals caused by inventions of our own are
bad enough, but this was the ultimate depression, caused by
the ultimate alien invention—which no Earthman ever saw!
The Ambassador from Outer Space sprang to his feet, taking Jerry'sextended hand in a firm, warm grasp. Jerry had been prepared foralmost anything—a scholarly brontosaurus, perhaps, or an educatedsquid or giant caterpillar with telepathic powers. But the Ambassadordidn't even have antennae, gills, or green hair. He was a completelynormal and even handsome human being.
"Scotch? Cigar?" the Ambassador offered cordially. "How can I help you,Mr. Jergins?"
Studying him, Jerry decided there was something peculiar about thisextraterrestrial, after all. He was too perfect. His shave was tooclose, his skin so unblemished as to suggest wax-works. Every strand ofhis distinguished iron-gray hair was impeccably placed. The negligentand just-right drape of his clothes covered a body shaped like a SixthCentury B.C. piece of Greek sculpture. No mere human could have lookedso unruffled, so utterly groomed, at three o'clock in the afternoon, ina busy office. A race, Jerry wondered, capable of taking any shape atwill, in mimicry of the indigenous race of any planet?
"You can help me, but I'm not sure you will," Jerry said. "Therumor is that you won't do anything to ease this buyers' strike youstarted on Earth."
The Ambassador smiled. "You're a man who's not used to taking no for ananswer, I gather. What's your proposition?"
"I'd like to contact some of the firms on the Federated Planets, showthem how I could promote their merchandise on Earth. Earth is alreadyclamoring for their goods. To establish a medium of exchange, we'd haveto run simultaneous campaigns, promoting Earth merchandise on otherplanets."
"That would be difficult, even for a man of your promotional ability,"the Ambassador said winningly. "You see, Earth is the only planetwe've yet discovered where advertising—or promotion, to use thebroader term—exists as a social and economic force."
"How in hell can anybody do business without it?" Jerry demanded.
"We don't do business in the sense you mean. Don't mistake me," theAmbassador added hastily, "we don't have precisely a communal economy,either. Our very well defined sense of ethics in regard to materialgoods is something I find impossible to describe in any Earth language.It's quite simple, so simple that you have to grow up with it tounderstand it. Our whole attitude toward material goods is conditionedby the Matter Repositor."
"That gadget!" Jerry said bitterly. "It was when you first mentionedit before the U.N. Assembly that all this trouble on Earth started.Everybody and his brother hopes that tomorrow he can buy a MatterRepositor, and never have to buy anything again. I came here mostlyto ask you whether it's really true, that if you have one of thosedinguses, you can bring anything you want into your living room."
"You can. In practice, of course, repositing just anything that tookyour fancy would produce economic anarchy."
"Let's put it this way," Jerry persisted. "Home appliances were mybiggest accounts. Now, when we try to sell a refriger