in different ways, for different reasons. I mean, Johnny's case
seemed pretty clear cut, and what you haven't explained about Hoskins,
Hoskins has demonstrated pretty clearly. About Ives, now--we can skip
that for the time he'll be unconscious. But if you can figure out where
you and I might break, why--we'd know what to look for."

"You think that would help?"

"We'd be prepared."

Paresi looked at him sharply. "Let's hypothesize a child who is afraid
of the dark. Ask him and he might say that there's a _something_ in dark
places that will jump out at him. Then assure him, with great authority,
that not only is he right but that it's about to jump any minute, and
what have you done?"

"Damage," nodded the Captain. "But you wouldn't say that to the child.
You'd tell him there was nothing there. You'd _prove_ there wasn't."

"So I would," agreed the doctor. "But in our case I couldn't do anything
of the kind. Johnny broke over machines that really didn't work. Hoskins
broke over phenomena that couldn't be measured nor understood. Ives
broke over things that scuttled and crawled. Subjectively real
phenomena, all of them. Whatever basic terrors hide in you and in me
will come to face us, no matter how improbable they might be. And you
want me to tell you what they are. No, skipper. Better leave them in
your subconscious, where you've buried them."

"I'm not afraid," said the Captain. "Tell me, Paresi! At least I'll
know. I'd rather know. I'd so _damn_ much rather know!"

"You're sure I can tell you?"

"Yes."

"I haven't psychoanalyzed you, you know. Some of these things are very
hard to--"

"You do know, don't you?"

"Damn you, yes!" Paresi wet his lips. "All right, then. I may be doing a
wrong thing here.... You've cuddled up to the idea that I'm a very
astute character who automatically knows about things like this, and
it's been a comfort to you. Well, I've got news for you. I didn't figure
all these things out. I was told."

"Told?"

"Yes, told," said Paresi angrily. "Look, this is supposed to be
restricted information, but the Exploration Service doesn't rely on
individual aptitude tests alone to make up a crew. There's another
factor--call it an inaptitude factor. In its simplest terms, it comes to
this: that a crew can't work together only if each member is the most
efficient at his job. He has to _need_ the others, each one of the
others. And the word _need_ predicates _lack_. In other words, non