Space-time is a unified field.
A continuous field distributes matter-energy in space-time.
Primary atomic probabilities are the psi function that gives this distribution.
Life is linked to the probabilities.
Thus, conscious will controls external matter and energy by acting through the unified field.
An Arzunian animal deflects blaster bolts and teleports away from danger.
Intelligent Arzunians have more highly developed parapsychical powers.
There. Everything that you wanted to ask about Arzunians. I had forgotten that the story presents such a concise explanation.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Even so early in his writing career Anderson manages to make even fantastic implausibilities seem plausible!
Ad astra! Sean
On thinking about it, my disappointment with "Sargasso of the Lost Starships" was only partly the quality being a bit less than his later stories. It was also that it didn't fit well with the Technic Civilization future history. The abilities of the Arzunians should have influenced the science & technology of the Empire later in the history. I suppose making it a fantasy within the overall fiction is the least bad way to shoehorn it into the Technic Civ FH, if it is to be included at all.
Kaor, Jim!
Reasonable comments, ones I can mostly agree with. But I think "Sargasso" has to be included the Technic stories, due to it having just enough in common with them to make that advisable. Thinking of this story as a fiction within the fiction makes it easier for me to do that.
Ad astra! Sean
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