The point of it, Holati Tate explained, was that this had been more activity than 113-A over a period of a week. And 113-A was easily the most active of them all nowadays.
"It is, of course, possible," Mantelish said, from thought, "that it was by your odor."
"Thank you, Mantelish!" said Trigger.
"You're welcome, my dear." Mantelish had his chair up to the table; he himself in it. "We shall now," he announced, "try a little experiment. Pick it up, Trigger."
She at him. "Pick it up! No, Mantelish. We shall now try some other little experiment."
Mantelish his Jovian brows. Holati gave her a small across the table. "Just touch p. 64it with the of a finger," he suggested. "You can do that much for the professor, can't you?"
"Barely," Trigger told him grimly. But she out and put a to the less end of 113-A. After a moment she said, "Hey!" She moved the along the thing's surface. It had a velvety, smooth, warm feeling, like a kitten. "You know," she said surprised, "it of nice! It just looks disgusting."
"Disgusting!" Mantelish boomed, again.
The Commissioner up a hand. "Just a moment," he said. He'd up some Trigger hadn't noticed, for he over to the now and touched something there. A apparently. The door to the room opened. Trigger's came in. The door closed him. He was a with a and four small on it.
He gave Trigger a grin. She gave him a in return. The Commissioner had him: Heslet Quillan—Major Heslet Quillan, of the Subspace Engineers. For a Subspace Engineer, Trigger had skeptically, he was a good grabber. But there was a in the room. It would last, at least, until Holati his explaining. There was no good not to Major Quillan in it.
"Ah, Puya!" Professor Mantelish exclaimed, on the as Quillan set it on the table. Mantelish to have about p. 65plasmoid for the moment, and Trigger didn't to him. She her hand from 113-A. The the flask. "You'll have some, Trigger, I'm sure? The only good thing the world of Rumli produced."
"My great-grandmother," Trigger remarked, "was a Rumlian." She him the four with a thin liquid. "I've it; but yes, thanks."
Quillan put one of the in of her.
"And we shall drink," Mantelish suggested, with a of his Puya, "to your great-grandmother!"
"We shall also," Major Quillan, a chair up to the table for himself, "Advise Trigger to take a very small on her go at the stuff."
Nobody had him to down. But nobody was either. Well, that fitted, Trigger thought.
She sipped. It was and hot. Very hot. She set the on the table, with difficulty, quiveringly. Tears in her eyes.
"Very good!" she husked.
"Very good," the Commissioner agreed. He put his empty and his lightly. "And now," he said briskly, "let's on with this conference."
Trigger around the room while Quillan refilled three glasses. The small live she had was melting away; a warm p. 66to spread through her. It did look like the room of a lodge. The was dark, old-looking, with much polishing. Horned of Maccadon life-forms the walls.
But it was open season now on a different of game. Three men had walked past them when Quillan her in by the door. They hadn't looked at her. There were now and then from some of the other rooms, and that of a number of people around—of being at an of some sort, which with activity.
One of the things, Holati Tate said, which had not public knowledge so was that Professor Mantelish actually succeeded in some of the on the Old Galactic into operation. One in particular.
The the hadn't been was that for nearly six no one the three men directly in the had about them. And that time other which very inadvisable.
Mantelish scowled. "We up a report to the League the day of the discovery," he Trigger. "It was a complete and report!"
"True," Holati said, "but the report the U-League got didn't to be the one Professor Mantelish helped make up. We'll go into that later. The the was with was the 112-113 unit."
He his to Mantelish. "Still want me to tell it?"
"Yes, yes!" Mantelish said impatiently. "You will grossly, of course, but it should do for the moment. At a more time I shall be to give Trigger an of the processes."
Trigger at him. "Thank you, Professor!" She took her second of the Puya. Not bad.
"Well, Mantelish was this with mild stimulations," Holati on. "He noticed that as he did it other in that of Harvest Moon were of activity. So he called in Doctor Fayle and Doctor Azol."
The three scientists that of the 112 part of the unit was in producing patterns of motion the entire base, while an at 113 to an stop again. After a hours of this, 112 a of its material, which itself and moved off slowly under its own power through the station, with great by Mantelish and Azol. It stopped at a point where another had been for laboratory investigations, up and settled in the place left by its predecessor. It then itself into a copy of the predecessor, and where it was. Obviously a replacement.
There was scientific among the three. This was the of the U-League—and else—had p. 68been to obtain. 112-113 be to be a of of the station's activities. It be to go into action and to the other plasmoids. With and of method, its action be from the to the purposeful. Finally, and most importantly, it had itself of producing a different of life to a requirement.
In essence, the presented by the Old Galactic Station appeared to be solved.
The three up their report to the U-League. Included was a to of ten of the less to in the Hub—the big and which had been political pressure to on the Federation to let them in on the investigation. That should keep them occupied, while the U-League the work.
"Next day," said Holati, "Doctor Gess Fayle presented Mantelish with a message from U-League Headquarters. It to have Fayle the 112-113 unit in one of the League ships at Harvest Moon and it to Maccadon."
Mantelish frowned. "The message was faked!" he boomed.
"Not only that," said Holati. "The report Doctor Fayle had the day to the League was to the that it p. 69any to 112-113." He at Mantelish. "As a of fact, it was almost a month and a League Headquarters aware of the of the unit."
The snorted. "Azol," he to Trigger, "had a of his scientific zeal. And I—"
"Doctor Azol," said the Commissioner, "as you may remember, had his little with the just two days after Fayle departed."
"And I," Mantelish on, "was in other urgent research. How was I to know what that Fayle had been up to? A president of the University League!"
"Well," Trigger said, "what had Doctor Fayle been up to?"
"We don't know yet," Holati told her. "Obviously he had something in mind with the order and the of the report. But the only thing we can say definitely is that he on the League ship he had requisitioned, along with its and the 112-113 plasmoid, and hasn't up again.
"And that unit now to have been almost the key unit of the entire Old Galactic Station—the unit that along there for thirty thousand years."
He at Quillan. "Someone at the door. We'll it while you see what they want."
