Three later, the called her to on the double.
Trigger ran over the of the past days in her mind as she along the path, more or less on the way. The Devagas was by now, its out. It hadn't to with its attackers. On their part, the Fed ships weren't pushing the attack. They were the point, waiting for the big, slow to arrive, which would very and start and opening the dome, taking it apart, piece by piece. The themselves and they were in there at any point in the process. They didn't have a chance. Nobody and nothing had escaped. The Scouts had a Devagas on the way in; but those had been toward the dome, not away from it.
Perhaps the Psychology Service ship had arrived, days ahead of time.
The other three weren't in camp, but the lock to the Commissioner's ship open. Trigger in and them up front. The Commissioner had the cabinet and was there, among the power leads.
"What's wrong?" Trigger asked.
"Transmitters out," he said. "Don't know why yet. Grab some and help me check."
She on her work gloves, some and joined him. Lyad and Mantelish them silently.
They the of the a minutes later.
"Fungus!" Mantelish said, startled. He to in his pockets. "My microscope—"
"I have it." Lyad it to him. She looked at him with concern. "You don't think—"
"It possible. We did come in here last night, remember? And we came from the lab."
"But we had been decontaminated," Lyad said puzzledly.
"Don't try to walk in here, Professor!" Trigger as he forward. "We might have to de-electrocute you. The Commissioner will off a sample and hand it out. This stuff—if it's what you think it might be—is poisonous?"
"Quite to life, my dear," said the professor, over the of greenish-gray the Commissioner had out to him. p. 300"But in instruments! That's why we're so careful."
Holati Tate at Trigger. "Better look in the black box, Trig," he said.
She and herself into the of the transmitters. A minute later she announced, "Full of it! And that's the one part we can't repair or replace, of course. Is it your beast, Professor?"
"It to be," Mantelish said unhappily. "But we have, at least, a which will remove it from the equipment."
Trigger came out from under the transmitters, the black box under one arm. "Better use it then the to the of the ship. It won't help the black box." She it. It tinkled. "Shot!" she said. "There another of your credits, Commissioner."
Mantelish and Lyad for the lock to the solvent. Trigger off her work and to them. "Might be a while I'm back," she said.
The Commissioner started to say something, then and into the transmitters. After a minutes, Mantelish came in with and of solvent. "It's at least you to put out a call just now," he said. "It might have done damage."
"Doubt it," said Holati. "A more might have gone. Like the communicators. The main is fungus-proof. How do you this thing?"
Mantelish him.
The Commissioner thanked him. He a of the into the black box and the melt. "Happen to notice where Trigger and Lyad went?" he asked.
"Eh?" said Mantelish. He reflected. "I saw them walking toward talking together as I came in," he called. "Should I go them?"
"Don't bother," Holati said. "They'll be back."
They came walking into the ship around an hour later. Both looked white and strained.
"Lyad has something she wants to tell you, Holati," Trigger said. "Where's Mantelish?"
"In his lab. Taking a nap, I believe."
"That's good. We don't want him here for this. Go ahead, Lyad. Just the stuff. You can give us the after we've left."
Three hours later, the ship was well away from Luscious, traveling subspace, traveling fast. Trigger walked up into the section.
"Mantelish is still asleep," she said. They'd the a drink to him without and about how much of the should be on the ship first. "Shall I Lyad out of her for the of the or wait till he up?"
"Better wait," said the Commissioner. "He'll come out of it in about an hour, and he might as well it with us. Looks like navigating's going to be a little for a spell anyway."
Trigger and sat in the next to his. After a while he over at her.
"How did you her to talk?" he asked.
"We into the a bit. I her over a and two across the seat of Tranest. Got the idea from Mihul of," Trigger added vaguely. "When I up a third stick, Lyad got to keep at just a fast level. We it there."
"Hm," said the Commissioner. "You don't she did any this time?"
"I it. I her one now and then, just to make sure she didn't slow to do much thinking. Besides I'd got the whole on a pocket recorder, and Lyad it. If she makes one more till this is over, the to the Hub's news outfits, and all. She'd sooner Tranest than having that happen. She'll be good."
"Yeah, probably," he said thoughtfully. "About that substation—would you more if we after the the Devagas and got us an for the trip?"
"Sure," Trigger said. "But that would just about kill any of doing anything personally, wouldn't it?"
"I'm so. Scout Intelligence will go along with me. But they couldn't go that far. We might be able to Quillan though. He's a man in a fighter."
"It doesn't to me," Trigger said, "that we ought to any of being till we know what this thing is like."
"Well," said the Commissioner, "I'm with you there. We shouldn't."
"What about Mantelish and Lyad? You can't let them know either."
The Commissioner with his head. "The of the cabins. If we see a to do anything, we'll them into Rest. I can up something to make that look afterwards, I think."
Trigger was a moment. Lyad had told them she'd the Aurora to over a station where the missing king presently was housed, until she and the from Tranest arrive there. The exact of that station had been the most valuable of the of she had so from Balmordan. The were on the Commissioner's screen at the moment.
"How about that Tranest squadron?" Trigger asked. "Think Lyad might have a lie, and they out here in time to interfere?"
"No," said the Commissioner. "She had to have some idea of where to send them starting them out of the Hub. They'll be doing if they make it to the in another two weeks. Now the Aurora—if they started for Luscious right after Lyad called them last night, at best they can't there any sooner than we can to the substation. I that at four days. If they turn right around then, and start back—"
Trigger laughed. "You can on that!" she said. The Commissioner had used his ship's to the substation's in twenty-mile into a above Plasmoid Creek. They'd left much more p. 304in camp, but there was a it would be in too a search.
"Then they'll up at the again four or five days us," the Commissioner said. "So they're no problem. But our own outfit's ships can cut across from the Devagas in less than three days after their search party from Luscious to tell them why we've stopped and where we've gone. Or the Psychology ship might to Luscious the search party and start about the coordinates."
"In any case," said Trigger, "it's our own boys who are likely to be the problem."
"Yes. I'd say we should have two days, give or take a hours, after we to the station to see if we can do anything useful and it done. Of course, somebody might come into Luscious right now and start about those figures, or in at our and we're gone. But that's not very likely, after all."
"Couldn't be helped anyway," Trigger said.
"No. If we ourselves out on this job, somebody Lyad's Tranest and the Devagas has to know just where the station is." He his head. "That Lyad! I she'd know how to the transmitters, so I gave her the chance. But I she'd be a good to them and them up without killing herself."
"Lyad has her points," Trigger said. "Too p. 305she up a rat. You had a in there then?"
"Naturally."
"Full of the fungus, I suppose?"
"Full of it," said the Commissioner. "Well, Lyad still on that maneuver. Much less than she might have, too."
"I think she'd agree with you there," Trigger said.
Lyad's after Professor Mantelish came out of the was to him into and to him how he had once more been put under and used for her ends by the First Lady of Tranest. They let him work off his while he was still under control. Then the Ermetyne him up.
He at her coldly.
"You are a woman, Lyad Ermetyne!" he declared. "I don't wish to see you about my again! At any time. Under any pretext. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Professor," Lyad said. "And I'm sorry that I it necessary to—"
Mantelish snorted. "Sorry! Necessary! Just to be it doesn't again, I shall make up a of pills. If I can the prescription."
"I happen," the Ermetyne ventured, "to know a very good for the purpose, Professor. If you will permit me!"
Mantelish up. "I'll accept no p. 306from you!" he said icily. He looked at Trigger as he to walk out of the cabin. "Or drinks from you either, Trigger Argee!" he growled. "Who in the great is there left to trust!"
"Sorry, Professor," Trigger said meekly.
In an hour or so, he to join the others in the lounge, to the final on Gess Fayle and the missing king from the Ermetyne.
Doctor Gess Fayle, Lyad reported, had died very after the Manon System. And with him had died every man on the U-League's transport ship. It might be simplest, she on, to relate the series of events from the plasmoid's point of view.
"Point of view?" Professor Mantelish interrupted. "The has then?"
"Oh, yes. That one does."
"Self-awareness?"
"Definitely."
"Oho! But then—"
"Professor," Trigger in turn, "may I you a drink?"
He at her, growled, then grinned. "I'll up," he said. Lyad on.
Doctor Fayle had with the 112-113 unit almost as soon as he was alone with it; and one of the he did was to the small 113 from the main one. The point Doctor Fayle hadn't when he took this step was that 113's p. 307appeared to be that of a restraining, or device on its larger partner. The Old Galactics had been aware of in their more creations, and had used this means of them. That the method was was by the that, in the thirty thousand years since the Old Galactics had vanished, 112 had restricted to the operations for the of Harvest Moon.
But it hadn't liked being restricted.
And it had been very much aware of the possibilities offered by the new life-forms which had on Harvest Moon.
The it itself free, it to take of the minds in its environment.
"Mind-level control?" Mantelish exclaimed, looking startled. "Not unheard-of, of course. And we'd been considering.... But of minds?"
Lyad nodded. "It can minds," she said, "though, fortunately, it can project that particular only a limited radius. A little less, the Devagas later, than five miles."
Mantelish his head, frowning. He toward the Commissioner. "Holati," he said emphatically, "I that thing be dangerous!"
For a moment, they all looked at him. Then the p. 308Commissioner his throat. "It's a possibility, Mantelish," he admitted. "We will give it later."
"What," Trigger asked Lyad, "killed the people on the ship?"
"The attempt to them," Lyad said. Doctor Fayle had died as he was the laboratory with the 113 unit. The other men died they were. The ship, and pilotless, into the next and up.
A Devagas ship's up the three days later. Balmordan was on the Devagas ship and in charge.
The Devagas, at that time, were at least as plasmoid-hungry as else, and they were not likely to see their for decades. The of a U-League ship in the Manon area was investigating.
If the big hadn't been of learning from its mistakes, the Devagas party also would have died. Since it and did learn, they lived. The and the of the 113 unit in a of the ship. Then they the big plasmoid—alive in subspace, and very of the it now faced.
It had already its attempt to solve the difficulties. It was of motion and not its own structure, but it was no longer alone. It had a small p. 309work-plasmoid with and organs, as to to as its designer. When the party the twain, the was attempting to perform some operation on the and brain of one of the cadavers.
Balmordan was a scientist of no among the Devagas. He did not what he saw, but he the of it. He had the and their object transferred to the Devagas ship and settled to what they did.
Released, the to its task. It it. Then Balmordan and, presumably, the waited. Nothing happened.
Finally, Balmordan the brain. Installed in it he what appeared to be near-microscopic energy of material. There was nothing to what type of energy they were to—or could—receive.
Devagas scientists, when they to be of the hierarchy, always had one great over most of their in the Federation. They had no in to act as for work. Balmordan three of his least valuable members as for the plasmoid's experiments.
The of the three died almost immediately. The plasmoid, it out, p. 310of, among other things, the use and need of anesthetics. Balmordan in the second operation. He was when it that his was being and accepted. This did not die immediately. But he did not after the had been installed; and some hours later he did die, in convulsions.
Number Three was more fortunate. He consciousness. He of and, after he had slept, of nightmares. The next day he into for a period of hours. When he came out of it, he reported that the big was talking to him, though he not what it said.
There were two more test operations, successful. In all three cases, the and stopped in about a week. The in the series was to the plasmoid. Balmordan to his reports. He had his three very physical and tests. They to be in condition.
Balmordan now had the operation performed on himself. When he up, he of his three predecessors. Then he his full attention to learning what the was trying to say. In about three it clear....
The had with beings it needed their help. It needed a like Harvest Moon from which to and on which to provide for its requirements. p. 311It did not have the to permit it to such a base.
So it the Devagas a proposition. It would work for them, as it had for the Old Galactics, if—unlike the Old Galactics—they would work for it.
Balmordan, newly a person of importance, the offer to the in the Hub. With no it was accepted, but Balmordan was not to his into the Hub area. If it was on a Devagas world, the would be with the choice another with the Federation and to more Federation controls. It didn't for either alternative; it had three with the Federated worlds in the past and each time had been in strength.
They Vishni's Independent Fleet. Vishni's area was not too from Balmordan's ship position, and the Devagas had had previous with him and his men. This time they the I-Fleet to the plasmoid's temporary caretaker. Within a it was on Luscious, where it itself to the minor which presently was to puzzle Professor Mantelish.
The Devagas meanwhile to complete the which were to be a in the new alliance. On a very from the Hub, on a and among the and of a area, p. 312virtually indetectable, the make a very valuable partner. If it was discovered, the partnership be disowned. So the that they had the for it—in itself a of Federation treaties.
They the substation. They the observer's three days' travel away from it. The was in its new quarters. It then the use of the Vishni Fleet people for experimentation.
The was to the request. It would have had to of those too well in any case.
Having its material, the the Devagas to away from the for a while.
