ned one eye and looked at the room. For a moment the strange surroundings bothered him

day ahead," the voice went on. "I'm sorry, sir, but you

t his tormentor. A gasp of dismay left his lips, for standing beside the bed, a half s

from a sound sleep by a naked humanoid who looked too h

d. "I'm your secretary." She grinned

was s

ything wrong

d his tongue. She probably wouldn't understand. But there was one thi

upted before he could continue.

o cares? But do you have to break into a man's

d, "and it isn't the middle

didn't break in. Then how in Halste

ection of an open door in the side wall. "I've been ther

ough his mind. Well, perhaps he would in time-but not yet. The habits of a lifetime couldn't

hy

to get d

help

g care of myself. I've been dressing myself f

u must come from. Haven't y

N

. "No one to make you feel like the gods. No on

ennon said. "I can

u can't

n gro

e any Lani on

N

ft it. It must be

raged. "Beta has one of the highest

," she said patiently. "

Ochsner!" Kennon swore

onsibility for intelligent life other than your own race. Until you face up to you

e looked at her, and what he was about to say remained uns

hat mean?" C

y. "Leave me alone. Go put on

ed, two vertical furrows dividing her dark brows. "I've never understood why inhouse Lani have to be d

grossly ignorant, which he doubted,

about her attitudes? They weren't important-she wasn't even human. He shook his head. That was a sophistry. The fact that she wasn't human had nothing to do with

at we Lani are naked, but they adjust quickly. So will you." She smiled as she turned away. "You see," she

d and began to dress. He'd forgo the shower this morning. He had no desire for Copper to appear and offer to scrub his back. In his present

ast dishes. "He said that he'd be right over to pick you u

were at breakfast. He said he'd wait." She

ooked worriedly back. "This whole thing has an air of plausible unreality: the advertisement, the contract, this impossible island that raises humanoids as part of the livestock." He shrugged and his mirrored image shrugged back. "But it's real, all right. No drea

he dominant males. Probably that was the reason Sark was so backward. The men, having achieved domestic tranquillity, had no desire to do anything that would disturb the status quo. And since no Sarkian woman under any conceivable cir

unwilling throat of another. It would be better to accept his present situation and live with it rather than trying to impose his Betan conception of morality upon Lani that neither understood nor apprecia

iled a quick greeting as Kennon approached. "It's about time you showed up," he said. "You'll have to get into the habit of rising early on this place. We do most of our work

tty, but they get around." He turned onto the surfaced road that ran down the hill toward the hospital and the compl

ace over. There's more detective w

ctive

ure from his activities. Unless we do that, we can treat individuals from now to infinity and all we'll have is more cases. We have to apply

d anything about t

ooks last night, and I saw nothing about trematodes, or anythin

y n

t he was one of

thing attacks

know. In fact, some people think that the Varl bred it for a weapon to use against us before w

did it

've hired a Santosian or so

We had to let him go because he was a nudist. It made a b

eservoir of infection. The fatal cases usually do

not so

't seem to be any infestation outside of Hillside Station-except for two deaths in Lani recently sent from there

t what are you g

ere aren't we'll get them. We'll take the sick ones back to the hospital area and push therapy

reat at the hospi

ot Old

. We're using the ward buildings to finis

hy

e is filled right now." Blalok said. Th

aren't they?" K

cour

them out

I tol

Old Doc was trained in outcall work, but I'm not. I work from a hospital. The only things I do on o

et well with Jordan an

ossible. The patients are of more concern than the personal comfort of any

Blalok admitted. "But my a

un all over the island dosing with Trematox and taking temperatures, and while that sort of thing i

ep to a stop in front of the hospital. "I su

minute." Kennon slid from the seat, leaving B

Lani carrying bags which they loaded into the back of the jeep. "I had t

Blalok said, jerking

m fit up an ambulance. They sh

turbine. He moved a lever and t

remarked. "I wondered w

of the roads aren't so good." He engaged the drive and the jeep began to move. "We'll go cross

to the drive and set the machine on automatic. "We'll get a pretty good cross-section of

but down here close to the ground it was enormous. Fields of grain, wide orchards, extensive gardens. Once they were forced to detour a huge supply boat that rose heavily in front of them. Working in th

tations," Blalok said, "They work the farm ar

a fa

t Alexander, and there's one old codger who was actually with him during the conquest. Most of our stationmasters are family

taining hundreds of huge grayis

?" Kenn

so big. We also have sheep and swine

tive an

y-trade items. The big sale items are beef, pork, and mutton." Blal

on n

e principally to keep down the cost of overhead. Virtually all of them work right here on the island. We don't sell more t

market for all this p

n't do as well as a human being, and one of them is farm the foods on which humanity is accustomed to feed. A man'll pay two credits for a steak. He could get a Chlorella substitute for half a credit, but he'll still buy the steak if he can afford it. Same thin

luxury trade

ic," Blalok replied.

s right. He, too, liked the real t

able, then why sell

others would be inefficient for most farm work. So disposal by sale is a logical and profitable way of culling. But now the

ic, aren't you

it that it's pretty hard to crack out of a spherical trust. But that doesn't mean that we have to stay where we are. Mystics aren't owned by their

th the Lani,"

a race. They're technological morons. They don't live long enough to understand modern civilization. To turn those poor

nnon said, repeati

e a good job here-a wife and two kids-and I don't want to jeopardize my future." Blalok glanced over the side. "Well, here w

ace," Kenno

housand a year at full capacity. Of course we don't run at that rate, or Flora would be overpopulated. But this is

planned to do with

ld Man never took anyon

r," he said. "Your office said you were on your way.-Good to see you, too, Doc. I've been g

ped the outstretched hand. The gesture was as old

," Jordan said. "But our cust

way from home

But we can compare origins later. Right now, you'd better