And we’re getting married with a ready-made family, too. Four Fuzzies and a black-and-white kitten.
“You’re sure you really want to go to Beta?” Gerd asked. “When Napier gets this new government organized, it’ll be taking over Science Center. We could both get our old jobs back. Maybe something better.”
“You don’t want to go back?” He shook his head. “Neither do I. I want to go to Beta and be a sunstone digger’s wife.”
“And a Fuzzyologist.”
“And a Fuzzyologist. I couldn’t drop that now. Gerd, we’re only beginning with them. We know next to nothing about their .”
He nodded seriously. “You know, they may turn out to be even wiser than we are.”
She laughed. “Oh, Gerd! Let’s don’t get too excited about them. Why, they’re like little children. All they think about is having fun.”
“That’s right. I said they were wiser than we are. They stick to important things.” He smoked silently for a moment. “It’s not just their psychology; we don’t know anything much about their , or biology either.” He picked up his glass and drank. “Here; we had eighteen of them in all. Seventeen adults and one little one. Now what kind of ratio is that? And the ones we saw in the woods ran about the same. In all, we sighted about a hundred and fifty adults and only ten children.”
“Maybe last year’s crop have grown up,” she began.
“You know any other races with a one-year maturation period?” he asked. “I’ll bet they take ten or fifteen years to mature. ’s Baby Fuzzy hasn’t gained a pound in the last month. And another puzzle; this for Extee Three. That’s not a natural food; except for the cereal bulk matter, it’s . I was talking to Ybarra; he was wondering if there mightn’t be something in it that caused an .”
“Maybe it satisfies some kind of dietary deficiency.”
“Well, we’ll find out.” He the over his glass. “Think we could stand another cocktail before dinner?”
Space Commodore Napier sat at the desk that had been Nick Emmert’s and looked at the little man with the red whiskers and the suit, who was looking back at him in .
“Good Lord, Commodore; you can’t be serious?”
“But I am. Quite serious, Dr. Rainsford.”
“Then you’re nuts!” Rainsford exploded. “I’m no more to be Governor General than I’d be to command Xerxes Base. Why, I never held an position in my life.”
“That might be a recommendation. You’re replacing a veteran .”
“And I have a job. The Institute of Zeno-Sciences—”
“I think they’ll be glad to give you leave, under the circumstances. Doctor, you’re the logical man for this job. You’re an ecologist; you know how the effects of upsetting the balance of nature can be. The Zarathustra Company took care of this planet, when it was their property, but now nine-tenths of it is public , and people will be coming in from all over the ,
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