* * * * *
"I hope you've recorded this," said Nordenfeld. "It's rather important.
This trick should have been tried on Kamerun and Altaira and everywhere
else new diseases have turned up. When there's a bug on one planet
that's deadly to us, there's bound to be a bug on some other planet
that's deadly to it! The same goes for any pests or vermin--the
principle of natural enemies. All we have to do is find the enemies!"
There was more communication between the _Star Queen_ and the spaceport
on Circe III, which the _Star Queen_ would not make other contact with
on this trip, and presently the big liner headed back to Altaira. It
was necessary for official as well as humanitarian reasons. There would
need to be a health examination of the _Star Queen_ to certify that it
was safe for passengers to breathe her air and eat in her restaurants
and swim in her swimming pools and occupy the six levels of passenger
cabins she contained. This would have to be done by a Patrol ship,
which would turn up at Altaira.
The _Star Queen's_ skipper would be praised by his owners for not
having driven the liner into a star, and the purser would be forgiven
for the confusion in his records due to off-schedule operations of
the big ship, and Jensen would find in the ending of all terror of
chlorophage an excellent reason to look for appreciation in the value
of the investments he was checking up. And Doctor Nordenfeld....
He talked very gravely to Kathy. "I'm afraid," he told her, "that your
father isn't coming back. What would you like to do?"
She smiled at him hopefully. "Could I be your little girl?" she asked.
Doctor Nordenfeld grunted. "Hm ... I'll think about it."
But he smiled at her. She grinned at him. And it was settled.