e disposal unit. He operated it.
The boxes and their contents streamed out to space in the form of
metallic and other vapors. Calhoun sat at the control desk.

"I'm a Med Service man," he said detachedly. "I couldn't cooperate in
the spread of plagues, anyhow, though a useful epidemic might be
another matter. But the important thing right now is not keeping Weald
busy with troubles to increase their hatred of Dara. It's getting some
food for Dara. And driblets won't help. What's needed is thousands of
tons, or tens of thousands." Then he said, "Overdrive coming,
Murgatroyd! Hold fast!"

The universe vanished. The customary unpleasant sensations accompanied
the change. Murgatroyd burped.

* * * * *

6

A large part of the firmament was blotted out by the blindingly bright
half-disk of Weald, as it shone in the sunshine. It had icecaps at its
poles, and there were seas, and the mottled look of land which had
that carefully maintained balance of woodland and cultivated areas
which was so effective in climate control. The Med Ship floated free,
and Calhoun fretfully monitored all the beacon frequencies known to
man.

There was relative silence inside the ship. Maril watched Calhoun in a
sort of despairing indecision. The four young blueskins still slept,
still bound hand and foot upon the control room floor. Murgatroyd
regarded them, and Maril, and Calhoun in turn, and his small and furry
forehead wrinkled helplessly.

"They can't have landed what I'm looking for!" protested Calhoun as
his search had no result. "They can't! It would be too sensible for
them to have done it!"

Murgatroyd said "_Chee!_" in a subdued voice.

"But where the devil did they put them?" demanded Calhoun. "A polar
orbit would be ridiculous! They--" Then he grunted in disgust. "Oh! Of
course! Now, where's the landing-grid?"

He worked busily for minutes, checking the position of the Wealdian
landing-grid, which was mapped in the Sector Directory, against the
look of continents and seas on the half-disk so plainly visible
outside. He found what he wanted. He put on the ship's solar system
drive.

"I wish," he complained to Maril, "I wish I could think straight the
first time! And it's so obvious! If you want to put something out in
space, and not have it interfere with traffic, in what sort of orbit
and at what distance will you put it?"

Maril did not answer.

"Obviously," said Calhoun, "you'l