ernmental crisis.
Then there'd be a frantic seizure of any craft that could take to
space, and the agitated improvisation of a space fleet.

But besides that, biological-warfare technicians would examine
Calhoun's instructions for equipment by which armed men could be
landed on a plague-stricken planet and then safely taken off again.
Military and governmental officials would come to the eminently sane
conclusion that while Calhoun could not well take active measures
against blueskins, as a sane and proper citizen of the galaxy he would
be on the side of law and order and propriety and justice--in short,
of Weald. So they ordered sample anticontagion suits made according to
Calhoun's directions, and they had them tested. They worked admirably.

On Dara, while Calhoun journeyed placidly back to it, grain was
distributed lavishly, and everybody on the planet had their cereal
ration almost doubled. It was still not a comfortable ration, but the
relief was great. There was considerable gratitude felt for Calhoun,
which as usual included a lively anticipation of further favors to
come. Maril was interviewed repeatedly, as the person best able to
discuss him, and she did his reputation no harm. That was all that
happened on Dara....

No. There was something else. A very curious thing, too. There was a
spread of mild symptoms which nobody could exactly call a disease.
They lasted only a few hours. A person felt slightly feverish, and ran
a temperature which peaked at 30.9 deg. centigrade, and drank more water
than usual. Then his temperature went back to normal and he forgot all
about it. There have always been such trivial epidemics. They are
rarely recorded, because few people think to go to a doctor. That was
the case here.

Calhoun looked ahead a little, too. Presently the fleet of grain ships
would arrive and unload and lift again for Orede, and this time they
would make an infinity of slaughter among wild cattle herds, and bring
back incredible quantities of fresh-slaughtered frozen beef. Almost
everybody would get to taste meat again, which would be most
gratifying.

Then, the industries of Dara would labor at government-required tasks.
An astonishing amount of fissionable material would be fashioned into
bombs--a concession by Calhoun--and plastic factories would make an
astonishing number of plastic sag-suits. And large shipments of heavy
metals in ingots would be made to the planet's capital city and there
wou